The series features exclusive footage from a film crew with an all-access pass to the Bulls, and interviews of many NBA personalities, including Jordan's teammates (Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr) and then-Bulls head coach Phil Jackson.
The series was met with critical acclaim, with praise for its directing and editing, and also for the timing of the release - during the initial weeks of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic when viewers were struggling to find entertainment.
The series's creators were also accused of portraying multiple key players of that era in an unfairly negative fashion while being excessively deferential to Jordan.
We've heard the calls from fans asking us to move up the release date for this series, and we’re happy to announce that we’ve been able to accelerate the production schedule to do just that.
[23] Writing for Consequence of Sound, Robert Daniels gave The Last Dance a perfect score, calling the series "beautifully composed and edited together" and a "pulsating celebration of greatness.
"[24] Similarly, Alex Pattle of The Independent praised director Jason Hehir, writing that "Hehir's fear of being formulaic fosters a compelling freshness, and his ability to subtly segue between tones ensures Jordan's auras of magnetism and intensity are highlighted at the appropriate moments",[25] while Brian Lowry of CNN gave the series five stars out of five, saying that "it's a very, very deep dive, but for fans who will eat this stuff up, it hits all the right notes.
"[26] The Chicago Sun-Times's Richard Roeper gave the series three and a half stars out of four, writing that "while some might question whether even one of the great team sports dynasties of all time merits such a lengthy treatment, if anything each episode left me wanting more.
"[27] Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter gave the series a positive review, writing that "it's a tremendously engaging, ridiculously fun assemblage of spectacular basketball footage and reasonably introspective interviews with almost everybody you'd hope to hear from on the subject.
[33] Scottie Pippen was reportedly "wounded and disappointed" by his portrayal in the series, although he did not make any public remarks during the documentary's airing.
[41] Grant also explained on Bill Cartwright's podcast that he initially planned to decline the interview offer, as he was not a member of The Last Dance team.
However, after much persistence by the production crew, Grant finally "reluctantly" conceded to interview because he wanted to reminisce about his days as an NBA star.
He then said he took an outspoken stance about his disdain for the documentary because he wanted to defend his character and did not agree with the veracity of Jordan's version of events.
[45] Cartwright also explained in another interview that Jordan had been framing an inaccurate image to the public, and called his play-acting “silly.”[46] Craig Hodges, a member of the first two championship seasons with the Bulls, said he felt disappointed about not getting an opportunity to be interviewed for the documentary, and further criticized Jordan for discussing the team's use of cocaine during the 1980s, which was also another subject that was not related to The Last Dance season.
In 2021, an episode of Australian Story, titled The Last Dance ‘Missing Chapter’, was released with Longley's response, including interviews with ex-teammates such as Pippen and Jordan.
Those critics alleged that the reasoning behind Kerr's over-emphasis was linked to his recent success as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors.
Variety dubbed the show's performance a "consolation prize" for ESPN given the network's struggle to find live sports.