ESPN And Netflix Team Up To Produce A 10-Hour Documentary Series On Michael Jordan

On Apr. 16, 2003, Michael Jordan played his final NBA game as a member of the Washington Wizards. And he's been the figurehead of a global brand that Nike hopes will reach a value of over $4.5 billion by 2020.

For younger NBA fans, Jordan is an icon, a silhouette flying over the key, a meme, and the man in Hanes underwear TV spots. But soon they’ll be able to see just how incredible a competitor Jordan was on the basketball court.

ESPN and Netflix have announced they’re producing a documentary on the legendary basketball player entitled “The Last Dance.” The 10-hour series will chronicle Jordan and the NBA’s simultaneous rise in popularity during the ‘90s. It’ll have a special focus on the 1997-1998 season in which Jordan’s Chicago Bulls won the NBA Championship.

The series will be directed by ESPN 30 for 30 veteran Jason Hehir who made “The Fab Five,” “The ’85 Bears,” and the critically-acclaimed HBO documentary “Andre the Giant.” Producers have gained access to over 500 hours of never-before-seen footage from the ‘97-’98 season and Jordan’s Jump.23 is listed as one of the producers.

Given his involvement, it’s hard to know whether the series will be a warts-and-all documentary about the NBA’s greatest player or a sanitized story that protects his billion-dollar brand. Either way, we’re game.