Last Dance viewers left ‘emotional’ as Kobe Bryant raves about ‘big brother’ Michael Jordan

Archive footage shows Jordan tell Bryant ‘I’ll see you down the road’ after first match together

Viewers of Netflix documentary series The Last Dance were left feeling emotional following Kobe Bryant‘s posthumous appearance.

The fifth episode was a tribute to Bryant, who filmed scenes for the show weeks before he died in a helicopter crash in January.

In his Last Dance scenes, Bryant told filmmakers how Michael Jordan inspired his own NBA career and described the Chicago Bulls star as being “like a big brother”.

This is accompanied by archive footage of Jordan discussing how impressed he is by Jordan’s basketball playing skills with his fellow team members at an NBA All-Star game, which took place in Madison Square Garden, New York in 1998.

Many of Bryant’s fans found the episode tough to watch.

Senior NBA producer Rob Perez pointed out: “When that locker room scene was filmed, Kobe had only been in the league for 1.5 years and the ENTIRE EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR TEAM was already telling stories about playing against him.”

Bryant died in the crash in Calabasas, California, on 26 January along with with seven other passengers, including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, who would have turned 14 on 1 May.

Jordan paid tribute to the sportsman at his memorial service in Staples Centre in February.

In his Last Dance scenes, Bryant said “I grew up watching Michael on TV, and now you got a chance to go face-to-face with him,” he said of playing against Jordan for the first time in 1998.

“You get a chance to really see and, like, touch and feel his strength, speed, quickness. It was fun to be out there.

After Jordan’s team beats Bryant’s, he is seen embracing the LA Lakers player, saying: “I’ll see you down the road.”

In the episode, which is dedicated to the NBA star, Bryant says that Jordan “provided a lot of guidance” for him at the beginning of his career.

“Like, I had a question about shooting this turnaround shot, so I asked him about it, and, you know, he gave me a great detailed answer,” he continued. “But on top of that, he said, ‘If you ever need anything, give me a call.’”