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Sam Smith Says Michael Jordan 'Made Up...Lied About' Things in 'The Last Dance'
May 22, 2020
Sam Smith contributed plenty of details to The Last Dance documentary on ESPN.
The writer of the book The Jordan Rules recounted how demanding Michael Jordan was of his teammates and how he would get into altercations during practices, even when the Chicago Bulls were dominating the NBA.
However, Smith said Jordan "made up" and "lied about" a number of things in the documentary in an appearance Thursday on 95.7 The Game's Bonta, Steiny and Guru:
Jordan had a hand in producing the series, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he looked like a mythological hero for much of it. He earned plenty of those accolades as arguably the greatest player in NBA history, winning six championships, five league MVP awards, 10 scoring titles and six NBA Finals MVPs during his Hall of Fame career.
Smith's comments, though, reinforce numerous criticisms of Jordan in the aftermath of The Last Dance.
Horace Grant, who won three championships as Jordan's teammate in Chicago, derided the series as a "so-called documentary" in an appearance on ESPN 1000's Kap & Co on Tuesday, and he called His Airness a "snitch" because he revealed his early Bulls teammates used drugs and partied.
Grant also took issue with the fact that Jordan believes he was the primary source for Smith's book: "He goes out and puts this lie out that I was the source. Sam and I have always been great friends. We still are great friends. But the sanctity of that locker room, I would never put anything personal out there."
The power forward denied being the primary source during his appearances on The Last Dance as well, and former teammate BJ Armstrong backed him up.
David Kaplan of ESPN 1000 reported Wednesday that Scottie Pippen was "so angry" and "beyond livid" with how he was portrayed in the documentary (h/t Daniel Greenberg of Wrigley Sports).
Jordan called Pippen his greatest teammate and gave him plenty of credit during The Last Dance. However, some of No. 33's more forgettable moments were also explored, including the migraine he suffered during the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals and his refusal to check into the final 1.8 seconds of a game during the 1994 playoffs because head coach Phil Jackson didn't draw the play up for him.