For most people, ESPN’s “Last Dance,” an in-depth look at Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls and the circus that went along with it, it serves as a reminder.
For two hours every Sunday those who got to watch Jordan play get reminded of his greatness and those who didn’t have the opportunity get a front-row seat to the indoctrination of what Jordan was.
But, for NBA Hall of Famer and South Carolina great Alex English, it serves as a look back at some of his glory days.
“They’ve been pretty candid. I’ve enjoyed that part of it. They kind of expose the era during part of the time I played. That was interesting to hear and to see. I’d like to see the way the game’s evolved since then,” English told GamecockCentral.
“During the era Michael played, he was one of the most popular players ever if not the most (popular). There were a lot of guys who came after him, including one Kobe Bryant, who admired and watched how he played. He kind of revolutionized the style of play.”
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English’s career doesn’t line up perfectly with Jordan’s; English entered the league in 1976 and was a three-time all-star before Jordan even put on a Bulls’ uniform and his final year of his 16-season stint in the NBA was the first of Jordan’s six championships in Chicago.
Over that time while English himself was well on his way to 25,613 points and a Hall of Fame career and helping the Denver Nuggets to 12 playoff appearances, he saw Jordan really blossom into his own and revitalized a Bulls franchise by the time English retired in 1991.
He still remembers early in his career how bad the Bulls were with teams not going there hoping to win but expecting it.
That changed quickly with Jordan and the addition of Scottie Pippen; English still remembers one of his first on-court encounters with Jordan and it didn’t end well for him.
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“We were playing with them and were up at halftime. I had a great first half and scored well. Scottie Pippen was a very young rookie and I may have had 20 or 22 points on him,” English said. “Then in the second half, to talk about the determination of Michael, he knew in order for them to win, they would have to stop me. I guess they must have talked about it in the locker room, he told Scottie he’d guard me. I think that half I may have scored four points and they end up winning the game. He was that competitive on defense.”
But it wasn’t just Jordan.
Those Bulls teams turned into a who’s who of NBA superstars with Pippen and Dennis Rodman, who are also profiled extensively in the ESPN documentary.
English remembers Rodman as a frustratingly good defender in Detroit before even getting to Chicago.
“Dennis was nothing but energy. He would run. My edge on most teams we played was I would outrun the guy guarding me and they didn’t want to run against me; they couldn’t keep up. Dennis Rodman could keep up with me. He didn’t give me a break,” English said. “All he cared about was playing good defense. He was the toughest defensive competitor I’ve played against, including Michael.”
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There are still six episodes left to go in the documentary, six hours of greatness and in-depth reporting still to come out, but English says he’s enjoyed what he’s seen so far.
He likes getting to see the decade where he spent the bulk of his NBA career and relive some of the players, like himself, that made it so great.
It brings him back to some of his better days in the league.
“For me, every night I looked forward to playing. I couldn’t wait for the next game. You were a performer. It was like you were the Beatles or Earth, Wind and Fire. You were a performer on the floor with 18,000 people in the arena and you got to be on stage. You got to show your talents. I enjoyed that. I was competitive that way and looked forward to playing and creating on the court.”
