Released during the height of the pandemic, The Last Dance had a significant cultural impact. On the one hand, it served as a welcome source of entertainment and nostalgia for audiences deprived of live sports. On the other hand, it sparked debate and criticism due to its portrayal of certain figures, namely Jerry Krause, potentially affecting his legacy and relationships within the basketball community.
Moreover, its success has influenced the way future sports documentaries are presented and marketed.
Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck revealed during The Greg Hill Show on Friday that a multi-part docuseries, which he said is along the lines of The Last Dance, is currently being filmed. This news comes amidst a surge of sports documentaries for the local teams in the greater New England area, including a 10-part New England Patriots series on AppleTV+, a forthcoming all-access Boston Red Sox docuseries on Netflix, and a separate documentary chronicling the Red Sox’ 2004 season.
“It’s almost like I planted that question,” Grousbeck said Friday. “Next, you’re gonna ask about Extended Family on NBC; feel free; we were the No. 2 show of all shows on Tuesday night. Since you didn’t ask, I’m gonna answer anyway. But in terms of the Celtics, I have some positive news there. Nothing to officially report yet, but we’re in production on a multi-part, absolutely top quality, fantastic documentary series, along the lines of hopefully The Last Dance, and so on.
“And we’re deep into that. We signed contracts, the film is being filmed and archives are being gone through…It’s really exciting. And they’re following the team this whole year, so, it’s like behind the scenes. So, we’ll see what happens, but win or lose, it’ll be out.”
Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck told @TheGregHillShow this morning that filming is underway w/ The C's on a multi-part documentary "along the lines of 'The Last Dance'," watch/listen: pic.twitter.com/2JdzGYt4Aw
— WEEI (@WEEI) February 16, 2024
Boston Globe columnist Chad Finn noted that the upcoming Celtics documentary is not like The Last Dance, as Grousbeck seemed to heavily imply; rather, it’s a history of the franchise. And Finn revealed that the 95-year-old “Cooz” (Bob Cousy) was the first person to be interviewed.
It’s not like the “Last Dance.” It’s a history of the Celtics. Cooz was the first person interviewed. https://t.co/eiwEPN7F7P
— Chad Finn (@GlobeChadFinn) February 16, 2024
As sports documentaries continue to captivate audiences, the Celtics join the trend with their own unique project, promising an inside look at the storied franchise. But don’t expect it to be anything like The Last Dance, even if the Celtics owner wants to market it that way. Instead, it seems more in line with the Los Angeles Lakers Hulu series, given its ownership involvement.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.