Here's How Michael Jordan Was Convinced To Do 'The Last Dance'

The all-access Michael Jordan documentary "The Last Dance" airs tonight on ESPN. Here's how it all came to pass...

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"I mean, then, as it is now, Michael was one of the most famous people on the planet," said NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who was the head of NBA Entertainment at the time. "And there were rumors that it was going to be Michael's last season."

"I remember thinking, 'Man, this guy is going to retire,'" Thompson said. "'And we've never really fully documented a year in the life of potentially the greatest athlete in the history of the sport.'"
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"Our agreement will be that neither one of us can use this footage without the other's permission," Silver told Jordan. "It will be kept -- I mean literally it was physical film -- as a separate part of our Secaucus [New Jersey] library. Our producers won't have access to it. It will only be used with your permission."
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"Worst-case scenario," Silver told Jordan, "you'll have the greatest set of home movies for your kids ever created."
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EVERY FEW YEARS a producer would come along, pitching himself as the right person to make the documentary. Frank Marshall, Spike Lee, even actor Danny DeVito gave it a whirl.

According to Jordan's longtime business partner, Curtis Polk, none of them ever even made it to a face-to-face meeting with Jordan.

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The whole thing is worth a read...

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