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  • three time NBA champion Bill Wennington.

  • Joining us now on SportsCenter to help us get ready for the last dance.

  • A 10 part series remarrying tonight, focusing on the Bulls sixth and final championship season of the Michael Jordan era.

  • Bill.

  • Good to have you.

  • I'm digging your beard.

  • How much longer you go?

  • Let it go, J.

  • It's I started actually in November.

  • No shave November, and it just kept it through it.

  • Normally, this time I shave it off, but with the quarantine and stuck it.

  • Stay at home.

  • Kobe 19.

  • Beard is here for a while.

  • Looks good.

  • Did let it go.

  • It looks good, but what stands out to you the most when you look back on that 97 98 season, the chemistry of that team and how everyone got along and you're going to see tonight in the documentary that it was competitive and everyone was competitive, especially Michael, pushing everyone to be better.

  • But as a team, that's one of the best team chemistries that I've been on, a rate that with the ST John's team I was on it and back in college.

  • But every single guy like everyone, we all got along well and really, that helped us play a lot better.

  • Normally, there's a There's a lot of privacy on the bench in the locker room, everywhere.

  • What was it like having the camera crew around?

  • Well, the first couple of weeks, it was different.

  • But then they become part of the furniture there and you just deal with it and they were there and they're all great guys.

  • They respected us and respected our privacy.

  • For the most part, you're going to see some scenes that you're gonna be a practice a couple of times.

  • He tried to follow guys into the restroom, but that was stopped quickly.

  • But you get used to.

  • You've been in Chicago for four years entering that season.

  • How would you compare that season to the previous four?

  • Well, the 1st 2 when Michael first retired were there was a lot of attention, but not as much.

  • And then the 72 10 year things started to pick up a lot again.

  • Then obviously you won two championships in a row.

  • Everyone's there, but that final season and being the last dance.

  • And I think a lot of people kind of figured it out that it was going to be the last time that that team was together.

  • It has been stated, so the attention just really grew.

  • It was ridiculously crazy with fans coming out two games meeting that busted the hotels at three o'clock in the morning.

  • We'd have hundreds, if not 1000 people out at three o'clock in the morning at one time.

  • And then for what you saw, People run into their cars to grab their kids on a Wednesday night at three o'clock in the morning and bring their kids out.

  • It's a school night, and it's just it was just amazing to see that That's crazy.

  • You guys are rock stars.

  • They had that they had.

  • They had to see you.

  • Uh, I don't take us inside for a second.

  • What was the biggest difference in a Bulls practice with Michael Jordan and without Michael Jordan?

  • Well, our Scotty did a good job the two years Michael wasn't there, keeping it competitive, but it was raised up to a whole different level when Michael came out.

  • And you could tell when Phil wanted a really good practice because he put Michael or Scotty with the bench team and we'd scrimmage and and those two could goat each other.

  • And I don't want to say neutralize each other, but definitely having one of them on the bed squad health trust tremendously.

  • But you could tell.

  • And it was competitive, because after practice, we'd all be in the training room getting our treatment icing and talking about who got burned, who made shots.

  • And it was challenging and very and very competitive.

  • It was a lot of fun.

  • I could imagine.

  • What's your best on court or off court?

  • MJ story.

  • Okay, well, one was early on in practice.

  • One day, I had blocked his shot in, uh, in a three ounce Redrow within 3 to 2 on three drill and I blocked it early in the rest of practice.

  • He made a point to come by me, jump into me and challenged me to block his shot both physically and verbally.

  • And I won't repeat the exact words, but it made for a very interesting.

  • But you had to step up and challenge that.

  • That's what Michael was gonna do is gonna challenge you will find a way to challenge himself every day.

  • Indeed, Bill Wennington before I let you go.

  • Who is that behind you?

  • Uh, Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year, and you want to call it how we ness my alter ego that Does he have a name?

  • He's just he's just just their fear.

  • Doesn't have any.

  • Does have more hair on his head, then Ideo Ah, very cool.

  • Hey, man, we really appreciate your time.

  • 13 year NBA vet three time champ Bill Wennington.

  • You stay safe.

  • Stay healthy.

  • You and your family.

  • Thank you so much for joining us.

  • Thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content.

  • Subscribe Teoh, ESPN, plus.

three time NBA champion Bill Wennington.

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