Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman were not close off-court, reveals The Last Dance director

A few days after the Dennis Rodman-focused episodes of Michael Jordan's documentary were released, The Last Dance director Jason Hehir revealed that while Rodman and Jordan worked great on the court, the two were not close off-court. Hehir was recently interviewed by CBS and ESPN, where he talked about the Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman relationship. He also cleared the Vegas story, stating that Jordan did not fly to Vegas to retrieve Rodman. 

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Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman were not close friends, says The Last Dance director

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While Hehir cleared up the Vegas story, he gave references from a future The Last Dance episode where the Chicago Bulls landed in Orlando. He said that when the team reached the hotel, Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman headed in opposite directions. Michael Jordan moved to go play golf with Ron Harper while Rodman went to Hooters to play other games, which Hehir stated that he will not specify since they don't use 'colourful' language. Hehir added that they were not 'golfing buddies' as they did not have the same off-court interests. However, their partnership worked 'beautifully' on the court. 

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Hehir recently appeared on ESPN’s Jalen & Jacoby Aftershow, where he cleared up the Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman Vegas story. As per Hehir, Jordan got Rodman from his apartment, which was opposite the United Center. Though Dennis Rodman was in Vegas for some time, he was looking for a 'staycation' after returning to Chicago. Rodman was allowed to take a mid-season vacation to Vegas during the 1997-98 season provided he returned after 48 hours.

As he took more time to return, Jordan personally brought him in for practice. Hehir added that off-camera, Jordan apparently said that he grabbed Rodman's nosering and took him out. He added that they should have 'been better at identifying to people' and that the six-time NBA champion did not get on a plane to bring Rodman back but only crossed the street to reach his 'flophouse' apartment. At the time, according to Hehir, Rodman's apartment only had a couch, a mattress and a TV.

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Reports also spoke about the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen relationship after The Last Dance aired. As Jordan was unhappy with Pippen missing the 1997-98 season's first half, the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen relationship off-court was also affected. However, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are reported to be closer than Jordan and Rodman as both of them used to spend time off-court and also played golf together.