Netflix’s smash hit documentary ‘The Last Dance,’ which gave the world some unseen insight into the Chicago Bulls‘ dynasty, showcased Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen’s contempt for the team’s then-General Manager Jerry Krause. The superstar duo often hazed the team executive for some of his controversial decisions and blamed him for the team disbanding in 1998, after winning their sixth championship in eight years.
In a discussion with The Ringer‘s CEO Bill Simmons, The Last Dance‘s director Jason Hehir revealed that he was motivated to display the bullying Krause endured at the time, and got virtually no pushback from Jordan’s camp, who had the final editorial say in the docuseries. While Hehir had free rein, Jordan’s camp did push back on one occasion and forced him to leave out one specific moment. Hehir revealed,
“There was a clip of Scottie [Pippen] in the training room with Michael [Jordan] and, I think, Ron Harper… He was saying something to the effect of when they win the championship, he’s going to take a cattle prod and stick it up Jerry Krause’s a** and give him a heart attack. And everyone laughed. And they were like, ‘Woah, you gotta take that out.’”
Hehir revealed that he chased down Dion Cocoros, the NBA’s senior vice president of content production, and pulled him off a train he was about to board, to try to convince him to let him keep the comment in the documentary. However, the 47-year-old’s efforts were to no avail as his request was turned down. Per Hehir, Jordan’s camp argued that there was enough material in the documentary to turn viewers against the late Krause. Moreover, Pippen’s comment was too unsavory and the late Krause’s wife, Thelma Krause, didn’t need to see it.
Jordan’s camp made the right call. The documentary fueled hatred against the late executive, especially amongst Bulls fans. During the team’s Ring of Honor night earlier this year celebrating the 1995-96 roster, fans inside the United Center booed Krause, which left Thelma in tears.