Jeff Hornacek on what it was like guarding Michael Jordan throughout his career
Former NBA player and coach Jeff Hornacek and his daughter, Fox Nation host Abby Hornacek, team up for a new streaming special 'Guarding Jordan.'
“The Last Dance” is set to finish up May 17, but the stories about Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the rest of the Chicago Bulls from the 1997-98 season and the years before seem endless.
The ESPN film sparked memories from several players who competed against Jordan and the Bulls during that time, including Danny Ainge, Charles Barkley and Mark Jackson.
While we know how the movie ends -- Jordan and the Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz to win their sixth championship and third in-a-row -- we don’t know the intricacies of how the Bulls got past the Indiana Pacers and handled the Jazz for the second time.
Read below for a recap from FoxNews.com surrounding Jordan, the Bulls and the documentary.
**
BEFORE THE 'DANCE'
Jordan was apprehensive about doing the documentary. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Michael Jordan didn't originally want to do the documentary, according to director Jason Hehir. Jordan, according to Heir, believed perceptions of him would change, spotlighting his competitiveness and how his will to win was more important than anything.
“I said to him, ‘Why do you want to do this?’ And he said, ‘I don’t.’ And I said, ‘Why not?’ And he said, ‘When people see this footage I’m not sure they’re going to be able to understand why I was so intense, why I did the things I did, why I acted the way I acted, and why I said the things I said,’” Hehir told The Athletic. “He said there was a guy named Scotty Burrell who he rode for the entire season and, ‘When you see the footage of it, you’re going to think that I’m a horrible guy.'"
Ahead of the documentary, ESPN released a trailer showing why the film was called "The Last Dance." Jordan and the 1997-98 team knew going into the season that it would be their last run. Phil Jackson wasn't coming back, Jordan wasn't going to play for another coach and eventually the rest of the main players would fizzle from the team.
Jordan elaborated in an interview with "Good Morning America," telling co-host Robin Roberts that General Manager Jerry Krause was ready to blow up the entire team.
“Krause told Phil Jackson that we could go 82-0 and he would never get a chance to come back,” Jordan said. “Knowing that I had married myself to him, and if he wasn’t going to be the coach, then obviously I wasn’t going to play [for the Bulls]. So Phil started off the season saying this was the last dance — and we played it that way."
MORE: MICHAEL JORDAN: 1997-98 TITLE TEAM KNEW IT WOULD BE THEIR 'LAST DANCE' TOGETHER
**
JORDAN GETS DRAFTED
Jordan was selected No. 3 overall by the Bulls in 1984. (Photo by Tom Berg/WireImage)
Jordan made a star of himself during his three years at North Carolina. In 1984, he was going into a deep draft loaded with talent like Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie. At the time, jump-shooting guards were not a priority for NBA teams. Most teams were built around big men who dominated the painted areas opposed to making 15-to-17-footers from just inside the arc.
While the Bulls drafted Jordan with the No. 3 pick of the draft, former front office executive Rod Thorn said he might not have taken the eventual superstar if the circumstances were different.
Thorn said during the documentary Olajuwon was the clear top pick of the 1984 draft and that he would have taken the dominant center, if he had the top pick. Thorn would later express that the team was lucky to be in the position to draft Jordan, saying that it may have been too late if the world got to see Jordan at the Olympics. He also understood why the Portland Trail Blazers selected center Bowie with the No. 2 pick of that draft. Thorn said the Trail Blazers already had a star in Clyde Drexler, who played the same position as Jordan.
MORE: EX-BULLS GENERAL MANAGER ADMITS HE WOULD'VE TAKEN HAKEEM OLAJUWON OVER MICHAEL JORDAN IN 1984
Thorn also toyed with the hypothetical that if Jordan wasn't on the board at No. 3, he wouldn't have taken Bowie or Charles Barkley. He told 106.7 The Fan he would have taken Sam Perkins over both players.
“I would’ve taken Sam Perkins because I thought Barkley wasn’t big enough,” Thorn said. “I just said, ‘The guy is so small. There’s no way he can do in the NBA what he’s doing in the SEC. And that would have been a mistake, although Perkins was a very good player and had a long career, and was very good. But Barkley was certainly an all-time player. So, thank goodness it worked out the way it did.”
**
EARLY DAYS OF JORDAN'S CAREER
Jordan made his mark on the playoffs early in his career. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Before the Bulls completed two three-peat-championship runs, Jordan joined a team that was known at the time as the "traveling cocaine circus." Chicago had not won anything before Jordan got there and was on a streak of three consecutive losing seasons. Jordan was asked about whether he joined any of the extracurricular activities.
“I think we were in Peoria, it was in a hotel, and I was trying to find my teammates,” Jordan said. “I start knocking on doors, I get to this one door, and I could hear someone say, shhh, someone’s outside. This deep voice says, ‘Who is it?’ I say, 'It’s MJ,' and they say, 'Ah, f–k, he’s just a rookie. Don’t worry about it.'"
“So they open up the door. I walk in, and practically the whole team is in there. It was things I had never seen in my life as a young kid. You got your lines over here, you got your weed smokers over here, you got your women over here.”
Jordan said he walked away from the party and did his own thing.
MORE: MICHAEL JORDAN AVOIDED 'TRAVELING COCAINE CIRCUS' BULLS DURING FIRST YEARS
Craig Hodges, a former teammate of Jordan's early in his career, disputed Jordan's decision to reveal some of the behind-the-scenes looks of the team, including the party in the hotel room.
“One of the things as players we call this a fraternity. So I’m watching the first episode and I was upset about the ‘cocaine circus,’” Hodges told FOX Sports Radio. “That bothered me because I was thinking about the brothers who are on that picture with you, who have to explain to their families who are getting ready to watch this great Michael Jordan documentary event and they know you’re on the team, and now you’ve got to explain that to a 12-year-old boy.”
MORE: EX-BULLS PLAYER CRAIG HODGES TAKES ISSUE WITH MICHAEL JORDAN'S COMMENTS DURING 'THE LAST DANCE'
Jordan only played 18 games in his second season with the Bulls, hampered by a foot injury. He expressed how unhappy he was about not being able to get to play full speed when he started to get healthier. He was given a minutes restriction as he returned.
According to the documentary, Jordan was told there was a 10 percent chance his career could be over if he came back too early. He saw it as a glass-half-full moment while management wasn’t willing to take the chance.
Toward the end of the '85-'86 season, the Bulls were on the brink of making the playoffs. Chicago had to beat the Indiana Pacers in one of the last games to get into the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Jordan was still on a minutes restriction and was taken out in the fourth quarter despite scoring 26 points.
John Paxson would score the game-winning shot, saving the Bulls’ season.
MORE: MICHAEL JORDAN WAS UNHAPPY ABOUT OBSTACLES IN RETURNING FROM BROKEN FOOT IN 1985-86 SEASON
Jordan's path to greatness started with a 63-point performance against the Boston Celtics in one of his first playoff series as a member of the Bulls. Former Celtics guard Danny Ainge and "Rare Air' author Mark Vancil recalled the performance in the first episodes of the film.
Jordan scored 49 points in that game, still managing to play while recovering from a broken foot. After losing on the golf course, Ainge said he vowed to take out his frustrations on the Celtics in Game 2.
"I took a few bucks off of Michael that day, and we're talking trash to each other. That might have been a mistake,” Ainge said.
“We get done, we get in the car, we drop Danny off first,” Vancil said. “And Michael says, 'Hey, tell your boy D.J. [Hall of Famer Dennis Johnson] I got something for him tomorrow.’”
Jordan scored 63 points on 22-of-41 shooting. He added five rebounds and nine assists to his total. His points total broke Elgin Baylor’s record from 1962 and it’s still the most points scored in a single NBA playoff game.
MORE: MICHAEL JORDAN DROPPED HISTORIC 63 POINTS AGAINST CELTICS AFTER LOSING ON GOLF COURSE
**
JORDAN AND THE PISTONS
Jordan and the Bulls had an infamous war with the Pistons. (Getty Images)
To be great, Jordan and the Bulls had to beat the greats. Going through the Detroit Pistons was among the toughest things the team had to face. Getting through the "Bad Boys" left a sour taste in Jordan's mouth. The rivalry he built against Isiah Thomas is one he still holds today.
“Oh, I hated them,” Jordan said. “And that hate carries even to this day.”
The Pistons created what was known as the “Jordan Rules,” in which they would force him into the paint and foul him before he had a chance to get up in the air. Jordan said the Pistons players of that era made things “personal.”
One of the biggest moments in the rivalry was the Bulls sweep of the Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals. As Chicago was about to win, several Pistons players who were on the bench walked off the floor with 7.9 seconds and without shaking hands with their opponents.
That decision still burns Jordan. It caused a bigger rift between the two competitors and may have left Thomas off the 1992 Olympic Dream Team.
MORE: MICHAEL JORDAN STILL HEATED OVER WARS WITH 'BAD BOYS' PISTONS, ISIAH THOMAS
Jordan denied keeping Thomas off the Dream Team, but later admitted that his presence would have messed with overall chemistry.
“You want to attribute it to me, go ahead, and be my guest. But it wasn’t me,” Jordan said during the ESPN documentary about the notion he kept Thomas from that Olympics squad.
“I respect Isiah Thomas’ talent. To me, the best point guard of all-time is Magic Johnson, and right behind him is Isiah Thomas. No matter how much I hate him, I respect his game. Now, it was insinuated that I was asking about him; but I never threw his name in there,” Jordan said.
He added: “The Dream Team, based on the environment and the camaraderie that happened on that team, it was the best harmony. Would Isiah have made a different feeling on that team? Yes."
**
JORDAN OUTSIDE BASKETBALL
Jordan played one season of baseball in the White Sox's organization. (Photo by Jim Gund/Getty Images)
One of the things covered by "The Last Dance" was Jordan's foray into basketball and his flirtations with other sports. He famously stepped away from basketball after his father died in order to take a crack at baseball.
Jordan revealed that his final conversation with his father led him to the first and third baselines.
“We were debating, me and him, we were debating about me playing baseball,” Jordan said. “Dad, I want to go play baseball. I’m thinking about retiring. I wanna go play baseball. All the things that he was saying, ‘Do it. Do it.’ Because he had got me started in baseball.”
He played for the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A team in the Chicago White Sox organization.
MORE: MICHAEL JORDAN SAYS LAST CONVERSATION WITH DAD LED TO HIM TO RETIREMENT, PLAY BASEBALL
He hit .202 with three home runs and 51 RBI in 127 games for the Barons. While the sample size for Jordan’s success is small, his former manager Terry Francona said in the episode that Jordan was on track to making the majors.
“He had it all. Ability, aptitude, work ethic. He was always so respectful of what we were doing and considerate of his teammates ... I do think with another 1,000 at-bats, he would've made it,” Francona said.
MORE: MICHAEL JORDAN WOULD HAVE MADE THE MAJORS IF HE STUCK WITH BASEBALL, HIS FORMER MANAGER SAYS
Stories about Jordan's exploits outside of basketball came into the spotlight. Jordan's idea to play football instead of baseball was a subject of conversation as well as his brief ownership of the NHL's Washington Capitals before he played for the Washington Wizards.
Jordan also had a major league offer from the Oakland Athletics before he started to play for the Barons. His agent, David Falk, told MLB.com that Jordan wanted to do things the right way and not jump into the majors without having experienced life in the minors.
“I was excited about [the offer], and Michael was very appreciative,” Falk said. “But he wanted to do the baseball thing from the ground up. He didn’t feel he deserved a spot on the Major League roster and didn’t feel he was ready. He didn’t want to be a Herb Washington type who would just steal bases and be a part-time outfielder.
“Michael’s an amazingly loyal guy. If not for his relationship with the White Sox, [the A’s offer] might have been something he might have done.”
MORE: MICHAEL JORDAN HELPED BASEBALL TEAMMATE LEARN ENGLISH WITH REWARD FOR SPELLING WORDS CORRECTLY
**
MORE COMPETITIVE THAN ANYONE
Jordan was one of the most competitive people on the planet. (Getty Images).
Jordan's uber competitiveness appeared to be the overall theme of the entire documentary. The film makes a point to show how much Jordan wanted to be the best and what he would do instill in his teammates that nothing else mattered.
In the 1992 Finals against the Trail Blazers, Jordan admitted that he "took offense" to being compared to Drexler.
“Clyde was a threat,” Jordan said. “I'm not saying he wasn't a threat. But me being compared to him, I took offense to that.”
Jordan and the Bulls defeated Portland in six games during that series. Jordan led five of the six games in points. In Game 1, Jordan made six three-pointers and scored 39 points. It was in that game where he gave his infamous “shrug” after he made a shot and jogged back down the court.
MORE: MICHAEL JORDAN 'TOOK OFFENSE' TO CLYDE DREXLER COMPARISONS DURING 1991-92 SEASON
That was just the tip of the iceberg for Jordan. He would later talk about how he took it personally that Seattle SuperSonics coach George Karl snubbed him at a restaurant before the 1996 Finals. Karl admitted to stiffing him and it was exactly what Jordan needed.
"He walked right past me,” Jordan said. “I said, 'It's a crock of s—t.’ We went to Carolina. You know Dean Smith ... You're gonna do this? OK, fine. That's all I needed. That's all I needed — for him to do that — and it became personal with me.”
Jordan averaged 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in the series. The Bulls defeated the SuperSonics, 4-2. They captured their fourth NBA championship.
MORE: MICHAEL JORDAN USED GEORGE KARL SNUB AS MOTIVATION DURING 1996 NBA FINALS
Former Celtics coach Rick Pitino and former New Jersey Nets coach John Calipari also had tales of Jordan's competitiveness.
As for Jordan, he defended himself and the perception that he wasn't a nice guy.
“My mentality was to go out and win at any cost,” Jordan says during the episode. “If you don't want to live that regimented mentality, then you don't need to be alongside of me because I'm going to ridicule you until you get on the same level with me. And if you don't get on the same level, then it's going to be hell for you.”
He added: “Winning has a price. And leadership has a price. So I pulled people along when they didn't want to be pulled. I challenged people when they didn't want to be challenged. And I earned that right because [other] teammates came after me. They didn't endure all the things that I endured. Once you joined the team, you lived at a certain standard that I played the game. And I wasn't going to take anything less.”
Jordan argued that he acted above and beyond because nobody had to go through what he went through. At the end of the episode, he was holding back tears as he described his passion and his will to win.
“Look, I don't have to do this,” Jordan said. “I'm only doing it because it is who I am. That's how I played the game. That was my mentality. If you don't want to play that way, don't play that way.”
MORE: MICHAEL JORDAN DEFENDS COMPETITIVENESS DESPITE NEGATIVE PERCEPTION: 'WINNING HAS A PRICE'
**
PRACTICE WARS
Jordan would go all out in practice. (Getty Images)
Some of the stories that came on the heels of "The Last Dance" episodes included Jordan's competitiveness during practice. Bill Wennington, Steve Kerr and Will Perdue all talked about the infamous Bulls practices
“Michael was very, very competitive, and that day, it was me who was able to block a shot of his early on in practice,” Wennington said. “He took offense to that and challenged me the rest of practice to block his shot, both verbally and physically.”
MORE: EX-BULLS CENTER BILL WENNINGTON ON WHAT HAPPENED WHEN HE BLOCKED MICHAEL JORDAN IN PRACTICE
Perdue's fight with Jordan was first recorded in "The Jordan Rules." He confirmed to CBS Sports HQ that he caught a blow from Jordan.
“He did, and I wasn't the only one,” the former NBA center said. “That's how competitive our practices were. That wasn't the only fight, that was one of numerous. But because it involved Michael Jordan, and it leaked out, that it became a big deal. And the funny thing was, in that practice that it happened, we basically separated, regrouped and kept practicing -- it wasn't like that was the end of practice. Stuff like that was common because that's how competitive our practices were.”
Jordan and Kerr discussed their own practice fight prior to the start of the 1995-96 season.
Kerr said in the film that Jordan was “talking all kinds of trash” during one of the practices and Jordan was getting angry because coach Phil Jackson was calling “ticky-tack” fouls.
“I’m getting mad because if you’re protecting this guy, that’s not going to help us when we play New York. That’s not going to help us when we play these teams. They’re very physical,” Jordan said, adding that he became more physical during the scrimmages.
Kerr said he has a lot of patience, but even his competitiveness was starting to come out and vowed that he was going to come back just as hard.
Kerr then hit Jordan in the chest and Jordan turned around and punched Kerr in the face. Jackson tossed Jordan from practice, and Jordan later admitted he was wrong.
“I just beat up the littlest guy on the f--king court. I feel this small,” Jordan said.
Jordan reached out to Kerr and apologized, but the sharpshooter said it may have been the best thing to happen for their relationship.
“It was the best thing I ever did, was stand up for myself with him. He tested everybody he played with. I stood up to him,” Kerr said.
MORE: MICHAEL JORDAN, STEVE KERR DISCUSS INFAMOUS FIGHT IN 'THE LAST DANCE'
**
MICHAEL & KOBE
Kobe Bryant followed Jordan's career closely. (Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
The relationship between Jordan and Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a January helicopter wreck, was examined in at least one instance of the documentary. Hehir said he didn't realize how close the two were until he started the film.
“I didn’t realize they had the relationship that they had until we interviewed Kobe in July a few weeks after the birth of his daughter [Capri]. And he told me that from the time he was a youngster in the league, he did seek out Michael’s advice,” Hehir told The Score.
While Bryant said in the documentary he looked up to Jordan as a brother, Hehir said by interviewing both players he got a better understanding of how close the two were.
“But then Michael took it a step further and gave him his number and said, ‘Anytime you need advice – on or off the floor – you can call me.’ … [Kobe] said, ‘Michael is like the big brother that I never had. Without Michael Jordan, you don’t get Kobe Bryant,’” Hehir said.
MORE: 'THE LAST DANCE' DIRECTOR REALIZED DEEPER BOND BETWEEN MICHAEL JORDAN, KOBE BRYANT WHILE FILMING
Jordan acknowledged Bryant's athletic ability during the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. Bryant made his first All-Star Game and at the time, it was thought to have been Jordan’s last. Jordan made some interesting comments about the 19-year-old Bryant while in the locker room.
“That little Laker boy’s gonna take everybody one-on-one. … He don’t let the game come to him. He just go out there and take it. … I’m going to make this a one-on-one,” Jordan said before the game.
“I'm going to make this s—t happen. I'm going to make this a one-on-one game.'”
The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 135-114, at Madison Square Garden. Jordan scored 23 points and won the MVP. Bryant scored 18 points, which led the West.
Bryant admitted that he hated the comparisons about whether he would beat Jordan one-on-on.
“He's like my big brother. I truly hate having discussions about who would win one-on-one, or fans saying, 'Hey, Kob', you'd beat Michael one-on-one.' I feel like, yo, what you get from me is from him. I don't get five championships here without him because he guided me so much and gave me so much great advice,” Bryant said.
Magic Johnson, however, put Bryant in the same category as Jordan.
“Kobe admired [and] respected Michael Jordan in such a way that he patterned his game after Michael's. Kobe is the closest thing to Michael that we've seen. Why? Because he can score that basketball just like Michael Jordan. He had the same mindset and attitude just like Michael Jordan,” Johnson said.
“He took no prisoners, he wanted to just put his foot on your neck. He wanted to destroy you, mentally and physically, just like Michael Jordan and he wanted to have six championships like Michael Jordan. He got close, he got five, but he never got that sixth championship.
MORE: KOBE BRYANT WAS THE 'CLOSET THING' TO MICHAEL JORDAN, MAGIC JOHNSON SAYS
**
JORDAN'S INFLUENCE ON TODAY'S GAME
Jordan's impact on the game resonated with almost everyone. (Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Several current and former NBA players along with Jordan's agent chimed in on the legend's influence on the game, where he ranks on the all-time list and how he would perform if he played in 2020.
CARMELO ANTHONY: People don’t know my first year I was signed to Nike. Right? I didn’t have a signature shoe because the brand at that point in time, I was the first signature athlete. I remember there wasn’t a plan at that point in time. But LeBron was at Nike, and MJ stepped up and said, ‘Look, I’ll pay half, Nike pay half. Look, I’ll take Melo, y’all got LeBron, Converse got D-Wade and Bosh.’ My first sneaker I ever played in with Jordan was a 16.5 or some s--t like that. And I remember … in preseason, the sneaker came off … I’m not playing in another retro again."
DANNY AINGE: “I get to the game and I'm beat. The sun was really hot that day. I'm sitting there watching Michael, and he was just unbelievable. He was picking up guys full court on every possession for the entire 30 minutes he played. I couldn't believe how much energy he had. We played golf the next day, too, and I asked him, ‘Why were you playing so hard in an exhibition game?' And he told me, 'I don't want anyone thinking they belong on the court with me.’”
DAVID FALK: "With virtually zero defense, no hand-checking, I think if Jordan played today, if he was in his prime in today's rules, I think he'd average between 50 and 60 a game. I think he'd shoot 75 percent from the floor. If you couldn't hand-check him, he would be completely unstoppable. Now that I watch [“The Last Dance” documentary], I realize that, unless you're legally blind, you can't possibly think that there's another player who ever played the game that's remotely in the league that he's in. Nobody."
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: "My MJ takeaway from the Last Dance documentary is that chasing greatness is a life mission."
ISIAH THOMAS: "When you put Jordan and his basketball team in the 80s, they weren't a very successful team. They just weren't. When you talk about Jordan and his team dominating, they dominated the '90s. But when you put him with those Lakers teams and those Pistons teams and those Celtics teams, they all beat him. They just did. ... What separated Jordan from all of us was he was the first one to three-peat. But he didn't three-peat against Magic, Larry and Dr. J."
KEVIN DURANT: “He can adapt his game to anything. He would fit in as the best player in the league. That's what he would be. I feel like he'd have more possession to do more things. But there's also more athleticism in this game, there's more length in this game. There's also more space for MJ to go to work.”
STEVE NASH: [Michael Jordan] comes over to me and says, ‘You were at a slight disadvantage.’ MJ just scored on me, he’s letting me have it in a fun way; this is unbelievable. I laugh and I go, 'Can I have your shoes after the game?'"
**
MORE TO READ
There's plenty more to know about Jordan. (Getty Images)
There are several more stories to read about Jordan, Pippen, Rodman and other players.
Continue reading the stories below.
Michael Jordan snubbed White House visit after Bulls' 1991 championship to gamble with drug dealer
Autographed Michael Jordan rookie card sells for record $125G in eBay sale
'The Last Dance' featured wrong Washington NBA team in one part of film
Michael Jordan once turned down $100 million appearance, according to longtime agent
Michael Jordan defends gambling during NBA career: 'I never bet on games'
Steve Kerr was nervous about game-winning shot in 1997 NBA Finals: 'I s--t my pants'
Mark Jackson says Pacers were better than Michael Jordan's Bulls in 1998 playoffs
Former NBA star Jeff Hornacek on 'the one big key' to guarding Michael Jordan
NBA great Charles Barkley feels 'sadness' over rift with Michael Jordan
Patrick Ewing not watching 'The Last Dance' after historic battles with Michael Jordan, Bulls
Michael Jordan would keep grocery stores open to shop alone as his fame rose, ex-teammate says
Chicago Bulls had extra security measures during 1997-98 season, ex-player says
Michael Jordan puts rumors of gambling suspension to rest during 'The Last Dance'
Ex-Cavaliers player Craig Ehlo disputes Ron Harper's comments about plan before Michael Jordan shot
Dennis Rodman: Scottie Pippen better than LeBron James if both played in '90s
Bill Laimbeer has no regrets over way 'Bad Boys' Pistons handled Michael Jordan, Bulls
Dennis Rodman praises Scottie Pippen for filling in for Michael Jordan in 1990s
Scottie Pippen recalls decision to sit in final seconds of playoff game vs. Knicks
Scottie Pippen convinced Bulls GM Jerry Krause to trade up for him in 1987 NBA Draft
Michael Jordan showed up Brooks Koepka in crunch time on golf course: 'He shut me up pretty quick'
Ex-Bulls player Scott Burrell says he and his wife laughed about Michael Jordan's ribbing
Michael Jordan wouldn't let Horace Grant eat after bad games: report
Michael Jordan used 'selective prosecution' while picking on Bulls teammates, Charles Barkley says
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox