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Published 12:14 IST, May 13th 2020

Michael Jordan's 'vampire'-like training while filming Space Jam stunned Reggie Miller

The latest episodes of The Last Dance document Michael Jordan's incredible training routine while filming for Space Jam in 1995 after returning from baseball.

Reported by: Devika Pawar
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The latest episodes of The Last Dance document Michael Jordan's incredible training routine while filming for Space Jam in 1995. The Chicago Bulls legend had returned to the NBA after playing baseball and had lost the 1995 NBA championship to Orlando Magic. Jordan's body was that of a baseball player and he could not get back in shape before he returned to the NBA. 

Also read | Michael Jordan training: Steve Kerr not proud about infamous 1995 training scuffle with Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan training: Reggie Miller says Michael Jordan trained like a 'vampire'

Michael Jordan started shooting for the movie Space Jam in 1995. However, the six-time NBA champion wanted to train while he shot and asked Warner Bros to set up a training facility for him. The studio agreed and there was a 'Michael Dome' set up for his training. Jordan trained during his two-hour break and then practised with league's best players like Dennis Rodman and Reggie Miller. He worked on getting ready for the 1995-96 season while also analyzing his competition and figuring out how to beat them.

Also read | Michael Jordan training: Why did Michael Jordan punch Steve Kerr during the Bulls 1995 training camp?

Reggie Miller, who was invited to play with them, talked about the practice games while on The Last Dance. As per Miller, Jordan trained like a 'vampire' that summer. Jordan used to start his day at around six or seven in the morning, film the movie and train with NBA players in the evening. The games would go on till around 10:00 PM, after which he would start his weight training.

Miller added that he had no idea how Jordan filmed all day and then proceeded to play for three more hours. Jordan also spoke about his training, saying that it was 'hard' to reconstruct his whole body for basketball. He claimed that he had to play young players in order to get his 'talent back'. His trainer, Tim Grover also revealed how hard it was for Jordan to change his entire routine. However, Jordan and Bulls ended up bagging the 1996 NBA title while Space Jam became a box office hit. 

Also read | Michael Jordan Space Jam: Did Space Jam predict NBA suspension due to coronavirus outbreak way back in 1996?

Tim Grover on training Michael Jordan

Also read | Michael Jordan Space Jam: Space Jam cast character Swackhammer inspired by Jerry Krause? The Last Dance has fans wondering

Updated 12:14 IST, May 13th 2020

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