How to watch ‘The Last Dance,’ the much-buzzed-about Michael Jordan documentary

Final 2 episodes come out this coming Sunday

Chicago Bulls All-Star forward Michael Jordan (file photo). (Tom Berg, WireImage/Getty Images)

If you’re not watching “The Last Dance,” you need to be.

What else is there to talk about on Sunday nights?

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Admittedly, the ESPN/Netflix series is nearing the end of its run, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of time to tune in!

In this current era of all things streaming, you can start today -- if you have the proper sign-ins and apps, that is.

Let’s rewind really quickly before we talk about how you’ll watch.

“What is ‘The Last Dance,’” you ask?

If you’ve been living in a cave, the first episode premiered in mid-April. The docu-series wraps up this coming Sunday, with its final two episodes on deck for May 17.

The series chronicles the untold story of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty. Surely you’ve heard of Jordan, and likely know at least a little about his rise to greatness, but “The Last Dance” features tons of never-before-seen footage, as well as interviews with more than 100 people close to the team. It’s incredibly well-done, regardless of how you feel about MJ, the Bulls or even the NBA in general.

Jordan changed the sport. For many of us, he was an icon we grew up with.

We certainly haven’t been the only ones tuning in.

The series focuses especially on the final season (1997-98) in which the Bulls topped off their historic run with a second three-peat in eight years -- and let a camera crew follow along for the journey.

Whatever you’ve heard, it’s true. The series truly lives up to the hype, if you ask this writer.

Even LeBron James thinks so, it appears.

And even if you’re not into sports, there will be some names you’ll definitely recognize: Jordan himself, obviously, Dennis Rodman, Carmen Electra, Justin Timberlake, former President Barack Obama (who’s simply identified across the bottom of the screen as “former Chicago resident” in at least one episode), former President Bill Clinton, Spike Lee, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Kobe Bryant.

It might tug at your heartstrings to see Bryant -- footage from the ’90s and more currently.

Guys like Obama and Timberlake don’t play huge roles, but it’s still cool to hear them chime in about what a pair of Jordans really meant growing up (Justin will tell you), or Obama’s take on Jordan’s choice to steer clear of politics and black advocacy during his playing career.

So, if you need to catch up, here’s what you should know.

All 10 episodes will air, or have aired, on ESPN, if you have cable. Episodes debut two at a time.

If you have a cable log-in, you can check them out on ESPN.com or the ESPN App.

If you’re outside of the U.S., you can actually watch next-day on Netflix, according to published reports. The website Decider.com said it reached out to ESPN and received confirmation that “The Last Dance” will, in fact, premiere on Netflix here in the U.S. on Sunday, July 19.

But if that’s true, mid-July is still pretty far off.

ESPN recommends the following options for streaming:

  • AT&T TVNow
  • Hulu
  • Sling
  • VidGo
  • YouTube TV

It doesn’t appear these are free services, but maybe you could do a trial session and see if one of these helps fulfill your sports-watching needs -- you know, for the day we get live sporting events back into our lives, of course.

We’ll leave you with the age-old question ...


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