"Show some love and some respect for the people you played with and against" - Clyde Drexler says 'The Last Dance' was a true reflection of Michael Jordan's negative character

Yahoo

06-07-2025

"Show some love and some respect for the people you played with and against" - Clyde Drexler says 'The Last Dance' was a true reflection of Michael Jordan's negative character originally appeared on Basketball Network.
There was nothing warm about 'The Last Dance.'
Advertisement
According to many past players, it didn't give an even-handed documentary feel. What the world got instead was Michael Jordan's razor-edged version of history, dressed up in ESPN gloss. And while the world applauded, not everyone was sold. Clyde Drexler, perhaps least of all.
A Hall of Famer in his own right and one of Jordan's fiercest contemporaries during the 1990s, Drexler was noticeably absent from the chorus of legends praising the Emmy-winning docuseries. And now, in the aftermath of the 1o-part docuseries, the former Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets swingman is not mincing words.
Drexler's thoughts
Drexler revisited the documentary and offered a pointed take that added yet another layer to The Last Dance's complicated legacy. He saw neither nostalgia nor reverence.
Advertisement
It was something else entirely.
'In that era, there were nothing but men, real men who played,' Drexler said. 'A lot of times guys didn't like each other from other teams, but as you get older, you've got to get beyond all of that and show some love and some respect for the people you played with and against. I hope Michael was able to do that in his documentary.'
When The Last Dance premiered in 2020, it became more than a sports documentary. On average, it pulled in over 5.6 million viewers per episode, setting ESPN records and dominated the sports conversation during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But with its vivid scenes of locker room tirades, personal jabs and repeated shots at former teammates and rivals, it was less a walk down memory lane and more of a slow-burning indictment.
Advertisement
Drexler was featured only briefly in the series, largely in the context of the 1992 NBA Finals when Jordan's Bulls faced Drexler's Blazers. That series, one Chicago won in six games, was cast by Jordan as yet another 'prove them wrong' moment, with Drexler's elite reputation serving as fuel for Jordan's competitive fire.
But for Drexler, the comparison wasn't needed. He'd already built a Hall of Fame resume, with 10 NB All-Star appearances, an Olympic gold medal, and eventually, an NBA championship in 1995 with the Rockets.
Jordan's story
For Drexler, the criticism is about balance. There was, after all, no denying Jordan's greatness on the court. He won six championships, five MVP awards, and had an unrelenting will that shaped the 1990s NBA. But the greatness of that decade wasn't carried by No. 23 alone.
Advertisement
Still, The Last Dance left the impression that Jordan's journey was the only one that mattered, that every Finals was a coronation, not a contest, and that anyone who stood in his way was either a prop or a cautionary tale. To many who knew the era intimately, Drexler included, Jordan's version of events seemed overly personal, less about elevating the game and more about reasserting dominance.
'That's Michael's documentary of course it's going to be from his perspective,' Drexler added. 'It was a golden era and everybody is entitled to their own opinion.'
Throughout The Last Dance, former teammates like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant were framed through Jordan's lens of trust and betrayal. Gary Payton, a defensive stalwart and nine-time All-Defensive First Team selection, was openly mocked by Jordan for thinking he could slow him down.
Even legends like Isiah Thomas were subtly sidelined, despite being central to that era's competitive fire.
Advertisement
Related: "I never bought into that. We are all competitors" - When Clyde Drexler pushed back on the Michael Jordan GOAT narrative
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.