"I didn't love MJ, and I thought MJ was difficult and unnecessarily harsh on his teammates" - Luc Longley's true feelings about Michael Jordan
One of the glaring omissions in the famous Chicago Bulls documentary "The Last Dance" was the absence of prominent Center Luc Longley in the 10-part series. Longley was an integral figure of the Bulls' second three-peat between 1996 to 1998, but it's likely the Australian wasn't featured because of disdain towards former teammate Michael Jordan.
Longley opened up in a 2021 documentary, Australia Story, sharing his side of the story and discussing his fragmented relationship with MJ.
"You don't have to love a bloke to be on his team, to care about him, to play basketball together. I didn't love MJ, and I thought MJ was difficult and unnecessarily harsh on his teammates and probably on himself. I just didn't enjoy being around him that much, and that was cool. It was cool to MJ, it was cool with me. At the end of the day, we found a way to respect each other on the court and to co-exist, and that was cool," he said.
A pattern emerges
This wasn't the first time that Jordan's former teammate spoke up following the documentary's release. Toni Kukoc and Scottie Pippen also publicly disapproved of how situations were portrayed in the series.
However, for Longley, this was the first opportunity he had to address the reasoning behind his absence, and he held nothing back about the reality of his relationship with the Bulls legend.
Jordan had a unique leadership style to say the least. Although it's largely celebrated by the NBA community, his overall demeanor and obscure way of trying to maximize his teammates was highly questionable in hindsight.
Longley takes the high road
During the Australia Story documentary, it's evident that Longley has decided to forgive and forget and take the high road regarding Jordan.
In true Aussie fashion, Longley comes across as easygoing and at ease with what he achieved in the league. He doesn't let the past keep him up at night, and even though there is an undercurrent of disappointment in how MJ handled things, he opts to stay on high moral ground and sing his praises anyway.
"We had to figure out how to be together, and that wasn't his priority; it was mine. I'm deeply thankful to MJ for showing me how to be a better basketballer. For compensating for my weaknesses with his brilliance," he added.
Jordan was a phenomenal champion, but with the flurry of reactions that ensued following the release of The Last Dance documentary, it's safe to say he wasn't always the best teammate and often failed on the human side of the game.
