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The Last Dance: 3 main characters from week 1 of Michael Jordan doc

By Josh Wilson

CHICAGO, UNITED STATES: Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls talks to reporters 03 June after his morning workout at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bulls will take on the Utah Jazz 04 June for game 2 of the NBA Finals. (Photo credit should read VINCENT LAFORET/AFP via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, UNITED STATES: Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls talks to reporters 03 June after his morning workout at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bulls will take on the Utah Jazz 04 June for game 2 of the NBA Finals. (Photo credit should read VINCENT LAFORET/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Michael Jordan, The Last Dance
Michael Jordan, The Last Dance (Photo credit should read TIM SLOAN/AFP via Getty Images) /

Michael Jordan

We can’t have the start of The Last Dance without the man himself, Michael Jordan.

While we knew Jordan would be the center point of the first two episodes, and that he will continue to be the center point for the following eight, he’ll likely take on a new meaning in each episode as the story progresses.

What was interesting about the start of the series was the injection of Jordan to the NBA and how he seemed to completely change the tone of the league. We’ve heard time and time again about how relentless he was from a competition standpoint, but his off-court motives are what shined in the first two episodes.

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For a while, the league had a terrible reputation of being riddled with drug use and other illicit activity. Players would spend their time on the road treating hotel rooms as rockstars might.

In the doc, as Jordan reacted to the Bulls being described as a “cocaine tour” he recounted a time when he was in his rookie season and knocked on a hotel door looking for his teammates. He painted a picture of extremely illicit behavior from his teammates and guests.

It seemed to be a culture shock for Jordan in some ways. He wanted no part of this behavior, didn’t even drink at the time, and just wanted to compete and win.

It’s respectable, and it gives deeper meaning to the importance of Jordan’s role in the coming years. He would become the face of the league and would be one of the reasons the reputation of the NBA was completely changed not just because of his play on the court, but also because of his general straight-edge mentality in the early years of his career.

Though cigars and whiskey would come with championships and retirement, Jordan stayed on the straight and narrow in the early years of his career as he came off of victory and championships in his college days.

Furthermore, Jordan’s early and college years were a strong focal point of the documentary’s first two episodes.