ESPN's celebrated “Last Dance” documentary dives into Michael Jordan's final season with the Chicago Bulls, providing unprecedented access to one of the NBA's most scrutinized teams in NBA history.
The Warriors recent dynastic run has drawn comparisons to the 1990s Bulls. But would Golden State ever allow a film crew to follow the team's every move? Don't count on it.
"I don't think so," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told the Runnin' Plays Podcast. "It's very intrusive and difficult to function with something like that in place."
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Kerr -- who played five seasons under Phil Jackson in Chicago -- was initially caught off guard with his coach's decision to allow cameras in the locker room. During his 30-year coaching career, the Zen Master only allowed it to to happen one other time with Spike Lee's "Kobe Doin Work.”
"The irony is that Phil Jackson was really adamant about the sanctity of the locker room," Kerr said. "Very few people were allowed in our locker room when I played there for five seasons. And then all of a sudden that last season it was, "Hey guys, we're going to do this documentary and NBA entertainment's going to be here." It was kind of like, "Wow, that was a shift in policy."
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But Kerr said the unique circumstances led to Jackson's decision to document the 1997-98 season. Before the season, Bulls general manager Jerry Krause said that Jackson would not return. In response, star guard Michael Jordan said he wouldn't play without Jackson as coach and enlisted a film crew to document the season. It’s this footage that became “The Last Dance” documentary, now appointment viewing every Sunday night.
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"Phil names it The Last Dance beforehand,” recalls Kerr. “Michael basically says, ‘Hey, we want to do this… I want to do this documentary.’ Everybody says, ‘Okay, great.’ We just did it. And yet I think it's really unique and special. But it should remain that way because that team was unique and special."
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The Warriors were approached with the idea of an all-access documentary, according to a report from USA Today's Mark Medina, which made sense since the Warriors’ executive chairman Peter Guber is also an executive producer on “The Last Dance.” Ultimately, they chose not to grant similar access to NBA Entertainment.
“Once you do that, you actually affect the outcome of other things,” Guber told USA Today. “Turning the camera on with an expectation that you’re going to get to a particular point with a sports team or career or something like that? It’s a dangerous business. It’s hubris.”