With the completion of the documentary The Last Dance, Spencer Dinwiddie, Aaron Gordon, Klay Thompson and Kemba Walker share their favorite memories of Michael Jordan.
As current stars attest, the influence of Michael Jordan and the legacy of the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s is still felt in the modern NBA.
The story of Jordan and the Six Bulls' NBA championship victory in the 1990s continues on May 18 (from 8 a.m.B.T.) when episodes 9 and 10 are released. Netflix through your Sky Q box.
What better way to whet your appetite for the latest episodes of The Last Dance than to listen to the memories of Jordanian, Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls of current NBA players?
Dinwiddie: Everyone Wants To Be Perfect Like Mike
What I remember is just the icon (Jordan). Everyone wants to "be like Mike".
Heroism in a sense. Everyone wants shoes like Mike. Everyone wants to be 6-0 (in the final) like Mike. Everyone, in a sense, wants to be perfect like Mike.
I was born in 1993, so I captured his last peak years. It was the environment that I remember.
Gordon: Jordan gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams.
One of my best memories of MJ? It is at the Barclays Center that it has just opened. We were making the Jordan Brand show game, the All-Star game for the best high school kids in America.
They took everyone from the exhibit and sat us in a room… MJ came in, it was amazing. We asked (a) questions and answers (session). One of the questions I asked her was, "MJ, do you ever doubt yourself?" and he said, "I know who I am and I know what I'm doing, why should I doubt myself?"
It gave me the confidence to continue to pursue my dreams and continue my profession.
Covington: there is no better player to emulate than Pippen
As a child, my favorite player was Scottie Pippen. He is part of the reason I use the number 33. He is one of the people who does all the right things, all the dirty work.
He is one of the best players who has ever played the game. He has always admired a guy like him because he could do everything a little.
You can't have a better person to build your game than Scottie Pippen.
Klay remembers a childhood encounter with MJ
I don't remember much about that night. It was in 1997 or 1998, one of the last championships that the Chicago team won together.
I remember the hype and hysteria that accompanied the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. I remember my father took us to the back, waiting in the tunnel. We wanted to see Scottie and Michael. I don't think I said a word.
The fact that I was able to be there and meet the legend was very motivating for me. I was able to tell all my friends when I went to school.
I will always remember this memory and I can always tell my teammates that I was able to meet Michael Jordan at his best and see the Chicago Bulls play; It was an honor and something I will never forget.
Kemba: I imitated MJ when I was a kid and I ended up playing for him
I watched MJ when he was little. He used to go to the park and be there alone, up and down the field and trying to hit the last few seconds, trying to make it as much as he could because that's what MJ did. He made last-second shots, hard shots, match winners. I wanted to do it.
He changed the game. It is one of the main reasons why many (current players) wanted to play the game while growing up. It was super fun to watch, super competitive and it flew, really amazing.
It also changed my life the night of the draft. Never in a million years would I have thought of playing for MJ and having a relationship with him (in Charlotte). But I did it. He was like my older brother.
I appreciate him and I am very grateful to him for what he has done for me and my family and how it has helped me to progress in my career.
See The Last Dance, a 10-part documentary series about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls from 1997-1998 to Netflix via its Sky Q box: episodes 9 and 10 are available on May 18 at 8 a.m.
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