​People were afraid of him. We were his teammates, and we were afraid of him, Jud Buechler recalled in The Last Dance, describing Michael Jordan’s aura as a force that extended beyond his dazzling moves and game-winning shots. On the floor, Jordan helped forge the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty, guiding the franchise to two three-peats and earning a legacy built on relentless pursuit of excellence. Yet behind the scenes, he was infamous for his hard-edged, “MJ” leadership style—an approach that demanded peak performance and often came with a heavy personal cost to his teammates. That duality—the ability to drive monumental success while cultivating a fearsome, punishing work ethic—was a central thread of The Last Dance, which chronicled the Bulls’ 1997-98 season.
But not everyone buys that Jordan’s approach translates into true leadership. Miami Dolphins legend Channing Crowder contends that while Jordan was unquestionably a great player, he did not embody great leadership. “No, I don’t think they’re great leaders,” Crowder said when asked about Jordan and Kobe Bryant. “When you talk about leadership, I don’t think they’re great leaders. I think they’re great players. I don’t think Jordan was a great leader. After watching The Last Dance, Jordan’s not a great leader.” The documentary deliberately presents a balanced portrait: Jordan’s extraordinary ability to drive winning and the personal toll exacted by his methods.
One of the most memorable facets of that portrayal is Jordan’s treatment of teammates, particularly his treatment of Scott Burrell. Throughout the series, Jordan is shown relentlessly taunting and belittling Burrell during practices and team activities, often humiliating him in front of the group and constantly testing his resolve. Another iconic moment from the documentary is the alleged incident in which Jordan punched Steve Kerr after Kerr confronted him in practice; Kerr has since described it as something he wasn’t proud of. Jordan, for his part, clung to a stark philosophy: he believed teammates needed to endure what he had endured to join the team and reach its heights.
“Winning has a price,” Jordan would say. “And leadership has a price. So I pulled people along when they didn’t want to be pulled. I challenged people when they didn’t want to be challenged. And I earned that right because [other] teammates came after me. They didn’t endure all the things that I endured. Once you joined the team, you lived at a certain standard that I played the game. And I wasn’t going to take anything less.” The idea was that the standards he set were non-negotiable, and any deviation from those standards would be met with a firm dose of accountability.
Kobe Bryant is another figure often weighed in when discussing leadership, and the comparison with Jordan is instructive because, like Jordan, Bryant’s leadership style proved extraordinarily effective yet deeply controversial. In the wake of Bryant’s career, Kobe’s approach was portrayed as rigorous, exacting, and sometimes brutal, yet undeniably compelling to many players who thrived under it.
The conversation around leadership extended even to players who had briefly crossed paths with these icons. Kobe’s former teammate, Kobe Clarkson, who has recently found championship success with the New York Knicks, has offered perspectives on how leadership styles can diverge at the highest levels. Clarkson—who played with both Bryant and LeBron James—framed the distinction as a matter of style. “Two different styles of leadership,” he observed. “LeBron is very encouraging, bringing everybody along, and Kobe is testing you, seeing what you’re going to give him. If he’s going to get at you, he’ll scream at you, he’ll cuss, he’ll do whatever it takes. He had his own way of leading guys as well. It’s two different sides. I’m just blessed to see.” This reflection underscores how leadership is not a one-size-fits-all proposition, even among players who share the stage and the pressure of the game’s highest levels.
Ultimately, The Last Dance offers a nuanced examination of Michael Jordan, presenting the case for why his uncompromising standards could propel a team to greatness while also highlighting the personal and interpersonal costs of that approach. It invites viewers to weigh the value of relentless pursuit and accountability against the toll such intensity can take on relationships, morale, and leadership credibility. The broader discourse—encompassing Jordan, Bryant, LeBron, and the players who have shared the floor with them—continues to explore what true leadership looks like in a culture that prizes championship glory as much as it does the sacrifice and resilience required to achieve it.