Episode 5 of ‘The Last Dance’ left us with some amazing quotes to keep in our memories. Here are five that stood out above the rest.
5. MJ talking about Kobe in the locker room
"“That little Laker boy’s gonna take everybody one-on-one.” -Michael Jordan"
There’s so much beauty in this short quote. First and foremost, hearing Michael Jordan refer to a young Kobe Bryant as “that little Laker boy” is some next-level stuff. At the time of the quote, Bryant was only 19 years old and hadn’t dominated the basketball world yet. He was still a baby. He hadn’t yet turned into Kobe.
Then, Jordan telling Tim Hardaway in the locker room that Kobe’s going to take everybody one-on-one (in the All-Star game!) is amazing to watch knowing what we know now. Jordan clearly could see the Mamba Mentality from a mile away.
4. Kobe explaining Jordan’s influence
"“What you get from me is from him. I don’t get five championships here without him because he guided me so much and gave me so much great advice.” -Kobe Bryant"
It was simply breathtaking to watch Kobe talk about Jordan’s influence on his game. I mean, Kobe is a top-10 player of all time and one of the greatest competitors in the history of professional sports, and he shut down the “who would win one-on-one” debate when people would bring it up. For one of the best players ever to admit that he wouldn’t have accomplished what he did without MJ is super cool.
3. Jordan’s cultural impact
"“Before Michael Jordan, sneakers were just for playing basketball. And all of a sudden, sneakers became fashion and culture.” -Roy S. Johnson"
One interesting thing that needs to be considered when evaluating Jordan’s legacy is that his impact on the game of basketball goes far beyond the statistics and on-the-court accomplishments. That’s what this quote from Roy S. Johnson helps to explain.
By being the coolest guy on the planet, Jordan turned sneakers from an athletic tool into a cultural phenomenon. It’s simple: Sneakers wouldn’t be what they are now without Michael Jordan making them cool.
2. MJ on who would take the final shot in a close game
"“Me. That’s a dumb question. Me.” -Michael Jordan"
This was Jordan’s response to a casual question about who would take the last shot with the game on the line. His answer isn’t surprising at all. Of course Michael Jordan would take the last shot, and of course he knows that. What’s amazing about this quote is how Jordan answered.
He looked genuinely shocked and offended that a question like that would even float around in someone’s mind. He looked around like he was trying to figure out if he was a part of some prank. As he walked away, it looked like he was fueled up for competition just thinking about it.
1. Jerry Seinfeld’s basketball advice
"“This is not gonna work, by the way. I would get that out of there.” -Jerry Seinfeld"
Jerry Seinfeld was one of the most beloved people in the ’90s right alongside Michael Jordan. So his interaction with MJ in the Bulls’ locker room before a game was super fun to see. As Seinfeld was walking out of the locker room, he stopped by the chalkboard, took a look at one of the plays drawn on the board, pointed to it, and dropped the quote above.
There’s nothing too fancy about this quote. It’s just fun to have footage of Jerry Seinfeld joking around about basketball strategy in Michael Jordan’s locker room.