Magic Johnson Explains How Michael Jordan’s ‘The Last Dance’ Inspired His New Documentary Series

Los Angeles, March 13 (IANS): Presenting his new documentary series ‘They Call Me Magic’ at the South by Southwest Film Festival, former National Basketball Association (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson shared that the Netflix documentary series Michael Jordan’s ‘The Last Dance’ helped him decide it was finally time to tell his own life story.

“The reason we did it was when Michael was doing ‘The Last Dance,’ my phone started ringing,” the former Los Angeles Laker said in a post-screening chat.

“They said, ‘When are you dating yours?’ And we have great investors, great partners, great producers, and they’ve really taken it to another level.”

At the same time, Johnson wanted to make sure “They Call Me Magic” would take a different approach to Jordan’s series, variety.com reports.

“(My family) said, ‘What’s going to be different about you and the Michael Jordan (documentaries)?'” he continued.

“And you can see that. Michael – who I love, he’s my dear friend – but (‘The Last Dance’) was driven by his great accomplishments on the basketball court. (In ‘They Call Me Magic’ ,) you’re seeing my family, my friends, everyone involved. You’re going to see each episode be a different journey in my life. That’s what makes me proud.”

Jordan appears in the first episode of “They Call Me Magic”, saying, “Everyone wants to credit Michael Jordan for changing the NBA, but when Magic Johnson came along, that’s when the game changed.” Johnson , who hadn’t watched “They Call Me Magic” before the premiere, was moved.

“I was up there laughing and almost crying at the same time, hearing my family talking, hearing Larry Bird, and when Michael said what he said, it was really amazing” , did he declare. “We had never heard that from Michael, for him to say everyone thought he changed the league but I was a big part of that.”

Johnson also took the time to discuss his business collaborations with other athletes.

“I was able to mentor Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) and even Kobe (Bryant) before he passed. Blessings to you, Kobe,” he said, pausing to look up.

“And Dwyane Wade and Grant Hill, a lot of football players. Anyone who wants to start their own business as an athlete, they call me. I try to help them achieve that goal.”

All four parts of “They Call Me Magic” debut on Apple TV Plus on April 22.