( CNN Radio Argentina ) - Estee Portnoy , Michael Jordan's manager and executive producer of “The Last Dance”, spoke on CNN's La Tarde that Juan Pablo Vasky leads on CNN Radio and affirmed that the former Chicago Bulls basketball player is very surprised by the success of the Netflix series.
“He is amazed at how the fans received the project. Many people wanted to know more about the history of the Chicago Bulls ”of the 90s. "He is really surprised, " he said.
Portnoy said that he has been working with Jordan for 23 years in different aspects of his life, be it in marketing, public relations, philanthropy, personal travel and his general agenda.
In an extensive telephone interview, he commented that "the material had been prepared for 22 years" since they had received permission from the NBA to do the filming, but they were "waiting for the right moment" to bring the series to life.
“Every few years we talked to Michael to do the project, but he was not ready. We talk to him many times, "he said. So, the plan came to fruition when they realized that the current new series format was the ideal one to carry out this documentary, with ten episodes that are very far from the formats of 20 years ago that lasted only 90 minutes.
And he said: " Michael liked the idea ."
The documentary and the pandemic
Portnoy said the project began to materialize "four years ago" when the director was hired and a partner (such as Nextflix) was obtained for the distribution system.
Finally, the pandemic accelerated the premiere since "it was originally planned for the NBA Finals in June." “But in quarantine many television signals ran out of sports content. The production process was not yet finished and had to be accelerated . That is why it began to be broadcast in April, ”he indicated.
"Michael Jordan was definitely committed " to the project, but "had no final control over the chapters. He let the director do his job but added comments when something was missing, "he said.
In addition, he commented that the ex-basketball player is a person who likes his private life, but "recognizes that fans want to know more about the true history" of the Bulls in the 90s. “I was worried at first, especially if you don't have the full story. Finally, people knew their passion to win, "he emphasized.
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"A special moment"
For Portnoy , the most emotional part of the documentary occurred at the end of the ninth episode when Jordan speaks precisely about his passion for victory. " It is a special moment ," he said, although he also highlighted the shock at the death of his father and the story of his bodyguard.
"Chapter nine was very powerful for many people," he said.
In another section of the interview, the former basketball player's maganer said she did not know the origin of Michael Jordan's "red eyes" that caused so much controversy in the world. "I don't know, I think it was an allergic reaction or maybe he was tired," he explained.
He's amazing as a boss, he's loyal, he pushed me to do my best and I owe him a lot
He also said that Jordan participated in three interviews in the documentary that lasted five, four and three hours, respectively. "He is incredible as a boss, he is loyal, he pushed me to do my best and I owe him a lot," he confided.
Portnoy said that she is known as " the lady no " because she is in charge of acting as a filter on arrival at Michael Jordan and noted that, on the other hand, her boss "is competitive on the court, but outside he is friendly, patient, fun and smart . "
Finally, he said that Jordan "had not seen the whole series" since "the last chapters were produced in a very short time. He was very overwhelmed by everything the series has generated , but he loves that many families have seen the documentary. We love when the boys "who did not see him play" discover the history "of this great legend of American sport, he concluded.
