ESPN’s Emmy-winning documentary of NBA legend Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ success in the 1990s was highly acclaimed by most basketball fans. However, since its 2020 release, several former players have taken exception to the doc’s depiction of their roles in Chicago’s success.
Three pieces of the Bulls’ core around Jordan in the ’90s, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, and Luc Longley, went as far as to go on an international “No Bull Tour”, where they offered their perspective on what Grant has called a “bullsh*t documentary.”
Now, one of Jordan’s competitors featured in The Last Dance, former Seattle Super Sonics guard Gary Peyton, is responding to a moment in the documentary that went viral where his own impact on the floor was downplayed by His Airness. After watching a clip of Peyton insisting that his defense in Games 4-6 of the 1996 NBA Finals “took a toll on Mike,” Jordan laughed out loud at the notion.
“The Glove,” Jordan said, referencing Payton’s nickname. “I had no problem with the Glove.”
Six years later, Payton is firing back, and making it clear that while Jordan can say whatever he pleases in his own doc, in which the Bulls legend’s production company was involved as a partner, the numbers tell another story.
“It’s his documentary,” Payton said on Run It Back. “He can say whatever he wants to. But as we look at the numbers, he was averaging 30, and then he started averaging 23. So if he had no problems with me, I surely didn’t have any problems with him because he couldn’t guard me as well. We’re competitive, and he said what he said. That was his documentary, and that’s good, fine, whatever he wants.
“I wouldn’t even respect him if he didn’t say nothing less than that; I’m going to say the same thing. I’m not going to laugh because everybody know the outcome of that. And it was funny because if you look at the numbers, it did change after game three. So, I don’t have no problems with that.”
It’s hard to say Payton doesn’t have a case. Payton wasn’t Jordan’s primary matchup in the first three games of the series, but after taking on the challenge in the final three, Jordan’s averages dropped from 31 points on 46% shooting to 23.7 points on 36.7%. Laugh as he might, the 1996 Finals was the only championship series where he was held to under 30 points per game.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.