On Sunday night, "The Last Dance" will, unfortunately, come to an end. The 10-part documentary series covering Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls has brought up plenty of great memories, and also been revelatory in many ways, as young fans learn about the older generation, and everyone enjoys never-before-seen footage and untold stories.
But while it's no surprise that viewers are gaining a new understanding of Jordan and the Bulls, you may be surprised that his daughter is as well. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Jasmine Jordan explained what the experience has been like for her. Just a young kid during Jordan's playing days, she said she's been texting him non-stop to talk about the episodes, and admitted she's basically watching like a fan, rather than a family member.
“I’m harassing him”: Jasmine Jordan says she’s been frequently texting her father, Michael Jordan, while learning more about him in the ESPN docuseries #TheLastDance
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) May 14, 2020
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Jasmine Jordan's comments:
I'm harassing him. He's probably tired of me texting him. I think my brothers and I are doing it, probably alongside all his friends. But for me, it's like, hey, as I said, I was super young so I'm really taking this in as a fan. And I'm also trying to corroborate all those stories you were telling me all those years. Trying to make sure you weren't just fabricating and making it bigger than what it was. I'm definitely texting him nonstop. I think there hasn't been an episode, a Sunday where I haven't been like, 'This happened-let me know your thoughts.'
When I was a child, and growing up during the time, I didn't really understand what was happening because I was so young, and it just didn't really resonate until I got older. I laugh because I actually Googled my dad at one point just to figure it out. I was like why is everyone so intrigued by you, you're just dad, you're not that cool. But lo and behold, he was kind of a big deal. So it's definitely something that's been eye-opening.
It makes sense because she was so young back then, and Jordan is her dad, but the idea of hitting up Google to find out information about your father is pretty funny. You don't really think too much about the family members of athletes and celebrities, but it must be a strange experience to see so many people talking and writing about someone so close to you.
Jasmine also talked about what Jordan is like as a father and a grandfather to her son. While she revealed that these days her son "has him wrapped around his fingers already," she also said his competitiveness carried off the court as well when she was growing up.
"I know when it comes to the game, his passion is unmatched. His energy's unmatched. So when he's going at Steve Kerr or checking Scottie and trying to get that fire and tenacity out of them, I'm like, 'Oh, yeah, that's Dad.' I mean, he'll do that to me just so I can get an A out of a test or two. (laughs) And I'm just trying to pass school, I'm not even winning championships. So that is definitely totally him."
It's not exactly surprising that Jordan couldn't quite turn off that competitiveness when he stepped off the basketball court, but it's still interesting to hear what that experience was like for Jasmine. While he was obviously coming from a good place of wanting her to succeed, it couldn't have always been that easy to live up to his standards.