THE SERIES ALSO GIVES A LITTLE INSIGHT INTO M.J.’S LEGENDARY ME
COMPETITIVENESS AND WHAT HE WAS
LIKE OFF THE COURT.
TODAY WE’RE JOINED BY HIS THREE
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. I BELIEVE THIS IS A TV FIRST
HAVING ALL THREE OF YOU TOGETHER
AT ONCE, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US.
HERE IS THE THING, JEFFREY, I’LL
START WITH YOU BECAUSE YOU’RE
THE OLD ESTEST.
YOU’RE 31.
YOU’RE 31. I THINK FOR MOST OF AMERICANS,
THE FIRST FOUR EPISODES ISTHMUS
SEE TV.
SEE TV. I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE NEXT SIX.
IS IT TRUE YOU’RE WATCHING IT
WITH THE REST OF US, YOU HAVEN’T
SEEN THE EPISODES?
>> THAT’S TRUE.
THAT’S TRUE.
THAT’S TRUE. PART OF IT WAS ON PURPOSE, THE
OTHER KIND OF GOT LOST IN
TRANSLATION.
TRANSLATION. I WOULDN’T HAVE IT ANY OTHER
WAY, WATCHING IT LIVE AND SEEING
THE REACTION OF THE WHOLE WORLD
REALLY HAS BEEN AMAZING.
I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT ELSE IS
TO COME.
TO COME. >> JEFFREY, WHAT HAS STOOD OUT
TO YOU MOST IN THE FIRST FOUR?
>> I MEAN, THE RELATIONSHIPS.
THERE ARE SO MANY STORIES ABOUT
THE DENNIS AND M.J. STORY, ABOUT
THE VACATION, SO MANY STORIES
ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE
PLAYERS AS WELL AS HOW PHIL
BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.
THAT’S REALLY BEEN NEW FOR ME TO
HEAR AND COOL TO SEE.
>> MARCUS, WHAT ABOUT YOU, YOUR
MEMORIES FROM THIS TIME.
HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN THIS WAS
ALL GOING DOWN AND WHAT DO YOU
RECALL?
RECALL? >> YEAH, SURE.
I WAS BORN CHRISTMAS EVE 1990.
SO I LIKE TO THINK I WAS THE
GOOD LUCK THAT STARTED THE
CHAMPIONSHIP RUN IN THE ’90s.
I’M NOT AS PATIENT AS JEFF.
I’VE TALKED TO JASON, THE
DIRECTOR, AND I’VE NAGGED MY DAD
A COUPLE OF TIMES TO GET SOME OF
THE EPISODES EARLY.
SO I’M REALLY JUST LOVING HOW
THE RECEPTION OF IT IS AND
EVERYBODY DEBATING WHO IS THE
GREATEST OF ALL TIME.
I’M PRETTY SURE THIS DOCUMENTARY
KIND OF ENDS ALL THAT.
>> HAVE YOU SEEN THE LAST
EPISODE?
EPISODE? HAVE YOU SEEN THE END?
>> I’VE SEEN ONE THROUGH NINE.
I HAVEN’T SEEN TEN.
LAST TIME I TALKED TO JASON, HE
TOLD ME THEY WERE STILL HOLED UP
IN THEIR PARENT EDITING UNDER
QUARANTINE.
QUARANTINE. I SAW UP THROUGH NINE AND WE
HAVE A CAMEO THERE ALSO.
>>> JASMINE, YOUR FATHER, OF
COURSE, ONE OF THE MOST
RECOGNIZABLE PEOPLE ON THE
PLANET.
PLANET. AS A LITTLE GIRL, WHEN DID YOU
REALIZE MICHAEL JORDAN WAS
MICHAEL JORDAN?
MICHAEL JORDAN? >> IT TOOK A WHILE.
I THINK I WAS LIKE 10, 11 YEARS
OLD WHEN I FINALLY JUST GOOGLED
HIM AND WAS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND
WHY EVERYONE WAS SO OBSESSED,
WHY EVERYONE DIDN’T THINK HE HAD
A REGULAR JOB LIKE I DID.
IT TOOK A MINUTE.
I GOOGLED HIM AND IT WAS LIKE,
OKAY, NOW I GET IT.
>> BEFORE THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW?
YOU HAD TO GOOGLE DAD?
>> I HAD TO GOOGLE HIM.
BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY
BETWEEN HIM AND MY MOM, THEY
MADE SURE WE GREW UP NORMAL AND
DIDN’T VIEW HIM ANY DIFFERENTLY.
HE’S BEEN DAD FOR 27 YEARS.
EVEN AT THAT TIME HE WAS JUST
DAD.
DAD. I DIDN’T REALIZE HE WAS M.J.
UNTIL PRETEENS AND MY EARLY
YOUTH.
YOUTH. IT WAS SHOCKING.
>> JASMINE, AS YOU WATCHED THIS
OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS, HAVE
YOU SEEN A SIDE OF YOUR FATHER
THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW EXISTED?
>> YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS KNEW HE
WAS COMPETITIVE, I MEAN, HE
COMPETES WITH US PLAYING SUDOKU
OR LITTLE PUZZLES AT HOME BUT
SEEING THAT IN HIM AND WHAT HE
HAD TO DO, IT’S BEEN INCREDIBLE
TO WATCH.
TO WATCH. >> JEFFREY, WHAT WAS CHILDHOOD
LIKE, WHEN YOU GROW UP THE SON
OF MICHAEL JORDAN?
WHAT IS THAT LIKE?
>> YEAH, I THINK I WAS PROBABLY
MORE AWARE OF IT EARLY ON
BECAUSE OF BEING THE FIRST AND
HAVING A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS
WITH FRIENDS.
WITH FRIENDS. I WAS OBVIOUSLY INTO SPORTS AND
DOING A LOT OF ATHLETICS.
MORE THAN ANYTHING JUST TRYING
TO STAY ACTIVE AND STAY AS
SOCIAL AS POSSIBLE.
IT FELT PRETTY NORMAL TO
PIGGYBACK OFF OF WHAT MARCUS AND
JASMINE SAID, WE KNEW WE WERE
BLESSED.
BLESSED. WE KNEW WE HAD A GREAT
OPPORTUNITY TO GET AN EDUCATION
AND GROW UP IN A GREAT
SITUATION, BUT I THINK FOR US
GROWING UP, OUR PARENTS, AS JAS
SAID, THEY WANTED TO MAKE IT AS
NORMAL AS POSSIBLE AND MAKE SURE
WE’RE AS ACTIVITY AND SOCIAL AS
A NORMAL KID WOULD BE.
>> MARCUS, YOU AND JEFFREY BOTH
PLAYED BASKETBALL IN COLLEGE.
WHAT WERE THOSE ONE-ON-ONE GAMES
LIKE WITH DAD, MARCUS, GROWING
UP?
UP? WOULD HE TREAT YOU TWO THE SAME
WAY HE WOULD TREAT ISIAH THOMAS,
OR WOULD HE GO A LITTLE LIGHTER
THAN YOU TWO?
>> HE WOULD TREAT US EXACTLY THE
SAME WAY AS ANY OTHER BASKETBALL
PLAYER PLAYING.
PLAYER PLAYING. THERE’S ACTUALLY A STORY I HAVE
FROM WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER AND
PLAYING ONE-ON-ONE ON ONE
AGAINST MY DAD.
WHOEVER SCORES GETS TO KEEP IT.
THE GAME GOT SO COMPETITIVE TO
THE POINT I LIKE I LITERALLY HAD
TO GO CALL MY MOM.
I WAS LIKE, DAD IS PICKING ON
ME.
ME. HE WAS YOUNG.
I WAS A FRESHMAN IN HIGH SCHOOL.
IT GOES TO SHOW WE’RE ALL
COMPETITIVE AND WE WANTED TO
WIN.
WIN. THERE WAS NOTHING GIVEN.
YOU HAD TO EARN EVERYTHING FOR
SURE.
SURE. >> JASMINE, WE’RE ALL STAYING
BUSY IN QUARANTINE.
YOU HAVE A LITTLE ONE.
I HAD A CHANCE TO MEET YOUR
LITTLE BOY A FEW MONTHS AGO.
HE TURNS ONE NEXT WEEK.
HOW ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO
CELEBRATE IN QUARANTINE?
>> WE’RE GOING TO HAVE JUST A
QUARANTINE GATHERING, JUST
MYSELF AND MY FIANCEE AND HIM
AND WE’RE GOING TO HAVE BALLOONS
EVERYWHERE.
EVERYWHERE. I’M GOING TO MAKE BIRTHDAY CAKE.
IT WILL BE THE FIRST TIME I’VE
BAKED, SO WE’LL SEE HOW THAT
GOES.
GOES. IT’S GOING TO BE EXCITING.
WE’RE BLESSED AND FORTUNATE WE
GET TO SPEND IT TOGETHER UNDER
CRAZY CIRCUMSTANCES.
CRAZY CIRCUMSTANCES. WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING
TOGETHER AS A FAMILY.
>> ARE THE WEDDING PLANS STILL
ON TRACK FOR THE FULL?
>> WEDDING PLANS ARE STILL ON
TRACK.
TRACK. WE’RE WURKPUSHING FORWARD.
FINGERS CROSSED WE KEEP IT
GOING.
GOING. >> JEFFREY, BEFORE I LET YOU
GUYS GO, IN TERMS OF LIFE
LESSONS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
LIFE LESSONS MICHAEL JORDAN
IMPRESSED ON YOU KIDS.
I’LL START WITH YOU.
>> FIRST AND FOREMOST, WHAT YOU
WANT TO DO, WHEN WE DECIDED TO
PLAY BASKETBALL, FIRST THING HE
SAID WAS MAKE IT FUN.
HE BARELY GAVE US ADVICE OR
TRIED TO MAKE IT SERIOUS EARLY
ON.
ON. DEFINITELY ENJOYING WHETHER IT’S
WORK, BEING AT HOME, FAMILY
TIME, WHATEVER IT IS YOU DO
ENJOY IT AND LOVE IT BECAUSE
LIFE IS SHORT AND YOU WANT TO
MAKE THE BEST OF IT.
>> MARCUS?
>> MARCUS? >> FOR ME, YOU KNOW, I’M TRYING
TO NAVIGATE MY BUSINESS WITH
TROPHY ROOM.
TROPHY ROOM. ONE OF THE THINGS I’VE TAKEN
FROM MY DAD, DON’T BE AFRAID TO
ASK QUESTIONS.
ASK QUESTIONS. IT’S SOMETHING THAT’S NEW FOR ME
AND SOMETHING THAT I WAS HAVING
CHALLENGES EARLY ON WITH.
HIS THOUGHTS WERE, YOU KNOW, AS
LONG AS YOU ASK ENOUGH QUESTIONS
TO FIGURE IT OUT AND NAVIGATE IT
YOURSELF, YOU’LL BE FINE.
>> JASMINE, I’LL END WITH YOU.
WHAT HAS DAD TAUGHT YOU?
>> HE’S REALLY TAUGHT ME JUST TO
BE AUTHENTIC AND TO BE MYSELF.
NO MATTER WHAT I DO AND WHAT WE
DO, JUST COMMIT TO IT.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHO WE
ARE IS TRULY OUR POWER, THAT’S
OUR GIFT.
OUR GIFT. NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM
US.
US. ALL WE CAN DO IS FOCUS ON WHAT
WE CONTROL AND WHAT WE NEED TO
DO TO REALLY JUST BE OURSELVES.
I LIVE BY THAT EVERY DAY.
>> JASMINE, THANK YOU.
MARCUS, THANK YOU.
JEFFREY, THANK YOU AS WELL.