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ESPN Michael Jordan documentary, The Last Dance, streaming guide: How to watch
Update: ESPN’s latest documentary The Last Dance, featuring the greatest basketball icon of all time, Michael Jordan, has now aired in full.
- Episodes 1 and 2 focused on Michael Jordan’s early career and the Bulls situation in 97-98, along with Scottie Pippen and his upbringing and contract situation during the Bulls 1997-98 season.
- Episode 3 properly introduces rebounding and hustle machine Dennis Rodman, a unique presence almost never seen before in sport.
- Episode 4 focuses on legendary coach Phil Jackson, the early 90s Bulls rivalry with the Detroit Pistons (including the Pistons not shaking hands), and a big moment after Super Bowl XXXII in 1998, as the Bulls head to Utah.
- Episode 5 and Episode 6 bring in the likes of Kobe Bryant in a tribute, as Michael Jordan discusses the unfortunate passing of the Lakers great. Interesting nugget: MJ addresses one of the most famous quotes of his career: “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”
The Last Dance is a 10-part docuseries capturing never-before-seen footage following Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls during the 1997-98 NBA season. The documentary premiers on April 19, Sunday night, with the first episode airing at 9PM ET, immediately followed by Episode 2 at 10PM.
The Last Dance will be shown by ESPN each Sunday night, with two episodes airing back-to-back starting 9PM.
The Last Dance on ESPN schedule:
- Sunday, April 19 Episodes 1 and 2 (9PM ET);
- Sunday, April 26 Episodes 3 and 4;
- Sunday, May 3 Episodes 5 and 6;
- Sunday, May 10 Episodes 7 and 8;
- Sunday, May 17: the final two episodes: 9 and 10.
How to watch The Last Dance on ESPN:
The Last Dance will be broadcast on ESPN 1 and ESPN 2, ESPN.com, ESPN app, and will also be available on the ESPN Plus app.
ESPN 2 hosts a “clean” version without profanities and some blurring.
ESPN Plus will also stream “Detail: 1998 Chicago Bulls,” a companion series hosted by Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr and head coach Phil Jackson, with five episodes streaming each Sunday, ahead of The Last Dance.
The ESPN Plus service is also bundled with Disney Plus and Hulu (with ads) for $13 a month.
The Last Dance: 1997-98 Jordan and the Bulls dynasty on show
Michael Jeffrey Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six titles. Both times, he won three series back-to-back with the Chicago Bulls, under legendary coach Phil Jackson, with a supporting cast including Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, and future Hall of Famer Steve Kerr.
The Last Dance givers viewers unprecedented access to the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, the last great Chicago Bulls team, the last team with Michael Jordan, who announced his second retirement after the NBA Finals. The footage claims to be unlike anything we’ve ever seen before: 500 hours of tape was captured on super 16mm, allowing mastering in full HD resolution shots.
The 1997-98 season saw the Bulls and Jordan win everything, again. But it wasn’t a normal season. Front-office fighting, Scottie Pippen injured, Phil Jackson’s last season: very little was normal, and the cameras were there to capture it. There’s no spoilers in saying the Bulls won 62 games in the regular season, Jordan was MVP of the league, the Bulls won their third straight championship, and clinched their sixth in the last eight years. The Bulls were bigger than The Beatles, and Jordan was bigger than the sport itself. That’s what makes it incredible viewing.
Shea Serrano’s 2017 book Basketball (And Other Things) describes Jordan’s 1997-98 season as ‘The Very Very Great Michael Jordan’, noting “1998 Jordan is not the most statistically dominant [in his career span], but he is the one that is the most theatrical.”
With the world on lockdown, ESPN rushed The Last Dance docuseries to premiere on April 19, months ahead of its expected showing. Expect it to see huge attention given the status of Michael Jordan, the popularity of the NBA and basketball, and the world wanting to see new content.
So far, each episode has been enjoyed by fans, with the show a clear hit.
The Last Dance outside of the US: Netflix
Netflix has the rights to The Last Dance outside of the US, with episodes premiering each week, in line with ESPN with a slight delay. Each week, episodes will be available to stream at 12:01am PT on Monday mornings, following the Sunday night premiere. That means different times across the world, for example, The Last Dance will be available at 8.01AM on Monday in the UK, 5.01PM in Sydney, Australia, and so on, around the world.
The Last Dance on Netflix schedule – we’ve confirmed these times with constant refreshing as the episodes drop:
- Monday, April 20 — The Last Dance Episodes 1 and 2 — 12:01 am PT / 3.01AM ET / 9.01AM CET (Berlin) / 8.01AM BST (London), 12.01pm IST, 5.01PM AEDT (Sydney).
- Monday, April 27 — Episodes 3 and 4;
- Monday, May 4 — Episodes 5 and 6;
- Monday, May 11 — Episodes 7 and 8;
- Monday, May 18 — Episodes 9 and 10.
Note: ESPN Plus is only available in the US, limiting wider release of the new companion series titled Detail: 1998 Chicago Bulls.