Karl Malone declined to be involved in "The Last Dance" documentary. © Nicolas Galindo/The News-Star, Monroe News Star via Imagn Content Services, LLC

'The Last Dance' director reveals Karl Malone, Byron Russell declined to appear in documentary

By Blake Harper | Last updated 5/19/20

One of the best parts of "The Last Dance" is how many different opponents of Michael Jordan appeared to give their perspective on Jordan's career, with Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, Isaiah Thomas and many more speaking about their friendly and not-so-friendly battles with the Chicago Bulls legend. But not everyone was willing to add to the Jordan mythos.

Jason Hehir, the director of the 10-part docuseries, appeared on "The Dan Patrick Show" and revealed two members of the Utah Jazz who declined invitations to participate in "The Last Dance": Karl Malone and Byron Russell. According to Heir, they tried to get Malone to agree to appear multiple times but they could never get him onboard.

"He declined through another party," Hehir explained. "We asked him multiple times. Believe me, we exhausted just about every avenue. We started in January 2018 with that one because we knew he was gonna be a tough sell."

It's hardly surprising that Malone turned down the offer, as the documentary was less than flattering in their depiction of Malone. Jordan admits a huge part of his motivation heading into the 97 Finals was that he felt he deserved the MVP over Malone, who won his first of two MVPs that season.

As for Russell, his refusal to appear on "The Last Dance" likely has to do with the fact that he was the player guarding Jordan when he hit the game-winning shot in game 6 of the 1998 Finals, sealing Jordan's sixth ring. Hehir did not seem surprised that he did not want to appear, given his role in the story.

"That was just a no response," Hehir explained to Patrick. "Out of respect for Bryon, I think he knew the questions we were going to ask and maybe he didn’t want to go there."

More must-reads: