Why NBA legend Luc Longley thanks Netflix for excluding him from iconic documentary ‘The Last Dance’: ‘I wish my kids could see that’
- Luc Longley won three titles with the Bulls
- Aussie was snubbed in the Netflix docuseries
- Longley is now more popular than ever
It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since Luc Longley won his third consecutive championship with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, and the towering West Australian has never been more popular.
The first Australian to be drafted into an American NBA team was sensationally left out of Netflix hit The Last Dance which chronicled the conquering team’s success – and Longley now sees that as a good thing.
Australian fans who had been waiting for insight into Jordan’s relationship with Longley, a key member of the Bulls’ championship-winning squads in 1996, 1997 and 1998, were left deeply disappointed when the show was released in 2020.
The seven-foot-tall center of Fremantle’s notable absence from the show led to local backlash and a two-part ABC documentary about Longley that has now been seen by millions of viewers.
Longley, whose iconic Chicago Bulls No. 13 jersey is reissued by Mitchell and Ness this week, is proud of the renewed interest in his career.
Longley was a key member of the Bulls’ championship-winning squads in 1996, 1997 and 1998
‘That didn’t happen – they were all Jordan, [Scott] Pippen and [Dennis] Rodman [jerseys]– there were Longley jerseys but never a display or showcase like this,’ Longley told the Herald from the launch on Saturday.
“I wish my kids could see that.
“When we were in the middle of that, it was just part of the landscape of being a bull. I didn’t take it for granted, but I didn’t feel the same level of pride in it as I do now for some reason.
‘Thank you for leaving me out of the Netflix doco because this wouldn’t have happened if they put me in it.
“There was all the talk around it and then the Australian story got some interest and all of a sudden we have Longley shirts – it’s crazy how the world turns, isn’t it? “
Longley says he’s been shut down by NBA fans more than ever since the Netflix saga.
“Much more – my walking experience is completely different because I’ll go get my bags off the carousel or whatever and it’s selfies with people because they saw me with my beard and the extra pounds,” Longley said. .
Longley is now grateful that the hit Netflix series The Last Dance left him out, as it sparked new interest in his career.
Longley’s iconic Chicago Bulls No. 13 jersey is reissued by Mitchell and Ness this week
“I don’t know what you call it. A midlife revival? It’s just cool this time and we remember my contribution.
Jordan has since said Longley should have been in the acclaimed documentary.
The producers of Last Dance have previously explained that it was too expensive to send a team to Longley’s home on the south coast of Western Australia to interview him.
Despite this, Longley said he has a theory as to why he wasn’t featured more in the acclaimed production.
“The self-deprecating Aussie in me thinks it’s because I’m not that exciting,” he said. “I was playing a huge role but it wasn’t the one that was so sexy.
“There were so many beautiful, bright, shining stars to focus on, that, you know, it makes sense to me that this story isn’t about me.”
Today, Longley, 54, is a special assistant for the Sydney Kings in the Australian NBL and also helps the Australian national team, the Boomers.
Away from basketball, he lives with his wife on a property 400 kilometers south of Perth in Denmark. Both have two children from previous marriages.
