John Stockton explains his initial hesitance to be in "The Last Dance"

The basketball legend himself explains why he was initially hesitant to appear in ESPN's hit docu-series, The Last Dance.

© James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

The 2020 documentary "The Last Dance" was a highly acclaimed look at Michael Jordan's final season with the Chicago Bulls. While it was arguably one of the most interesting sports documentaries in recent memory, not all former players were eager to be featured in the series. John Stockton is one such example: he initially refused to participate, and it took a conversation with His Airness to clear things up and get the NBA's all-time assists leader on board.

No puff piece

Jordan's last two years in the NBA saw him take on the Western Conference powerhouse Utah Jazz in two straight finals. That meant battling the Jazz's heady and feisty point guard, John Stockton. It also meant that Stockton would be an ideal guy to talk to if you were making a documentary about Jordan's last dance.

Stockton, though, had his initial doubts, which he explained during an appearance on the DNP-CD Sports podcast.

"Anytime you get on a show of any kind, you take a chance. They’re asking for Michael Jordan, and I have great respect for Michael, Michael and I think we’re friends, at least from my part, we’re friends," Stockton said.

"And even with that in mind, when somebody from a show, they're trying to promote Michael, I don't just want to sit there and go, 'Michael, you're wonderful' even though I feel that way, he is. It just isn't my way."

No puff piece

Stockton was one of the league's ultimate competitors. Underneath that 6-foot-1 frame was a will to win unlike any other, and he wasn't too keen on becoming another sounding board for Jordan's greatness, especially when it came at the Jazz's expense. Fortunately, a conversation between the two greats cleared matters up enough for Stockton to give the green light on his appearance on the show.

"I asked him about it. I did kind of put my fist down and say, 'Look, no puff piece or anything like that.' And I think he countered with the same thing. He goes, 'We have no intention of making it a puff piece.' So I thought it was mutual, and it went well," Stockton said.