Kobe Bryant Shows His Impact, Helps Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance Scale Unbelievable Numbers

The makers of ‘The Last Dance’ paid a fitting tribute to the late Kobe Bryant by featuring him in the fifth episode. It was a great way of displaying Kobe and MJ’s relationship to the public, but little did the makers know about the colossal impact it would have on the viewers, especially the Lakers nation.

The 10-part docuseries featuring Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls is viewed by nearly 5.8 million people in the US. ‘The Last Dance’ has garnered 62% more views than ESPN’s previous leading series, “You Don’t Know Bo,” a documentary based on Bo Jackson, who played professionally in both the NFL and the MLB.

Episode 5 featuring Kobe Bryant is the most-watched so far

The director gave an emotional tribute to Kobe Bryant by dedicating the fifth episode to him. Unsurprisingly, it reached the eyes of millions. The episode features Kobe and MJ squaring off in what was the former’s first All-Star Game. 

MJ is shown in the locker room talking to his East teammates about the “little kid”. He could already see see Kobe’s hunger for the game, and even said that the latter would provoke him to play a little one-on-one. Gee, the mentality of Kobe was insane. It is superlative. The determination he had to prove himself against his idol, damn.

There are even bits of Kobe’s interview that make us tear up. Knowing he is no more is unacceptable. The Mamba dismissed the illogical ‘MJ vs Kobe’ one-on-one claims in the interview, which reinforced their brotherhood. He mentioned how ‘His Airness’ paved the way to his meteoric rise in the NBA.

The New York and Los Angeles markets were both up by double digits after the release of the new episodes. The fifth episode alone averaged 5.8 million views, according to initial Nielsen reports. As part of its overall audience, the documentary continues to be consumed by the 18-49 demographic. Among adults aged 18-49, episodes 5 and 6 averaged 2.9 million viewers, with episode 5 averaging 3.1 million viewers.

Above all, there is no question that all of Kobe’s faithful fans would have had to keep dabbing their eyes to stop the tears flowing. The episode was a befitting way to showcase the mutual love and respect MJ and Kobe had towards each other.