By JONAS TERRADO
Filipino basketball fans were taken on a trip down memory lane Monday afternoon when the much-anticipated series about the 1998 Chicago Bulls became available on-demand.
The first two episodes of the 10-part series titled “The Last Dance” brought not only a deeper look about the Bulls team Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman led to the NBA title but also a sense of nostalgia.
“Very nostalgic. It felt like it happened recently,” said Ronnie Madrid, who is known in the local trading card community for having numerous Michael Jordan cards as part of his collection.
“It brought crystal clear memories where I was watching, who I was watching with, and how we reacted in awe with (Jordan’s) moves, and the effectiveness of the triangle offense,” he added.
Madrid was one of many who went out of their way to show their Jordan or Bulls-related items in anticipation of the series which came at the time when there’s a demand for fresh sports-related content in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Madrid spent the last few days posting his Jordan collection on Facebook, PBA star Paul Lee was dressed for the occasion.
Lee began the morning by sporting a pair of retro Jordan 14 Last Shot colorway. The said shoes were the ones Jordan wore when he scored off Utah Jazz forward Bryon Russell in the final seconds to seal the Bulls’ third straight crown.
The Magnolia guard later posted another picture as he was starting to watch the first episode in his couch, this time in a white Jordan 13 retro sneakers and a jacket given by a special someone.
“Suot ko ngayon yung first gift ni @rubiechualee (Lee’s wife Rubie) na Jordan jacket,” he said on his Instagram account.
The first two episodes revealed interesting tidbits about that season, from plans by Bulls management to break up the team, Pippen’s demand for a trade and a deeper dive about Jordan’s competitive nature.
