01x01 - Episode #1.1

[bunniefuu]

[crowd cheering]

[Jordan] Thank you.

To all the fans in the city of Chicago, if you guys remember in 1984 when they drafted Michael Jordan...

I said then, when I got here, that we would be champions by the time I leave.

[man] Here they are. [Jordan] This is what you're looking for.

Well, we are five-time champions, going for six, and we need your support. Thank you very, very much.

[crowd cheering]

[reporter] You have any sense of destiny, you know, why is all this meant for you, and what's down the road, or are you just taking it a day at a time?

I just want the franchise and Chicago Bulls to be respected as a team... like the Lakers or Philadelphia 76ers or the Boston Celtics.

It's very hard for something like that to happen, but it's not impossible.

But hopefully, I, and this team and this whole organization can build a program like that.

[commentator] Michael Jordan... with 30 points.

And the Chicago Bulls have won their first-ever NBA championship.

["Been Around the World" playing]

[commentator] There's Jordan for three!

They have done it again!

Now, Pippen gets a snatch.

There's Paxson for three! Yes!

For three straight NBA championships.

[reporter] Debate will now rage about whether they are the best team ever.

They're not just great athletes. They're a fascinating assortment of personalities.

The most famous man on the planet is here!

[crowd cheering]

My name is Michael Jordan. I played with the Bulls from '84 to '98.

Took an 18-month vacation, hiatus.

So I would say that 13 years that I played with the Bulls.

Please welcome from the Chicago Bulls, all-star forward Scottie Pippen!

[crowd cheering]

Scottie Maurice Pippen from Hamburg, Arkansas.

[commentator] Great passing! Oh!

Baby! It looked like he shifted gears mid-air.

He has led the NBA in rebounds for the last five years.

Please welcome back Dennis Rodman.

Dennis Rodman. What's up?

I was shocked the Chicago Bulls even asked me to come.

I think I was a little more eccentric for them.

[man] There's something about you that's frightening.

Is it because I'm different?

[commentator 1] And Rodman just kicked the photographer! The photographer is hurt.

[commentator 2] That is the last we will see of Dennis Rodman.

At the heart of this team is a rare spirit, coach Phil Jackson.

We created an image that people wanted to be part of.

I think that's all you can hope for.

[commentator] The Chicago Bulls have won the '96 NBA championship!

[reporter] What's unique about this particular dynasty?

I guess what's unique is that, we're, uh...

You know, we've got Michael. [laughs]

[fans chanting] Michael! Michael! Michael! Michael!

[screaming]

[reporter] Why is everybody here?

Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan.

Everybody loves Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan.

[car honking]

[commentator] ...was about to do.

Five seconds remaining in regulation. The inbound...

Pippen rolls it to Kukoc!

Chicago Bulls have won their fifth championship in the last seven years!

It is bedlam here at the United Center.

[crowd cheering]

[reporter 1] To hometown Chicago fans, winning the big one is starting to feel almost like a constitutional right as the Bulls took their fifth NBA title on Friday night.

[reporter 2] Count them. One, two, three, four and five NBA championship trophies.

[reporter 3] As hundreds of thousands of fans cheered the Bulls, the drama of what will happen to this great dynasty was apparent to all...

[Reinsdorf] After the fifth championship, which was '96-'97, we were looking at this team and we realized, other than Michael, the rest of the guys were probably at the end of their high-productive years.

We had to decide whether we keep the team together or not, and we realized maybe this was the time to do a rebuild and not try to win a sixth championship.

[reporter 1] Can they keep the team together?

[reporter 2] Is there any doubt Michael...

[reporter 3] Questions about the future of Phil Jackson.

Will this be his last year?

[reporter 4] How will the Bulls deal with their aging stars...

[reporter 5] ...becoming something transcendent, you can see it evaporating.

I just kept hearing this over and over, and I was just getting irritated, like...

We were winning.

[cheering]

We felt like we were the greatest team ever.

[reporter] You have to wonder why Michael Jordan, who is surely the most popular player in our time, would be, in effect, driven out of professional basketball.

[commentator 1] A spectacular move!

[commentator 2] The game's over!

[commentator 3] Chicago Stadium is going wild!

[Jackson] First of all, there's no backstabbing going on here.

It's time for me to move on.

[Krause] This will be Phil's last year as coach of the Bulls.

[man 1] Are the expectations too high? [man 2] Where do we go from here?

[woman] The only question: how long can it last?

[crowd cheering]

[Wilbon] So, going into 1997-98, the Bulls have won five championships.

There's drama that summer as to whether they're gonna come back, although I think most of us who are from Chicago and call Chicago home knew somehow they'd be back.

Jerry Reinsdorf, the majority owner... would have to leave town if they didn't come back.

You can't argue with championship after championship after championship.

They were still the best team in the NBA.

You have Scottie Pippen, an incredibly talented athlete, very skilled scorer.

His mental sharpness and his court awareness and his basketball savvy made him the greatest number-two player ever.

Dennis Rodman was the defensive presence, the rebounder, someone who, on a team with big egos, didn't need the ball.

And he never ran out of energy, that was the thing.

Whoo!

[Wilbon] At that point, Michael Jordan's already the ultimate sports alpha male.

I mean, the only comparisons that I can recall being apt were to Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali.

That's it. That's the list. There's nobody else on it.

[reporter] Michael, obviously, in the wake of this incredible celebration, there'll be some very difficult business decisions.

We are entitled to defend what we have until we lose it.

If we lose it, then you look at it and say, "Okay, let's change.

Let's just go through a rebuilding."

No one's guaranteeing rebuilding's gonna be two or three, four, five years.

Cubs have been rebuilding for 42 years.

[people laughing]

If you wanna look at this from a business thing, have a sense of respect for the people who have laid the groundworks so that you could be a profitable organization.

[Jordan] We had just finished winning a fifth title.

It's a lot of uncertainty, and management started talking about the franchise is gonna change or we're gonna rebuild.

I thought it was unfair.

I would never let someone who's not putting on a uniform and playing each and every day dictate what we do on the basketball court.

So, you know, my mentality was, "Let's put things aside, you know, from a business sense and focus on that craft.

Let's give them a reason not to think that way."

[reporter] Michael Jordan waded into the undertone of bitterness on the Bulls when asked what the Bulls' biggest challenge would be this year.

Um... [laughs] [reporters laugh]

[reporter] Michael glancing up at the office of GM Jerry Krause.

[Telander] Jerry Krause was the general manager of the Bulls, and he was certainly at the root of what made the tension of that season so severe.

[Reinsdorf] Jerry Krause was a scout for the White Sox.

He was there when I bought the White Sox in 1981.

And after I bought the Bulls, he came to see me.

Said he'd like to be general manager of the Bulls.

If everybody's ready, we can get started.

[Reinsdorf] I asked around the league, and everybody I talked to said, "Don't touch the guy."

Yeah, he had a way of alienating people.

But I wasn't hiring somebody to win a personality contest.

I wanted somebody who truly believed in building a team the way I wanted to, and Krause was the guy.

[Vancil] To his credit, he did his job.

But...

Jerry had the "little man" problem.

He grew up a little fat kid.

Not a lot of money. He was always the underdog, and he just couldn't control that part of him that needed... credit.

[man] Michael!

[Smith] All the attention is going to Michael and Scottie and Dennis and Phil.

And Krause was growing resentful about this.

[Vancil] He was good, but he wasn't good enough to do it without Michael Jordan.

You could argue that Michael Jordan was as good at his job as anyone has ever been at their job, ever, in anything.

And Krause wants to make the point, organizations win championships, not players.

Jerry Krause, Bulls general manager, says, "Organizations win titles, not players."

Funny thing, I've never seen him post up and hit a short jump sh*t.

[reporter] This quote that was attributed to you...

Well, as you know, David, it was a misquote.

What I said was that players and coaches alone don't win championships, that organizations do.

I do sincerely believe that organizations, as a whole, win.

One part of it can't win alone.

The guy left the word "alone" out of there.

[scoffs] [reporter] Right.

He admitted it later on. "Yeah, I left a word out."

You dumb son of a bitch, that's what k*lled the quote.

It sounded like he was making a very specific point to a very specific person.

We know that the team is much bigger than the 15 players.

Those guys who work in the front office, they were good people, but the most important part of the process is the players.

So, for him to say that is offensive to the way that I approach the game.

[Wilbon] Krause was picked on an awful lot during this by Michael and Scottie.

I mean, they made fun of him. They mocked him. They mocked him openly.

So those are the pills you take to keep you short.

Or are those diet pills?

Was Jerry Krause a bad guy? No.

He was a good guy. He was fun.

If you saw him interact with your kids, and saw him, you knew he was a good man.

Jerry Krause was one of the nicest, kindest, sweetest men I've ever known.

But sometimes, he would love people who really didn't love him back, and it would disappoint him.

[reporter] Did he love Phil?

Well, he loved Phil in the beginning, but then, you know, they developed a tension between the two of 'em.

Phil, from a contract standpoint, wanted to be compensated, like the other coaches that he had beaten, and Jerry wasn't going to do that.

In Jerry's mind, you moved pieces in and out.

You didn't move Michael Jordan pieces.

Phil Jackson? You can move him in and out. And he was wrong about that.

[Jordan] I said from day one, if Phil's not coaching, I'm not gonna be a part of rebuilding.

Phil should be the head coach, and I shouldn't be put in a position to have to make a choice to play for another coach other than Phil Jackson.

Sadly as it may be, I have choices.

You know, and I will not choose to play for another coach.

I think Jerry was looking forward to having a clean slate and going out and, you know, rebuilding.

His relationship with me had become such a circus.

There was no chance for reconciliation.

All of a sudden, there's this guy from Iowa State, Tim Floyd, the head coach.

He goes fishing with Jerry Krause, and I'm like, "What?"

So, Krause clearly is grooming the next guy.

He's gonna be the next Phil Jackson.

Krause's stepdaughter gets married that summer.

He invites everybody from the team and Tim Floyd... and he doesn't invite Phil Jackson, the head coach.

I recall that, and I think that was bad form on Jerry's part.

I'm not sure it bothered Phil that much.

If somebody doesn't invite me to a wedding, I'd like to thank 'em.

[chuckles]

It was sad that there was such an acrimonious relationship because Jerry Krause started Phil Jackson's NBA coaching career.

Jerry Krause brought him to Chicago as an assistant coach.

If that hadn't happened, you never would have heard of Phil Jackson.

[Jackson] You know, things evolve, people evolve.

They don't stay stagnant and static in any position.

And more than anything else, coaches' salaries went like this and general managers' salaries might have gone like this.

[Vecsey] Do you think Jerry Krause resents that?

I'm not gonna speculate on that.

I have tremendous regard for Phil, personally and professionally.

I really like Phil Jackson, and I wanted Phil Jackson to come back and coach the team.

And I just thought that the presence of Jerry was counterproductive.

I just thought if Phil and I would sit down and talk, we'd work it out.

And I flew out to Montana.

I offered him the opportunity to come back.

After weeks of public debate, many would argue that Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf has come to his senses, signing Phil Jackson to a one-year deal to return as coach next season.

Phil is the coach, Jerry's the owner. Those two needed to talk.

And we got it done, and we're very happy to have it done.

This will be Phil's last year as the coach of the Bulls.

At the conclusion of the year, we'll look towards the future.

Jerry called me to his office and said, "This is going to be your last year.

I don't care if you win 82 games in a row, this will be your last year here."

So, I said, "Fine," and I walked out of the room.

And that was the only words that were exchanged.

["Sur Le Boulevard Du Rythm' Funky" playing]

[woman] Michael... Hello, Michael.

[reporter 1] How much French do you know? Very little. But that's okay, I get by.

[reporter 2] Michael, what do you think about the Eiffel Tower?

[Telander] The Bulls were coming off this glorious season.

They had a three-peat and they won two more.

And there they are in Paris, where they were mobbed.

I mean, it was like The Beatles had come to town.

[man 1] Come on. [man 2] Don't stop. Let's go.

Quick step, quick step.

Michael was like the Pied Piper walking down the Champs-Élysées.

I think he was wearing a beret, because he's Michael.

[man] How do you feel, Michael?

How do you feel?

[reporter 1] The NBA champions, Chicago Bulls, were in Paris for McDonald's Championship.

Just one man is hogging the attention, Michael Jordan.

[reporter 2] "He's bigger than the Pope," screams the morning paper, and everybody wants a piece of him.

[Jordan] Uh, that's fine. Yeah. Pocket?

And for the translation.

Right here is fine? [Jordan] Right. Yes.

Will you mind signing this, please?

No, no. Not now, not now.

[speaking French]

[in French] You don't have to be a connoisseur to know the greatest basketball player of all time.

The person who is the closest to a god on Earth, Michael "Air" Jordan! Please!

[crowd cheering] Michael! Michael!

[host] Michael Jordan!

Michael Jordan!

[Costas in English] You couldn't make a shortlist of the most consequential and successful teams in American sports, and leave Michael Jordan and the '90s Bulls out.

But the Bulls who immediately preceded the Michael Jordan era could be characterized as mediocre.

Hi, I'm Bob Costas. Join me and Johnny Kerr for exciting Chicago Bulls basketball action here on WGN Television, channel 9.

We weren't very good, uh, during the time leading up to Michael.

The team was, you know, on a downward keel, if you will.

[commentator] They've obviously got some problems.

The ball club has not been winning.

Back then, in Chicago, everyone was a Bears fan.

Northsiders were Cubs fans. Southsiders were Sox fans.

Blackhawks had fans scattered throughout, but there was no buzz about the Bulls.

[Reinsdorf] The Bulls were being outdrawn at the Chicago Stadium by an indoor soccer team, the Chicago Sting.

Basically, the state of the team was...

It was Rodney Dangerfield, it didn't get no respect.

The Bulls were in need of a lot of reinforcements if they were gonna be a contending team.

And here comes a young Michael Jordan, brimming with charismatic talent.

[Falk] When he was in high school, Michael was one of the top recruited high school players in America.

He decided to play at Chapel Hill for one of the great coaches of all time, Dean Smith.

At the University of North Carolina, Coach Smith ran a very tight ship.

[Peterson] He was a disciplinarian. A tremendous teacher.

Michael had a ton of respect for him and he knew he had the best interest for Michael.

I think Mr. Jordan's vision and my vision, who is going to help him continue to grow as a young adult, not just basketball, but his education.

Because for me, then, the first priority was education.

[indistinct chatter] [whistle blows]

Penetrate. Look at the basket. That's it.

Michael's parents did a tremendous job with him.

He was a fine young man.

A very conscientious student, a very good student.

[interviewer] This is your mom reading aloud a letter home from you.

"Dear Mom. How has life been treating you? Fine, I hope. I am doing just fine.

[over tablet] I am sending you my account number so that you can deposit some money in my account.

I have only $20 left.

Tell everyone I said hello and smile.

God and I love you. Love, Michael.

P.S. Sorry about the phone bill. Please also send me some stamps."

[laughing]

Is that not a college student? "Please send me some stamps."

[Smith] He was very inconsistent as a freshman, but he's one of the most competitive ones we've ever had in our drills.

He wanted to get better, and then he had the ability to get better.

[Williams] Michael Jordan told me he wants to be the best player to ever play here.

I said, "You gotta work harder than you did in high school."

He said, "I worked as hard as everybody." I said, "Excuse me.

I thought you wanted to be the best player to ever play here."

He said, "I'm gonna show you. Nobody will ever work as hard as I work."

After about two and a half hours of hard practice, I'm walking off the floor, drenched sweat, tired, and here comes Michael, pushing me back on the floor, wanting to play a little one-on-one, wanting to see where his game was.

I was better than he was for about two weeks.

[commentator] Watch out!

[Worthy] He wanted to learn, he wanted to grow quickly.

[commentator] He's on a tear right now...

[Worthy] From month to month, from game to game, he was soaking up information.

Once he got something and added it to the raw talent that he already had, it was really expl*sive to see.

And by the time we got to the national championship game, he was a great player.

[commentator] Forty-fourth NCAA Division One Men's Basketball Championship.

The largest crowd ever for a basketball game, an electric atmosphere.

[Jordan] We were getting out there in front of 60-some thousand people.

I was young, but I had no time to be nervous.

[Ewing] You had two great teams going against each other, who were well coached.

Both teams were equally matched.

Michael had some big key buckets and had some big sh*ts.

[commentator] Jordan on the... Oh! What a lay-up!

He put that ball up about 12 feet!

It was about as tightly contested a game as you could ever want to see.

And then, for the ending to be the way that it was, was rather amazing, as well.

[commentator] Thirty-two seconds to go. A one-point lead for Georgetown.

Dean Smith has said that's timeout.

[Worthy] Coach Smith called that timeout. We're down one.

This was where Coach Smith was extremely cool.

[Jordan] He was drawing up a play for James.

And he says that, "When you get the ball, swing it back, swing it around.

Michael should have a sh*t."

He looked at me and said, "If you get the sh*t, take the sh*t."

He gave me the green light.

[commentator] Thirty-two seconds to go. A one-point lead for Georgetown.

They stay in the one-three-one, with Ewing in the middle.

They've gotta look to get it in there.

[Worthy] They knew they'd be focusing on the internal.

That's where the defense was collapsing.

Our offense shifted to one side. The whole defense went that way.

And Michael was on the left side, the ball was reversed... And Michael's wide open.

[Jordan] I caught it in total rhythm.

They had no clue that I was gonna take that sh*t.

[commentator] ...sh*t. Jordan!

Three! It's over! It's over!

North Carolina has won the 1982 NCAA Championship.

[reporter] And the man who hit the crucial sh*t down the stretch for North Carolina, Michael Jordan. Those points proved to be the game winner.

Michael, how did it feel when the ball dropped through the net?

It felt really good, that I did something to help out the whole team and maybe win the game, and I just felt very excited at the time.

That turned my name from Mike to Michael Jordan.

It gave me the confidence that I needed to start to excel at the game of basketball.

[crowd cheering]

I'm just a freshman on the block, and I enjoyed my freshman year.

[cheering continues]

And I hope in the next three years that I'm here that we can win at least two or three more.

What Michael really did was improve considerably between his freshman and sophomore year.

[commentator] North Carolina turns it over.

Dawkins trying to run past Braddock.

Look at Michael Jordan cover ground!

I think he hit his head on the backboard.

I heard a little bang. And that's how high that young man got up, he hit the back of his head...

I can't pick one moment. When I think of Michael Jordan, yes, I think of the sh*t, but I think of three years of watching that youngster get better and better and better.

Michael Jordan's the only player that could ever turn it on and off, and he never frickin' turned it off.

[commentator] Jordan... Look at that! Holy cow!

[Jordan] But after junior year, I was planning on coming back to school...

What's up?

What's up?

...but Coach Smith recommended I go pro.

[Peterson] He was very comfortable in Chapel Hill.

But at the same time, he was hearing, "You could be one of the top three or four picks."

So, it was weighing heavy on him.

Well, to tell you the truth, I really just decided, uh, I guess, an hour and a half ago.

I didn't know, I was, you know, 50-50, and I talked to Coach this morning and, you know, he helped me and my parents helped me, and I felt that would be better for me to start now, while I'm young.

[announcer] The USA Network presents the 1984 NBA college draft.

We are just about ready to go, as we go to the podium and introduce commissioner of the NBA David Stern.

The Houston Rockets select Hakeem Olajuwon of the University of Houston.

[crowd cheering]

Olajuwon would have been first by anybody who picked, including me.

- Portland had Clyde Drexler... [commentator] Clyde the Glide!

...who played the same position as Michael.

So, Portland's feeling was that they needed a center.

[announcer] Now, the second choice, owned by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Let's go to the commissioner, David Stern.

Portland selects Sam Bowie, University of Kentucky.

So, I knew that, you know, Jordan would be there for us.

[announcer] Michael Jordan seems to be the next one up.

The Chicago Bulls pick Michael Jordan of the University of North Carolina.

[announcer] The Chicago Bulls, having the third pick in the draft, and went with the sensational Michael Jordan of North Carolina.

Jordan, who led North Carolina, now looking to step in to lead the Bulls.

[reporter] You've got a great opportunity to step in and win a city that is crying for a winner.

Perhaps you can turn that Bulls thing around.

Hopefully, I can go in and contribute and maybe turn it around.

I'm looking forward to that.

The reality is we were lucky the draft was before the Olympics.

Michael became the most popular amateur basketball player in the world because of the Olympics.

[commentator 1] Jordan gets it, puts it in the hole.

[commentator 2] Jordan...

[commentator 3] Jordan...

[Knight] He's the best athlete, one of the best competitors.

He's one of the most skilled players and that makes him the best basketball player that I've ever seen play.

[announcer] US has its ninth gold medal, but it's been an all-USA show in this tournament.

[Jordan] I came from a program in college.

It was about team game. You know, it was a clean program.

It prepared me to go into the Chicago situation, which was totally different.

[man] Before Michael Jordan got to the Bulls in 1984, dr*gs were prevalent.

Cocaine and recreational dr*gs of all types.

So, they had a lot of partiers.

[interviewer] One of the articles I read, they called it

"The Bulls' traveling cocaine circus."

[laughing]

I've never read that article.

[interviewer] Accurate? Uh... Look...

Guys were doing things that I didn't see.

I had one event, preseason. I think we were in Peoria.

It was in a hotel so I'm trying to find my teammates.

So I start knocking on doors.

I get to this one door, and I knock on the door, and I can hear someone says, "Shh.

Someone's outside."

And then you hear this deep voice, says, "Who is it?" I says, "MJ."

And then they all say, "Oh, f*ck, he's just a rookie.

Don't worry about it." So they open up the door.

I walk in, and practically the whole team was in there.

And it was like, things I've never seen in my life, you know, as a young kid.

You got all... You got your lines over here.

You got your weed smokers over here. You got your women over here.

So the first thing I said, "Look, man, you know, I'm out," because all I can think about, if they come and raid this place, right about now, I am just as guilty as everybody else that's in this room.

And from that point on, I was more or less on my own.

[Telander] His townhouse was just a regular place.

And at the start, his mom would be there an awful lot.

And Jordan's buddies would come by, players and what have you, but he was just living like he was still in college.

[Jordan] I enjoyed, you know, just hanging out, playing cards, watching movies, you know, I wouldn't go into the clubs.

Whatever somebody else might've been doing off the court, if it was partying or whatever, that wasn't part of what he wanted to do.

Orange juice and 7-Up was his go-to.

I don't smoke, I don't do lines. I didn't drink at the time.

I was looking just to get some rest, get up and go play.

When Jordan first came to the Bulls, he was the number-three pick so a lot of people thought, "Well, he's only 6'6". So how much can he really do?"

We wish he were 7'1", but he isn't.

Michael gotta realize he's not seven foot, so he's not gonna carry a team in the NBA.

I really don't think that, uh, in the NBA anymore, there's really not any such thing as a one-man team.

And I don't think that you can come in expecting one guy to turn the whole thing around.

There was no one alive, not Coach Smith, not Rod Thorn, who drafted him, no one, none of the experts, thought that he would become what he became.

[Jordan] When I first got to Chicago, I went in considering myself the lowest on the totem pole.

Whatever people had been saying about me, I still had to earn my stripes.

[Higgins] When he arrived into the gym on the first day of practice, you can see that this guy is the best player here.

This cat is different.

[Loughery] When we drafted Michael, I did not know how good Michael was.

The strength he had, the physical strength, was amazing.

[Thorn] The first day of practice, I got a call from the assistant coach, and he said to me, "Congratulations," and I said, "For what?"

And he said, "You did not screw this draft up.

This guy is really good."

[Jordan] From the first day in practice, my mentality was whoever is the team leader on that team, I'm going after him and I'm not gonna do it with my voice because I had no voice.

I had no... I had no status.

I have to do it with the way that I play.

[announcer] Twenty-three, Michael Jordan!

I felt like I earned my stripes in the third game.

Milwaukee's always been a nemesis for Chicago.

Every time we played 'em, they b*at us.

They had Sidney Moncrief, who was the reigning defensive player of the year, and they had a tremendous defensive team.

I kind of thought I knew his potential because I had played against the best players in the NBA so far.

The Magics and the Birds and the Dr. J and Kareem. There were some great players.

Then all of a sudden, this rookie comes into the NBA, and I watched the way he moved on the court and his instincts, I'm like, "Wow. That's going to be scary."

[commentator] Milwaukee Bucks have taken control here, and they have a nine-point lead.

[Jordan] We were losing, going into the fourth quarter.

Before, guys would get down on themselves and then they just kind of give up.

"Okay, we just chalk this up. We look for the next game."

I'm saying, "The game's not over with."

And Kevin Loughery sensed that in me, and he just started feeding me the ball, and I just started going.

[commentator] Jordan now has 24 and is keeping the Bulls in it.

Jordan goes for it! Gets it!

There's Jordan driving...

Whoa! Unbelievable!

[Moncrief] Every time we went to trap him, he would split, go down the lane, make a really difficult sh*t.

He was so expl*sive.

I don't think there's anybody that could defend Michael.

[Jordan] We come back and we win the game.

From that point on, everybody on that team felt like, "This young kid is not gonna let us lose."

Everybody on that Bull team, within a two-week period, knew he was the best player we had.

[commentator] And now the noise factor begins to really increase.

Here is the man, Michael Jordan, from North Carolina, the number-three pick in the NBA draft.

["I Ain’t No Joke" playing]

Jordan... What a move!

Jordan on the breakout, driving all the way and jams it home!

[Riley] As a rookie, he was not a rookie.

He proved, right out of the gates, there was none other like him.

[commentator] Driving all the way in...

That's unbelievable! He's put it in...

It was like he had, like, a... extra levitation gear or something.

It just didn't seem real.

His balance, his footwork, his fundamentals.

[commentator] To Jordan. Looking for penetration.

[Johnson] The dude was just...

Mmm-mmm-mmm.

[commentator] Bodies going flying. What a move!

Jordan driving... What a move!

[reporter] How's the transition been from college to the NBA?

Well, I think it's been pretty easy.

♪ Your off-b*at DJ, if anything he play ♪

♪ Sound familiar, I'll wait till E say ♪

♪ Play 'em So I'mma have to diss and broke ♪

♪ You could get a smack for this I ain't no joke ♪

[reporter 1] He's only played professional basketball a few months, but at age 21, Michael Jordan is the National Basketball Association's hottest draw.

[reporter 2] Since he arrived, the stadium, which used to be two-thirds empty, has been sold out every game.

When Michael first came to town, I didn't have the money to buy tickets for a Bulls game, even the discount ones, back in the day. I was pretty broke. [chuckles]

But suddenly, you have a sports figure that put Chicago on the map, and that everybody was able to rally around.

[McIntyre] Chicagoans like to think of themselves as being a little tough, blue collar, roll up your sleeves.

You never mail it in.

So people love to see somebody who gives it everything they've got.

Jordan did that.

[commentator] Tonight's attendance: 18,688.

When Michael came in '84, we got an immediate sh*t in the arm.

The city was just beside herself.

The interest just grew, and it grew dramatically.

It was just a phenomenal thing to watch it.

Country boy that comes into the big city and makes the big city a special place.

Seems like it's exciting again.

He does some things that I just never seen before.

Words can't describe him. He's poetry in motion.

[announcer] ...sellouts everywhere they go...

The 1984-85 season will go down in history as the year Michael Jordan came to town.

He has touched the hearts of Chicagoland and the nation.

What's in his immediate future?

Coronation as the NBA's Rookie of the Year.

A fitting tribute to a man who rescued what some considered a dying franchise.

The 1984-85 NBA Rookie of the Year:

Michael.

[crowd applauding]

Don't mess up. [laughs]

Don't mess up. Don't mess up.

Come on.

I like this. This is French. Okay.

How's the wife? Good.

You just get here? I was here for the game last night, when we came in. Really? Cool.

Pretty great. Reading all about you.

Enjoyed the photo of you. Yeah...

You guys are not allowed. Sorry. Nah, I'm just kidding. Come on.

[man] Thanks. [Jordan] All right.

[indistinct chatter]

I'd like to thank you for coming along on this ride, on this fabulous train.

You gotta set me up with a schedule for when I get back.

Get this sh*t taken care of.

Okay, so that looks good. Yeah.

[indistinct chatter]

[reporter] Basketball fans from around the world have been gathering since early today, here at the Palais Omnisports de Bercy, here in Paris.

They're here to see one man, Michael Jordan, five-time NBA champion Chicago Bull.

[crowd cheering]

[Telander] Scottie Pippen wasn't there. He had an injury, and you figure, "Well, they don't need him."

Dennis Rodman wasn't there either, he was holding up.

But it was almost irrelevant

'cause you knew Michael was going to annihilate everybody.

[commentator 1] The Bulls are without Dennis Rodman and they're without Scottie Pippen.

[commentator 2] Intimidation, that's what this is all about.

These guys have never played against a team like this.

Nothing but net for Michael Jordan!

Jordan... Look out! Three in a row!

Jordan...

Oh, baby!

Michael played every game as if it was his last.

Every single game.

There was never a day off.

He knew that there was gonna be somebody in that crowd that never saw him play before. That's what kept him going.

It wasn't, "I went to see this guy play and he only got 12 points." Didn't happen.

[commentator 1] Call Häagen-Dazs 'cause I want two scoops of this scoop sh*t.

[commentator 2] The French players just helpless out there.

The Bulls won by 26. Jordan, il fait très bien.

[laughing]

Your first championship. Congratulations, dog.

I'll get a bottle of champagne with you tonight.

All right.

Can I get a hug, too?

It don't count. I'm gonna hug Jeffrey and Marcus, then.

I won a championship, I'mma go tell them. It don't count.

Good game. All right, man. Good game.

Can I have your... Good game.

[crowd cheering]

[singing] ♪ We can go home, home, home ♪

[indistinct chatter]

Is that going to the Berto Center? [Jordan] Get out of here.

Is that going to the Berto Center? [Jordan] No. Phil, keep it.

Don't let Jerry get it. [man] What?

All right. For all you guys who have never won before, welcome to being a champion.

That's a good start. That's a good start.

Tonight, Michael put on quite a show.

And we're proud to go home and continue on this quest for another championship in 1997-98. Thank you.

[Kerr] Phil always looked for a theme for every season, and given that it was the last year we were going to be together, management had already made that decision.

In typical Phil fashion, you know, he had a name for it.

[Wennington] We arrived at the practice facility.

It's our first official meeting as a team.

Get the team handbook.

Laminated on the front page: Last Dance.

I talked to the players about, particularly, how important it was for us to really be together in this last run that we were going to have.

So, I called it The Last Dance.

[Wennington] That whole meeting was... enjoy what's happening because this is it.

[cheering]

[announcer] Good evening, and welcome once again to Bulls basketball as the Bulls open the home portion of their '97-'98 campaign.

Game time programs tonight, folks. Only two bucks on the outside.

If you don't go see Michael Jordan, you're missing out on life. For sure.

She said do you want Christmas presents under the tree or do you wanna see Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman?

Yeah. We picked the Bulls.

[man] Bulls caps, T-shirts! Right here! T-shirts!

[reporter 1] Tonight, Jordan and the Bulls return to Chicago for the ring ceremony.

It's not like the first time, but it ain't bad for MJ and company.

Ring number five and banner number five.

[reporter 2] Your fifth ring ceremony just as exciting as the first?

Even more so. You put it in perspective so we're looking for number six.

Good luck tonight. Thanks for stopping.

[commentator] Always nice to hear Michael talk about the possibility of winning number six.

And you'll see that ring ceremony.

It's only moments away, here at the United Center.

[Jackson] This is the last night we celebrate the championship of last year.

It's going to be a nice celebration, and we'll enjoy it.

What's important is winning this game. We've got to start off with a win.

Okay. So get yourself back in tune to what we have to do, and take care of business tonight.

Okay. All right, guys.

[reporter] David Stern, thank you for talking to us.

[Stern] Good to be here.

[reporter] Talk about the perspective you can put on this team and what it has meant to your league.

[Stern] There'll never be quite another team like this.

They have gotten to be the number-one sports team in the world.

It's a very exciting time in the life of the league and in my life, too.

[inaudible]

How's it going? You gonna warm up now?

Yeah, we just gonna warm up right now.

Look, Jerry, you wanna do some layups with us?

Yep.

They gotta lower the rim. Yep.

[Stern] I'm here on behalf of basketball fans around the world to congratulate the 1997 NBA champion Chicago Bulls, a team for our time, the basketball team of our time and one for the ages.

[announcer] The architect of the 1996-97 Bulls championship team and two-time executive of the year, Jerry Krause!

[crowd cheering and booing]

[announcer] Phil Jackson, the coach!

[crowd cheering]

And now, your five-time world champion Chicago Bulls!

["Sirius" playing]

Bill Wennington!

Steve Kerr!

Toni Kukoc!

Dennis Rodman!

Scottie Pippen!

[cheering continues]

From North Carolina, at guard, 6'6", Michael Jordan!

If you guys remember in 1984 when they drafted Michael Jordan to the city of Chicago...

[crowd cheering]

I said then that we would be champions by the time I leave.

Well, we are five-time champions, going for six, and we need your support. Thank you very, very much.

[Jordan] That season could be the end, you know.

It could very well be the end, and we had to think that way.

Let's get refocused back in this game, let's get out of the blocks quickly, and let's do what we did last time. Let's go.

[man] What time is it? [all] Game time! [grunt]