On Sunday, April 19, ESPN released episodes one and two of The Last Dance, a 10 part documentary covering the 1997-98 world-phenom Chicago Bulls championship. A camera crew was given unprecedented access to the locker room, practices, and behind the scene looks throughout the season.

The first two episodes gave some background to viewers who did not know much about the Bulls. The first episode introduced Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player of all time. It also set up the conflict between him and General Manager Jerry Krause. While credited with building a team around Jordan to win championships, it seems that he is sort of an antagonist to MJ and the Bulls during the final season. 

Episode two gave fans a better idea of who Scottie Pippen was. To put it simply, Scottie Pippen was one of the most underrated players of his generation, as he played Robin to MJ. Scottie Pippen grew up with the odds against him. He was never supposed to be in the NBA, as he talked his way to a scholarship after working as a team manager for a division two school. During college, he saw his game blossom and he grew six inches, allowing him to become NBA material.

While Krause drafted Pippen, the two then had a long conflict during the beginning of the 1998 season. Pippen earlier negotiated a long term contract because he wanted to ensure that he would be making money to help provide for his family. However, after he became as good as he was in the NBA, Krause failed to renegotiate the contract, leaving Pippen unsatisfied and upset with the Bulls organization, also leading him to sit out in the early part of the season. With some background set on some of the key figures in the Bulls organization, episode three and four will likely begin to talk about the final season for this legendary Bulls squad.

One thing that makes this documentary so great is all of the people speaking on it. From Magic Johnson to Barack Obama, it really gives you an idea of how legendary Michael Jordan is. It has also sparked the debate of who is the greatest: Jordan or LeBron? For those who never got to witness Jordan play, this documentary has the power to change minds. 

“I was so glad to see that ESPN released The Last Dance early,” senior Josh Hartman said. “Considering the circumstances with the quarantine there wasn’t much to really look forward to. When they released it early it gave me something sports related to look forward to and finally get excited about.”

Like Hartman, a lot of people are excited about the next episodes. Episodes three and four of The Last Dance air on Sunday, April 26.