Michael Jordan's 'The Last Dance' Becomes ESPN's Most Viewed Documentary Ever

ESPN confirms that the Michael Jordan documentary "The Last Dance" becomes their most-viewed documentary to date.

The last two episodes of the 10-part Michael Jordan documentary averaged 5.9 million viewers as they were broadcasted on ESPN and ESPN2. Easily, it became the highest-rated documentary project ever shown by the sports network.

On top of this, the live viewership of each of the 10-episodes ranged from 4.9 to 6.3 million people, which means that viewers kept coming back for more every time it was aired. Thanks to reruns made by the network, the first episode alone has been watched nearly 15 million times by fans around the world.

Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy at the New York City Essence Awards 2000 | Source: Getty Images

THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

"The Last Dance" allows people around the world to understand the craze that Jordan went through while he was in the Chicago Bulls. Regarded many times as the "greatest basketball player of all time," the documentary shows what Jordan had to go through with his teammates as they tried to acquire championship after championship.

Various NBA players look up to Jordan and see him as inspiration for their own careers, while those closest to him, especially his children, spoke up about being raised by the legend.

It also touches upon the many issues that were thrown at him as they tried to bring him down, and the many challenges he had to face all while being under heavy media scrutiny while he was in the NBA. Ultimately, it shows how he rose above them all and became the best basketball player the Chicago Bulls has ever seen.

A FAN FAVORITE SERIES

Aside from being a huge hit ratings-wise, the documentary also became a social media phenomenon. Millions of tweets have been posted by fans from around the world, including those of admiration, of further questioning, and even their own conspiracies and theories.

Since it's release, those closest to Jordan and those in the NBA have also spoken up about the documentary and how he impacted their lives. Various NBA players look up to Jordan and see him as inspiration for their own careers, while those closest to him, especially his children, spoke up about being raised by the legend.

GROWING UP WITH JORDAN

According to Jasmine, she grew up in a normal household. While her dad is an icon, he and her mom made sure that Jasmine and her brothers grew up in a normal environment and that's something they did for years.

"He would take us to school, pick us up from activities and help us with homework. Little things like that where it felt normal. The normalcy only went away when we would go the games..."

Although she acknowledged that her dad's time in the NBA hindered them from seeing him a lot, Michael was man enough to explain the situation to her. When he was around, he would make sure to give his 100% attention and that was all that mattered to them.

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