If you’ve been watching Michael Jordan’s 10-part documentary series “The Last Dance” on ESPN, it has been a treat to watch this storytelling in action. The series depicts Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls with never-before-seen footage from the 1997-98 season, as the team pursued its sixth NBA championship in eight years. The series runs over five weeks from April 19 through May 17, on Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. CST.
Last night’s premiere of episodes 3 and 4 concluded with an average of 5.9 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN2. One of the defining moments in episode 4 that stood out to me was the scene when Michael Jordan broke down and became super emotional after the Bulls beat the Lakers for their first NBA championship. The Chicago Sun-Times recently shared an original article written during this historic moment. According to the Chicago Sun-Times Michael Jordan’s father, James stated, “I was with him when he won the NCAA championship… I was with him when he won the Olympic gold medal. But this is the mountaintop. This is as good as it gets. I’ve never seen him this emotional. I’m happy for him and the whole team.”
Some of us may be familiar with the Michael Jordan meme in which he is seen crying at his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. This crying face meme has traveled across seven continents on the internet and whispers the faintness of defeat for many. In the back of my mind, the uninhibited tears Michael revealed during the NBA championship scene exhibited so much more. Yes, the idea of winning your first championship could lend the strongest of men powerless against the wells in their soul yet, Phil Jackson is the unique puzzle piece that makes this origin of tears all magical.
If you’re a perfectionist and person of excellence, at times, it’s challenging to hand over your process skills and allow them to lay dormant. Meaning, you know how to excel and provide significant results to your team, which makes you stand out as a profitable contributor. You carry the weight of the team/world on your shoulders because you don’t want to forfeit the goal of winning. Therefore it’s hard to trust someone else with the bag when you don’t really know if they have the same push and drive to match your inner strength. But then you realize after all that hard work, something is still missing. The highest height has not been met because the endgame is in the wrong arena.
Micheal Jordan’s former Coach Doug Collins helped him but also hindered his growth as a team player. The idea of just giving the ball to Michael is no longer the key that will get you through the door. By the grace of God, Phil Jackson comes along and shakes up Jordan’s world. This is what he needed. Phil Jackson embedded the skillset of believing in your teammates and trusting them wholeheartedly to get the job done. Letting go of the idea of being the leader at all times was difficult for Michael Jordan.
Therefore on June 12, 1991, when Michael cried while holding the championship trophy, that was a sigh of relief. Those were tears of joy for putting his faith in someone other than himself. Phil Jackson brought out the best in Michael by helping him to see the greatness in his teammates.
