In 1997, when he was approved to shadow the Chicago Bulls with a camera for Michael Jordan’s final season, Andy Thompson knew he’d have enough material to help make one of the best documentaries in the history of sports.
What he didn’t know was that it would take more than two decades for the public to see his footage. Thompson, the uncle of Warriors guard Klay Thompson, appeared on The Chronicle’s “Warriors Off Court” podcast recently to discuss his involvement in “The Last Dance” docuseries, his opinion on where those 1990s Bulls rank among modern NBA dynasties and much more. Here are some highlights of the conversation:
What has this experience been like the past couple of weeks seeing the type of response this has gotten?
“It’s been overwhelming, to tell you the truth. Nobody ever thought it would be this big of a reception from an American audience, and just how big the response has been. We knew when we shot it and the way Michael ended that ’98 season, with that steal and that shot, that we had the holy grail of sports documentaries in the can. But no one could predict that it would take 20 years, multiple interviews and multiple cuts, and that it would end up being what it is.
“Initially, we thought we were going to get this out within two to three years. And if we had done that, it would’ve probably been a traditional doc, which, normally at that time would’ve been between 90 minutes and two hours. But to see what (producer) Mike Tollin and (director) Jason Hehir were able to do, to take what we shot 20 years ago, use that as a narrative, go back and tell all the great stories of all these guys and pretty much give them their due over 10 episodes, it’s just unbelievable.
“I am so thankful that we didn’t get our way back in 2000 or 1998. It got even better because the passage of time has made everyone be a little more nostalgic and be more truthful and be more reflective. It’s the right documentary at the right time.”
Where were you at in your life during that ’97-98 season, and what made you want to do this?
“I really started loving documentaries in 1992, after I was chosen by NBA Entertainment. I was a producer at that time, a young producer, and I was chosen to document the Dream Team. So, for seven weeks, I was embedded with the Dream Team on airplanes, buses and practices — all over the place. ...
“Once the Dream Team thing ended, I started watching more documentaries. I really became fascinated by it. I just loved the whole storytelling aspect of documentaries, but there wasn’t any opportunity at that time in the NBA to do this type of shooting. As the Bulls began to rise in popularity and Michael Jordan’s status and stardom took off to another level, it became clear: If we’re going to use this type of embedding with a team, this is the perfect team and this is the perfect player to do it with.
“It was just the right time of when Adam Silver became the president of NBA Entertainment in the summer of 1997. The Bulls are threatening to be broken up, and I convince Adam, ‘Hey, if the Bulls come back one more year, you’ve got to allow me to have a camera crew embedded with the team, just follow them for an entire year and just capture Michael’s last year, the Bulls’ last year. This is the greatest team in NBA history, and we have to do this.’ He thought it was a great idea. Thank God, Adam loved the idea and greenlit it.”
When you’re embedded with a team like that, I’m sure there’s a kind of balancing act that goes on. You want to have the trust of the players and you don’t want to make them uncomfortable, but you also want to do the story justice. What was that process like for you?
“It’s like walking on eggshells, right? Because this is unprecedented. This is unprecedented on many levels because you’re spending days and weeks with a team, everywhere. They really didn’t know us personally, and we really didn’t know them personally. ...
You’re just constantly worried about not doing something that gets you kicked out of a practice or gets you kicked out of a team meeting. It was a lot of nerve-racking days of trying to feel them out, and of them trying to feel us out — until, finally, they get to know you and you get to know them.”
Watching Episodes 3 and 4, one of the things that amazed me was that you had access to Dennis Rodman in Las Vegas. You were actually a fly on the wall during those escapes, at least part of them. What was that experience like, just following around Dennis in his element away from the court?
“It was interesting. You can only imagine. You’ve got to be a fly on the wall because you’re in clubs, bars and restaurants. Any restaurant’s not going to let you spend hours in there. So, you’ve got to go in at the right time, get your shots and know when to back out. Do we follow on this particular trip or do we not? Do we ask or do we just follow? Once again, it was interesting trying to keep up with Dennis. But we were in the right places at the right time, and I’m glad we were.”
Being around the team every day, I’m sure you got a really good pulse on the locker-room dynamics. What did you see Steve Kerr’s role being off the court and in that locker room?
“I always say Steve was probably one of the most grounded people I ever met. Not only on the Bulls, but just in the NBA. Steve understood his position in society. He’s a regular guy. And also, he understood that he was part of a team. He wasn’t the alpha male. He wasn’t the lead dog. But, he was a perfect complementary teammate who knew his role and was just happy to do it.”
After Episode 4 came out last Sunday, Klay posted a video talking about when he got the autograph from Michael that season. Do you remember that night, when your brother, Mychal, took his sons to the locker room and they got those autographs?
“I sure do. I was the person who actually shot that. I had my 16-millimeter camera, which was a little Bolex camera. I remember my brother was waiting and waiting for Michael to come out. Michael always takes a long time to come out, and I definitely wanted to capture that on film. I remember shooting it. Here’s the thing: I remember shooting it, then 20 years go by and they’re making the film. One of our archivists says, ‘Hey, do you remember this shot?’ I go, ‘Oh, man, I forgot that I even shot it.’ It was really a surprise when I saw it after 20 years and, of course, when Klay and Michael saw it, it freaked them out.”
Young @KlayThompson met Michael Jordan during one of his final years in Chicago!
The Last Dance continues tonight at 9:00 PM ET on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/L2GpdHLIdn
— NBA (@NBA) April 26, 2020
When people discuss the best modern NBA dynasty, everyone talks about the Showtime Lakers, the Jordan Bulls and now people are starting to talk about these Warriors. You probably have a better vantage point for that discussion than anyone because your brother, Mychal, was on the Showtime Lakers. Your nephew, Klay, was on the Warriors, and then you were behind the scenes with those Bulls. Where do you stand in that argument?
“In terms of popularity, the Jordan Bulls are in another stratosphere. The fandom around them was just crazy. I mean, they packed 62,000 people in the Georgia Dome to watch Michael’s last game. There would be 2,000 people lined up outside of the hotel just to watch Michael walk from the hotel to the bus. That never happened with the Lakers, because I was there with my brother from time to time on road trips with him. Same thing with the Warriors. I’ve been following the Warriors for five years, and it’s nothing close to that. So, in terms of fans and the crazy Beatle mania, nothing compares. When it comes to the franchises and what they’ve done as a dynasty, the Lakers and the Bulls are neck and neck. Each one has iconic, incredibly gifted players. It really depends on if you like purple or if you like red.”
Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @Con_Chron
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