Former Chicago Bulls center Luc Longley was left out of the popular documentary series “The Last Dance,” but Michael Jordan has since made it clear that the omission is not a reflection of his level of respect for the Australian big man.
Jordan recently told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that not giving Longley any airtime is the one thing he regrets about “The Last Dance.” Longley, who was a starter and key contributor on Bulls teams that won three championships in a row from 1996-1998, admitted to being disappointed that he was left out.
“I can understand why Australia would say, ‘Well, why wouldn’t we include Luc [Longley]?’ And we probably should have,” Jordan admitted earlier this month. “And if I look back and could change anything, that’s probably what I would have changed.”
Jordan reiterated his stance in a two-part documentary series about Longley that aired in Australia earlier this week. He had high praise for the former center and said he would not have wanted anyone else on his team.
"If you asked me to do it all over again there's no way I'd leave Luc Longley off my team, no way possible."
How did a kid from WA end up playing for the @chicagobulls alongside @jumpman23 @ScottiePippen | Watch One Giant Leap https://t.co/oVHP0UozaP pic.twitter.com/oian09TwB7
— AustralianStory (@AustralianStory) August 9, 2021
“He matters to me and his story needs to be told and I’m pretty sure I can enlighten it from my perspective and give people his meaningfulness from me as a teammate, as a competitor,” Jordan said.
Longley said he was disappointed that he was left out of “The Last Dance” but not shocked.
“The self-deprecating Australian in me thinks it’s because I’m not that exciting. I was playing a huge role but it wasn’t one that was that sexy,” he said, via The West Australian. “There were so many beautiful, bright, shiny stars out there to focus on that, you know, it makes sense to me that that story wasn’t about me. Makes perfect sense.”
Longley played four and a half seasons for the Bulls. Those who followed the team know all about him, but younger fans don’t, and “The Last Dance didn’t give him his due. He is not the only former Bull who had an issue with the documentary. Jordan clearly wishes he could have a do-over for Longley.
