“The Last Dance” has been met with rave reviews across the country. For the first time, a modern audience is getting a chance to get a deep look at the true significance of Michael Jordan’s career when he was a global icon at the time, Jerry Krause and his part in the “demolition” of the greatest team in NBA history, and backstories surrounding the faces of arguably the most famous dynasty in the history of sports.
However, just because rave reviews have been coming in seemingly after each episode, not everyone has been comfortable with the disclosure of some of the details that have been revealed in the highly anticipated documentary.
Ex-Bulls guard Craig Hodges, wasn’t impressed with Michael Jordan’s telling a story regarding Jordan’s teammates during Jordan’s rookie year in Chicago.
He also didn’t like Jordan’s comments about Scottie Pippen, and his contract demands during the 1997-1998 season.
Overall, Hodges isn’t too happy, but I don’t think he truly understood the purpose of this documentary. Sure, the Bulls’ dynasty during the 1990s was full of success and fame more than the core players on the roster, but like every other team that runs into consistent success, there were also some problems that went on.
Hodges has beef with Jordan because he feels he was blackballed by the NBA for being TOO BLACK and Jordan didn’t do anything to help him.
Nuts and Bolts breaks it down.
The finals were a mere three months after a home video caught four white LAPD officers viciously beating Rodney King.
Craig was deeply troubled as were most people of goodwill at the horror that was for all to see.
At one point, he asked Michael and Magic Johnson to boycott one of the finals contests to protest the injustice.
Magic said it was an extreme measure, whereas Michael completely blew off the suggestion.
After the Bulls won the title, they (with the exception of Michael) made the ceremonious trip to the White House and met with then-president George H. W. Bush.
Craig made it an opportunity to show pride in his blackness and to take the appropriate steps to advocate for the black community.
He showed up to the event and gave Bush’s secretary a letter outlining the shortcomings of his administration and demanding more investment in black communities.
Afterwards, Craig would eventually find himself blackballed from the league in the years to come and virtually nobody wanted any association with him.
He became a litmus test for future NBA players when it comes to paying a price for becoming actively involved in political causes.
This documentary is about the good AND the bad during that infamous run, it’s hard to sympathize with someone who complains about the bad when it was explicitly stated that the documentary was going down that road.
Flip the page to see Craig Hodges complain about Michael Jordan calling the Bulls a “Cocaine Circus”.