Episode 7 of “The Last Dance” featured Michael Jordan in perhaps the most vulnerable state he has been throughout the series. The Chicago Bulls legend fought back the tears as he talked about his leadership style and how it affected his relationship with his teammates.
Jordan's extreme competitiveness has been one of the focal points of the docuseries, and the same trickled down to his teammates with the Bulls. The Hall of Famer himself mentioned the term “tyrant” as a word that some have used to describe him, which is perhaps why he got emotional when trying to explain his side.
The end of Episode 7 … WOW.#TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/N3c5lN0mLI
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 11, 2020
Michael Jordan was on the brink of crying when he asked the film crew to take a break. Obviously, the discussion was too much for him from a emotional standpoint that he had to take a quick breather.
This shows the softer side of Michael. We know him as the single-minded competitor who had nothing else on his mind other than the ultimate goal: to win at all costs. However, as made evident by the clip above, Jordan is a person too. Like us, he is affected by criticism, especially when it comes to things or people that he holds dear to his heart.
Despite being extremely hard on his teammates, it is clear that Jordan has so much love for them. As they say, he showed them tough love, but there's no denying that it was still love nonetheless. This is perhaps the very reason why he gets emotional when people misconstrue his affection for a careless disregard for his teammates.