"Seeing what he had to do to become who he is today" - Michael Jordan's daughter admits "The Last Dance" has been eye-opening
"Seeing what he had to do to become who he is today" - Michael Jordan's daughter admits "The Last Dance" has been eye-opening originally appeared on Basketball Network.
When "The Last Dance" dropped in April 2020, it wasn't just a nostalgic jolt for NBA fans; it turned into a 10-part cultural moment, peeling back the curtain on Michael Jordan's fierce mentality, inner circle, and obsession with greatness.
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For millions who grew up watching his fadeaways and buzzer-beaters, it was a reminder. But for his daughter, Jasmine Jordan, it was a revelation she never knew about her father.
A competitive father
Growing up, Jasmine experienced Jordan less as a basketball god and more as a father who tried to win at everything. Yet, even with the competitiveness woven into their everyday life, there were still layers of Jordan, the father he never showed at home.
"I always knew he was competitive; I mean, he competes with us just playing Sudoku or little puzzles at home," Jasmine said. "But actually seeing that dog in him and what he had to do to become who he is today has definitely been eye-opening and honestly inspiring."
What The Last Dance achieved wasn't simply nostalgia; it became a powerful mirror reflecting the grueling cost of greatness. Through behind-the-scenes footage and archival interviews, the series resurrected the raw energy of the Chicago Bulls dynasty era, charting Jordan's dominance from 1984 to 1998.
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It detailed everything: the torment of the Detroit Pistons' Jordan Rules, the 1993 retirement following his father's murder and the sheer will behind the 1996 championship run after returning to the court. Jasmine watched it all unfold — just like the rest of the world.
The competitiveness she grew up with suddenly made more sense. She saw how that relentless drive wasn't a personality quirk, but a survival mechanism. From berating teammates in practice to transforming even coin tosses into mental warfare, the Jordan in The Last Dance was shaped by loss, scrutiny and a hunger to never be second.
That reaction echoed across a generation that only knew Jordan through highlights and sneaker ads. But for Jasmine, it was about reconciling the icon with the parent.
Related: "To put it mildly, every night you had to go against a legend" - Dominique Wilkins makes a case he should be in the GOAT debate
Googling Jordan
Long before the ESPN docuseries sparked global conversation, Jasmine had already taken it upon herself to bridge that gap. In earlier interviews, she revealed a small yet telling anecdote: as a child, she had to Google her father to understand the magnitude of who he really was.
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To her, he wasn't the man who had silenced the Utah Jazz crowds or shredded defenses with his tongue wagging and eyes locked. He was the man who tucked her in as a normal father.
Jasmine, born in 1992 during the Bulls' second championship three-peat, was just a toddler during much of her father's reign. The six-time NBA champion, five-time MVP and 10-time scoring leader may have been a myth to most, but to her, he was just "dad" — until the documentary reintroduced her to the man everyone else knew.
"It's been incredible to watch," Jasmine said of the documentary.
In those early searches, she stumbled on the legacy, commercials, buzzer-beaters, press conferences and all that. Yet, none of it captured the emotional texture of his journey the way The Last Dance eventually did.
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Jordan's legacy has long been measured in rings, records and retired jerseys. But Jasmine's reaction reminds people that legacy is also built on perspective, on what gets left unsaid inside homes while the world watches.
Related: "When a guy can pick up the ball with one hand... it's very difficult" - Phil Jackson explained why MJ would beat Kobe if they played one-on-one in their primes
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
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