ESPN's Michael Jordan 'The Last Dance' Averaged 5.5M Viewers for Episodes 5, 6

Timothy Rapp @@TRappaRTFeatured ColumnistMay 4, 2020

Magic Johnson greets teammate Michael Jordan as Jordan takes the bench during a U.S. game in the Basketball Tourney of the Americas game in Portland on July 12, 1992. Johnson, who withdrew from competition in the NBA earlier after testing positive for the HIV virus, is playing the game with all of the skill and heart he showed in the NBA. (AP Photo/Jack Smith)

Jack Smith/Associated Press

ESPN's documentary miniseries on Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, The Last Dance, continued to do solid ratings for ESPN with Episodes 5 and 6 averaging 5.5 million viewers, per Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times.

Arash Markazi @ArashMarkazi
With Sunday's episodes featuring the Lakers, Knicks, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Madison Square Garden, the New York (+11%) and Los Angeles (+12%) markets were both up double digits compared to episodes 1 through 4.

That continued a streak of strong viewership on ESPN for the program:

Episode 1: 6.3 million average views.
Episode 2: 5.8 million average views.
Episode 3: 6.1 million average views.
Episode 4: 5.7 million average views.

Episodes 5 and 6 delved into a number of compelling topics, ranging from Jordan's time on the Bulls and the 1992 Dream Team to the controversies surrounding his gambling habits, his influence on the late Kobe Bryant and his heated rivalry with the New York Knicks in the '90s.

The episode also touched on the pressure of being Jordan as his celebrity skyrocketed into unprecedented heights and his impact on the shoe world when he launched the Air Jordan line with Nike.

As sports fans remain without live basketball, baseball, soccer and hockey, among other sports at the moment, The Last Dance continues to fill that void for many viewers.

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