MANILA, Philippines – From Dennis Rodman’s 48-hour vacation to Michael Jordan’s first championship, the latest chapter of The Last Dance went out on Monday, April 27 and gave basketball fans an emotional roller-coaster ride.
NBA stars – both active and retired– shared their thoughts on episodes 3 and 4 of the documentary series, which centered on Rodman’s arrival to the Chicago team, the Bulls-Pistons rivalry, and Phil Jackson.
Los Angeles Lakers’ star LeBron James almost teared up when MJ lifted and hugged his first Larry O’Brien trophy, while former Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade and Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine got inspired of Jordan’s greatness.
Watching Episode 4. Watching/Seeing MJ hold that first damn near had me tearing up ! That feeling and level of emotions is unexplainable when you been through the
Man #TheLastDance had me so motivated last night—I got up as soon as it went off and started working out. It’s nothing like being inspired by someone else greatness!
Who else wants to go workout or play after watching this?
Aside from their championship journey, the latest installment of the documentary put the spotlight on the party-loving Rodman, who went for a vacation in Las Vegas in the middle of the 1997-1998 season.
Retired Chicago big man Charles Oakley reminisced his moments with Rodman, while Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell said Rodman was the one who introduced “load management.”
#TheLastDance makin me nostalgic.
One of the best rebounders around! pic.twitter.com/HKqh0B19Lp
Say what you want Dennis Rodman invented load management
0 PTS – 28 REBOUNDS
0 PTS – 25 REBOUNDS
0 PTS – 24 REBOUNDS
10 PTS – 10 AST – 21 REBOUNDS
Defense & Rebounding wins Chips…#TheLastDance #DennisRodman
we the people demand the vegas bonus footage#TheLastDance
One of the biggest stories in the latest episode was the infamous handshake snob of the Detroit Pistons when Jordan and the Bulls finally beat their defending champ rivals in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals.
Netizens lashed out their anger to Isiah Thomas, who tried to explain the logic and story behind the walk-off.
But it seems like people pointed their hate to the wrong person as netizens went after former Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas instead of Isiah.
Y’all be tweeting me mad at me like I was tryna hurt Jordan lol
The tension between “Bad Boys” Pistons and the Bulls seemed to be alive as Horace Grant did not hold back in calling out their rivals in his interview in the documentary. Sports columnist Skip Bayless thinks that Pistons’ walk-off showed “poor sportsmanship.”
Jordan is right. It was incredibly poor sportsmanship for the Pistons to walk off without shaking hands after getting swept by the Bulls. Horace Grant went so far as to say: "Straight up b's." Yep.
Horace bout to be all over the innanet for years to come! #TheLastDance
Stars also reacted to the story of Bulls’ Phil Jackson, who coached teams overseas before joining the coaching staff of Chicago.
Former Lakers forward Pau Gasol, who played under Jackson a decade ago, said his former mentor is the “best basketball coach in the history.”
Best basketball coach in the history! @PhilJackson11 #Goat #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/gHlCkOJHS1
The Phil Jackson episode is fascinating. His ability to balance this franchise and the unique personalities is remarkable.
I love that Phil Jackson didnt try to crush Rodman's spirit. #TheLastDance
Okay, finding tape of Phil Jackson coaching in Puerto Rico is next level.
Retired NBA players and other sports personalities also reacted the recent episodes of The Last Dance.
Quetin Richardson praised Scottie Pippen’s defense on Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA Finals while 2020 Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes tuned in to the documentary as well.
Pip guarded Magic full court!!! Legendary!!! #TheLastDance
Week 2 #TheLastDance
The best pre workout on the market currently is #TheLastDance
Man, 2 hrs has never went by so fast lol. #TheLastDance
Episode 3&4 takeaway: I want flannel pajama pants immediately #TheLastDance
Aside from the backroom stories, The Last Dance gave netizens something that Jordan hated – a meme template.
Feels like the GOAT will have to deal with a different meme for years.
i'll watch hours of jordan watching isiah thomas interviews pic.twitter.com/I1TgqTM5ew
– Rappler.com
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