THE LAST DANCE, ESPN's hit series, has become a global sensation - the Game of Thrones for sport film fans.
The ten-part story about Michael Jordan and the golden generation of the Chicago Bulls broke all records, and its ratings are expected to grow even more once it is watched by those who patiently waited for all episodes to be released.
Radja loved the Last Dance; Jordan and his way of thinking remind him of himself
Dino Radja also loved the series, and Michael Jordan reminded him of himself in many ways.
"The Last Dance is fantastic. I enjoyed all episodes. I forced myself to wait until all episodes were out so I could watch them in peace. Once I realized I was near the end of the series, I started procrastinating to put off finishing it as much as possible. The series is amazing," Radja told us. Then, he noted that Jordan reminded him of himself in many ways:
"I know many will now say: 'Look at Radja, what an idiot, he compares himself to Jordan.' I'm not talking about our quality on the court, but about the way we understand sports and how we perceive it. In that regard, Jordan reminds me of Petrovic, Mirko Filipovic and myself. I watched the Last Dance with my wife, who was very interested in the story. Listening to Jordan, she would tell me that I had said the same words many times. She was surprised he was saying the same things I had been telling her for years. I already knew what kind of athlete he was, but now I hope everyone else understands it too."
Radja says he was impressed by Jordan's winning mentality and fanatical approach to basketball. He asked of his teammates the same thing he asked of himself – to give their best. Nothing more, nothing less. The legendary Croatian basketball player tells us how that aspect of Jordan reminds him of himself. Jordan is being accused of being rude to his teammates, but Radja understands him in that regard.
The legendary Alvertis initially hated Radja, but nowadays he worships him and thanks him for everything he has done for Greek basketball
"How many times have I cursed out a teammate who gave it less than 100 percent during training or a game? Stojko is one of my best friends, and I've got into a fight with him many times over my career because of that. I'll give you an example: Three weeks ago, for my birthday, I posted a picture on my Instagram in an Olympiacos jersey. Thousands of Greeks - both fans and journalists - contacted me. I gave a lot of interviews, and one of them was live. It was supposed to last 45 minutes, but it ended up with me answering questions from fans for almost two and a half hours. One of the questions was what I was most proud of in my career. I won a lot of titles in my life, and of course, I am proud of them, but the most important thing to me is perhaps one statement by Fragiskos Alvertis, the legend of Greek basketball, who was my teammate at Panathinaikos. We saw each other ten years ago, and he told me how horrified they were when I came to the club. I went on a rampage, threw bottles, and kicked the balls around when I thought they weren't giving it their all. They didn't consider it normal. In that conversation, he admitted to me that my attitude had completely changed the Greeks who, after that, had started winning both as a club and as a national team," Radja tells us, adding yet another example:
"I had a problem with Ilias Zoros, the coach at Olympiakos, because he was a young guy at the time, a year older than me, and he knew nothing about basketball. That's why we didn't part on the best of terms. I didn't interfere with his work, but I tried to help him. I didn't interfere with his tactics, but I used to yell at my teammates when I would see that they didn't care about basketball. Thirteen years later, we ran into each other in Thessaloniki at the farewell for Nikos Galis. The guy noticed me, burst into a sprint, jumped on me, hugged me, and said: 'You're the best player I've ever coached by far. I didn't know it then, but I know it today.' That statement was the greatest satisfaction of my career and my favorite recognition. Everyone knows about the titles, but this, the fact that with my attitude, I completely changed the minds of players who later went on to win trophies, is something special. Looking at Jordan, I totally see myself in him. Of course, he was a far better player, but if I had had the same rights in the NBA then as, say, Doncic today… At that time, not everyone from Europe was able to come to the NBA league like today. There were only a few of us, the best ones, and they were brutal towards us. They were eager to prove to us that the NBA is not for Europeans. The Last Dance showed what they were doing to Toni really well, how much they didn't like him. He still scored 20 points in the finals."
The Americans made sure the whole world knew what Pippen and Jordan were planning for Kukoc
For those who may not know this, Jordan and Pippen gave Kukoc a brutal welcome to the NBA League at the Games in Barcelona because he was a favorite of the GM Jerry Krause, who they didn't like. Krause was fascinated by the Split genius and tried his best to bring him to the Bulls. On the other hand, he refused to offer Pippen a new and improved contract, which is why the angry Bulls star decided to take revenge on Kukoc at the Olympics. Jordan, of course, supported him. We asked Radja whether the Croatian committee knew what Jordan and Pippen were planning for Kukoc before the first match of the group between Croatia and America.
"Of course we knew. Everyone knew it. They made sure everyone knew. That was all they talked about, that's how much they cared. However, we couldn't organize our game just for Toni to show his skills. We had to organize the game to match them as best as we could."
Everyone in Croatia has been whining for years that we don't have a playmaker. The Bulls didn't have one either, and they're still the greatest team of all time
Along with Magic Johnson and Frenchman Boris Diaw, Toni Kukoc is the only player in the history of the NBA league who started in all five positions, from playmaker to center. Radja used this to make a connection with the burning problem of the Croatian basketball - the lack of playmakers.
"The Bulls are the best team in basketball history, and they played with virtually no playmaker. Jordan, Pippen, and Kukoc could play in all three back positions. Kerr who, Harper who? And then people tell me that we can't achieve much because we have no playmakers. Can Saric get the ball to his teammates? He can. Can Bogdanovic? He can. What about Simon? We can organize the game without the playmaker. The best team of all time had no playmaker. I'm tired of these stupid excuses," Radja tells us.
A sentence that explains why Jordan is the greatest
After The Last Dance came out, some former players and reporters came forward, claiming that Jordan had made some things up. Horace Grant claimed Jordan had lied when he had said he had been the one disclosing information about the Bulls to reporters. Many people also criticized Jordan's violent behavior toward his teammates.
"I don't think Jordan made anything up, first and foremost because I've heard a lot of these stories from Toni, and I know what the truth is. I totally understand Jordan's behavior. Perhaps the most important sentence in the entire film is, 'True, I was hard on them, but I never asked my teammates to do something I haven't done myself.' In that sentence lies the secret of Michael Jordan's greatness. Well, that's me, that's why I said I see myself in him. I always wanted to be first and the best, and I asked the same of my teammates. As for Horace Grant, he should ask himself what he would have achieved in his career without Jordan if he thinks he's such a great player," Radja added.
How Radja grabbed a 216-centimeter-tall German giant by the neck and almost got into a fight with Stojko Vrankovic
Jordan was accused of being an obsessive gambler, as well as of being violent towards his teammates. He belittled them, insulted them, even beat them. He hit Steve Kerr and Will Perdue during training.
"A gambler? So what? Wasn't he spending his own money? Did he screw up his career, his family? No, he didn't. I admit I didn't beat anyone, but a couple of times it came close to that. Olympiakos was playing against Marousi when I almost beat Patrick Femerling. I was on the bench, and in one of his attacks, the referee did not call a foul. It doesn't matter if it was a foul or not, he didn't return to the defense, and he attacked the referee in the center instead. They missed on their counterattack, and the player Femerling was supposed to guard caught the ball and scored a basket. Piksi Subotic then asked for a timeout. I stayed silent. But when he started attacking Subotic and insulting him, I went into a rage. I ran towards him and grabbed him by the neck. Coincidentally, we were next to each other in the locker room that day. After the game I sat there, I didn't even take a shower, and I waited for him. He did not appear for a full two hours," Radja tells us and reveals that he almost physically clashed with Stojko Vranković:
"I also got into a serious conflict with Stojko. I think it was during preparations for the 1988 Seoul Games. Tall players played against the shorter ones during training, but the shorter ones weren't allowed to dribble the ball. Djordjevic scored one shot, then another, then a third one. I told Stojko off for not guarding Djordjevic, and then he started insulting me. Duda Ivkovic stormed in and attacked both of us. I got angry and went to the locker room. I was a 21-year-old kid then. Duda followed me and begged me to come back. So I can fully understand Jordan. That is why he is the greatest of all time with no competition," concludes this member of the basketball Hall of Fame.