Michael Jordan says 1997-98 Chicago Bulls season was 'a trying year'

Jordan also explained that Jerry Krause, then general manager of the Bulls, told head coach Phil Jackson that the marriage between Jackson and the Bulls was over even if Jackson guided the club to a perfect regular-season record of 82-0. 

The Bulls won an Eastern-Conference high 62 regular-season contests that season and defeated the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals. Chicago hasn't returned to the Finals since that spring. 

"So Phil started off the year saying, 'This is the last dance,' and we played it that way," Jordan told Roberts. "Mentally, it just kind of tugged at you through the course of the year, knowing that this had to come to an end. But it also centered our focus to make sure we ended it right."

Originally, "The Last Dance" was set to debut on ESPN in June, but the company moved the first episode up to April 19 after the coronavirus pandemic caused the bulk of the professional sports world to shut down. On March 31, ESPN released a statement about that decision: 

"As society navigates this time without live sports, viewers are still looking to the sports world to escape and enjoy a collective experience. 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. This project celebrates one of the greatest players and dynasties ever, and we hope it can serve as a unifying entertainment experience to fill the role that sports often play in our lives, telling a story that will captivate everyone, not just sports fans."

ESPN spoke with over 100 people, including those who played for the Bulls and others who followed the team, while making the docuseries.