The interviews and stories told during The Last Dance have been fantastic, but the best part of the documentary has been the incredible footage, particularly the behind the scenes stuff of Michael Jordan and the Bulls on the plane, in the locker room, in the weight room, or at practice.
It’s a fascinating peek behind the curtain that few get to see, and it’s been fun to see how Jordan interacted with teammates and team workers, particularly the “sniff brothers,” the group of security guards that were regularly hanging out in the back with him. In the opening to Episode 6, which takes a look at Jordan’s gambling, they show extended footage of him betting $20 with security on who can pitch quarters closest to the wall.
Idk what game this is but Michael Jordan jokes about Jerry Krause negotiations during it pic.twitter.com/25UPA01BJC
— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) May 4, 2020
At one point, when the security guard wins he hits Mike with the shrug in an elite troll move.
This security dude hit Michael Jordan with the Jordan shrug after winning at quarters! #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/yxFs2kcVnm
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 4, 2020
The Shrug Game pic.twitter.com/sKDqEcjzfW
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) May 4, 2020
That, coupled with Will Perdue’s story about how Jordan used to crash the Bulls role player $1 blackjack game in the front of the plane just so he could “say I have your money in my pocket” sets the stage for a look into Jordan’s gambling, the controversy it created, and the continued question of whether it was a problem. It’s part of the Jordan lore — for better or worse — and the documentary looks into how it became such a big topic of conversation in 1993.
Jordan remains defiant it was ever a problem, and his point that it’s never led him to having money troubles is a pretty strong point in his favor. That said, even if not an addiction or problem, him grumbling about how the security guards stack the odds against him right before he agrees to take their bet shows that he remains one of the all-time degenerate gamblers sports has seen.