Ahead of the release of his 2022 documentary, "They Call Me Magic," Magic Johnson already revealed that it offers a unique perspective different from Michael Jordan's widely acclaimed series, The Last Dance .
According to the Los Angeles Lakers legend, the documentary not only delves into his illustrious career but also highlights his life and the personal experiences that shaped him as a player and a person. By contrast, The Last Dance chronicled MJ's career.
Moreover, Magic was confident that Jordan's former Chicago Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen would enjoy watching his documentary more than The Last Dance. Johnson's comment was evidently his witty way of acknowledging how Pippen felt about Jordan's famed documentary, which was viewed as largely biased towards "His Airness."
"It's totally different. 'The Last Dance' was about basketball and Michael's mindset and attitude towards winning. This is about my family. This is about me being a businessman. It's a life journey. I think Scottie would like it more, no question about it," Johnson said back in 2022.
Magic had to do it because of The Last Dance
As expected, The Last Dance was a massive hit. Interestingly, Johnson divulged that the success of Jordan's docuseries got people close to him hyped about the idea of him documenting his life and career as well.
That said, the three-time MVP admitted that The Last Dance played a pivotal role in his decision to create his own documentary. In the end, Magic agreed to do "They Call Me Magic" because he was overwhelmed by how people in the industry supported it.
"The reason we did it is because when Michael did 'The Last Dance,' my phone just started ringing," Johnson said during an interview after the post-screening of his documentary. "They said, 'When are you coming out with yours?' And we got some great investors, great partners, great producers, and they really took it to another level."
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Pippen hated The Last Dance
Shortly after The Last Dance wrapped up, Pippen expressed his disappointment with the series' consistent focus on Jordan , arguing that it inadequately recognized the contributions of other members of the team.
Pip's concerns stemmed from his belief that the ESPN documentary primarily glorified MJ to the detriment of highlighting the collaborative efforts that led the Bulls to the zenith of success at the time.
Scottie has yet to comment about Magic's documentary. However, it's very likely that Johnson is correct and that Pippen would appreciate his documentary more than he did with The Last Dance.
Related: "He hasn't watched the whole thing" - The Last Dance director Jason Hehir speaks about why Scottie Pippen doesn't like the documentary
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