The game’s best player. Its best coach. Its best GM. Disgruntled Hall of Famers. A quiet owner. The feud that consumed them all.
Why did a thriving dynasty become a lame-duck season?
This is the true story of how the 1998 Chicago Bulls became #TheLastDance.
A thread.
Why did a thriving dynasty become a lame-duck season?
This is the true story of how the 1998 Chicago Bulls became #TheLastDance.
A thread.
Tonight, we bask in #TheLastDance, a documentary on the 1998 Chicago Bulls that takes its title from Phil Jackson’s branding of the season as such. There was truly nothing like this season: a dynasty at the peak of its powers given a preemptive expiration date.
The question that I imagine will be at the heart of #TheLastDance is one that those too young in '98 (or not yet alive) might not know, and one the rest of us will re-live in painful detail:
How in the world did this dominant team back itself into a one-last-run season?
How in the world did this dominant team back itself into a one-last-run season?
Buckle up, Bulls fans. Before we watch the first night of #TheLastDance, let's run through the circumstances that led us there.
It starts June 15, 1997, at Grant Park and the rally for the team's 5th championship in seven years, with Jordan, Rodman and Jackson unsigned.
It starts June 15, 1997, at Grant Park and the rally for the team's 5th championship in seven years, with Jordan, Rodman and Jackson unsigned.
There is really nothing in sports like celebrating a championship, being good enough to win again, yet not knowing if you'll be given the chance.
That's what the Bulls faced after the 1997 championship.
#TheLastDance
That's what the Bulls faced after the 1997 championship.
#TheLastDance
At the heart of that uncertainty was a feud. Three, really.
Jerry Reinsdorf and Jerry Krause on one side. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson on the other.
Each man — MJ, Scottie, Phil — had battles with “The Jerrys,” some long-simmering, some fresh wounds.
Jerry Reinsdorf and Jerry Krause on one side. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson on the other.
Each man — MJ, Scottie, Phil — had battles with “The Jerrys,” some long-simmering, some fresh wounds.
For MJ, his beef with Krause began in 1986, with what he viewed as management's unsavory opportunism around Jordan’s broken foot — the idea that Jerry Krause wanted to extend Jordan’s absence in order to miss the playoffs and get a higher draft pick.
For Pippen, there were ongoing contract disputes dating back to his 1991 extension, as well as the frustration with Krause’s pursuit of Italian league star Toni Kukoc, for whom Krause earmarked $1.8m that Pippen thought should have gone to him.
From the 1992 Olympics:
From the 1992 Olympics:
For Phil, there was a power struggle with Krause which grew from Krause’s frustration around what he viewed as Phil’s lack of deference toward him. Krause felt he gave Phil his career by plucking him from the CBA, and then giving him the head coaching job.
But there were also new beefs.
For Jordan, the greatest harm was Reinsdorf dragging his feet in 1996 when re-signing MJ, nearly driving Jordan to the Knicks, and then saying, according to Jordan, “Somewhere down the road, I know I’m gonna regret this.”
For Jordan, the greatest harm was Reinsdorf dragging his feet in 1996 when re-signing MJ, nearly driving Jordan to the Knicks, and then saying, according to Jordan, “Somewhere down the road, I know I’m gonna regret this.”
Jordan was also increasingly agitated by the negotiations — literal and symbolic — around whether to let the dynasty play out to a natural conclusion.
In his press conference after the ‘97 Finals, he was unequivocal in his anger and frustration with ownership and management:
In his press conference after the ‘97 Finals, he was unequivocal in his anger and frustration with ownership and management:
For Pippen, the new beef was the team’s attempts to trade him in 1994 (to the Sonics) and 1997 (to the Celtics). There were also a flurry of trade talks in 1995, including a near-miss with the Clippers.
For Phil, it was the biting language Krause used in the summer of 1997 when signing him to a one-year, $5.7 million deal:
“I want to emphasize this will be his last year,” Krause said.
“I want to emphasize this will be his last year,” Krause said.
The frustration and disrespect felt by Jordan, Pippen and Jackson came together with the proposed trade of Pippen to the Celtics, just 11 days after Pippen’s steal and assist to Toni Kukoc wrapped up the 5th championship.
There was the trade exploration, which upset all three men at a time. There was the fact that Jordan and Jackson were unsigned, meaning they were in limbo while the team considered moving Scottie.
And then there was Krause’s decision to ban Phil from the Berto Center during the workouts of draft prospects that the team would hypothetically net from the Pippen trade.
To Krause’s mind, if the Pippen trade went through, Phil would not return in '97-'98, and therefore should not be consulted about those draft picks.
Krause’s motives and perspective throughout all of this are pretty easy to comprehend. He was fueled by jealousy of Jackson and Jordan, frustration that he could not be one of the guys, and a competitive drive to completely rebuild a new champion.
blogabull.com/2017/3/24/1504…
blogabull.com/2017/3/24/1504…
Krause’s quote in July 1997 about Jackson (“I want to emphasize this will be his last year”) was downright diplomatic compared to what he told Jackson before the season, per David Halberstam:
“I don’t care if it’s eighty-two and oh this year, you’re fucking gone.”
“I don’t care if it’s eighty-two and oh this year, you’re fucking gone.”
Chicago journalist @phil_rosenthal summed up Krause’s mindset perfectly, telling Halberstam that Krause was a person who deserved more credit than he got but wanted more credit than he deserved.
blogabull.com/2017/3/24/1504…
blogabull.com/2017/3/24/1504…
What Krause wanted was to replace Phil with his friend Tim Floyd, coaching at Iowa State. Krause’s pursuit of Floyd had the same effect on Jackson that Krause’s pursuit of Kukoc had on Pippen — the hurt of realizing your boss would rather replace you than succeed with you.
The Floyd hunt was so public that when the Bulls re-signed Phil in the summer of ‘97, the Tribune included a photo of Floyd on the front page of the sports section with the caption, “Not so fast.”
So we know why Krause operated the way he did. We know where Jordan’s head was at, where Phil’s was, where Scottie’s was.
The only man who, to me anyway, remains a mystery in all this was Jerry Reinsdorf.
#TheLastDance
readjack.substack.com/p/the-central-…
The only man who, to me anyway, remains a mystery in all this was Jerry Reinsdorf.
#TheLastDance
readjack.substack.com/p/the-central-…
Why did Reinsdorf side with Krause over MJ, Phil & Pip? Loyalty? A belief that a GM’s value exceeded a player’s, if for no other reason than the age factor? Something more personal with Krause?
Jordan didn’t seem sure, though he did acknowledge the steadily increasing cost:
Jordan didn’t seem sure, though he did acknowledge the steadily increasing cost:
Reinsdorf and Krause also believed that they did not want the 90s Bulls to go the way of the 80s Celtics, where their stars played to the end, retired or left, and the franchise cratered in relevance. Jerry and Jerry wanted to avoid that, if possible.
#TheLastDance
#TheLastDance
Regardless of the reason, Jordan – who respected Reinsdorf and seemed to like him personally — was frustrated that Reinsdorf was not taking Jordan’s desires into play when charting the course of the franchise beyond 1998.
#TheLastDance
readjack.substack.com/p/the-central-…
#TheLastDance
readjack.substack.com/p/the-central-…
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All of this animus set the stage for the ‘98 season as a one-last-chance scenario. The season played out with that level of tension along with new stresses on the 34-year-old Jordan, beginning with Pippen and Rodman missing the team's trip to Paris.
I can't overstate the drama at play in the '97-'98 Bulls season — from Pippen’s foot surgery and extended absence to Rodman’s increasing antics to Krause angering Jordan by trading Jason Caffey for a player they released soon after, plus 2nd round picks.
espn.com/magazine/vol1n…
espn.com/magazine/vol1n…
1998 was one giant farewell tour. At Madison Square Garden, MJ wore a pair of Air Jordans from his rookie year, even though they didn’t fit. In Atlanta, 8,000 fans bought tickets to temporary seats, even though they didn’t face the court.
Jackson used the Last Dance vibe in a team ceremony at the conclusion of the regular season, asking everyone to write some reflections on their three-year odyssey. Some did, some didn’t.
Jordan wrote a poem. As @SteveKerr recounted to @lazenby:
readjack.substack.com/p/6-things-i-w…
Jordan wrote a poem. As @SteveKerr recounted to @lazenby:
readjack.substack.com/p/6-things-i-w…
The playoffs were grueling. The 8th seed, 43-win Nets became the first team to push a championship Bulls team to overtime in the first round.
The Pacers held their home court in the ECF and pushed the Bulls to their first Game 7 in a championship year since the Knicks in ‘92.
The Pacers held their home court in the ECF and pushed the Bulls to their first Game 7 in a championship year since the Knicks in ‘92.
And then the Jazz, while quickly thwarted in some respects, gave the Bulls a battle in the last day of the dynasty.
chicagomag.com/city-life/June…
chicagomag.com/city-life/June…
After the season ended, speculation quickly turned to what would happen next. Phil didn’t wait to find out. He did not mince words at Grant Park.
A last dance.
A wonderful waltz.
#TheLastDance
readjack.substack.com/archive
A last dance.
A wonderful waltz.
#TheLastDance
readjack.substack.com/archive
The Bulls consummated their Floyd pursuit that summer with a weird title during the NBA lockout, as MJ remained in limbo.
Finally, on January 13, 1999, Jordan retired. That kicked off a mass exodus over 10 days that, in a way, have defined the Bulls franchise more than the previous 10 years.
The gory details:
The gory details:
Krause tried to reboot in 2000, but could not do so. He retired in April 2003, citing health problems.
His failed Year 2000 rebuild, in which Duncan, Hill, McGrady and Eddie Jones all slipped through his fingers:
His failed Year 2000 rebuild, in which Duncan, Hill, McGrady and Eddie Jones all slipped through his fingers:
The result of that 2000 failure? Two decades of frustration for the Chicago Bulls franchise. Some classic teams and wonderful moments, but no Finals appearances, and championship #7 still in the distance.
barberschairdigital.com/blog-posts/201…
barberschairdigital.com/blog-posts/201…
The 1998 Bulls were a team and a season unlike any I have ever seen. I’m not sure there is a season in the history of professional sports that played out the way this one did.
Let’s all buckle up for #TheLastDance. We’re about to see history like we’ve never seen it before.
Let’s all buckle up for #TheLastDance. We’re about to see history like we’ve never seen it before.
