With the first two episodes of ESPN's The Last Dance in the bag and eight more to come, fans are eager to see more of the behind-the-scenes drama involving the Chicago Bulls' title run in the 1997/98 season. Among the conflicts already teased are the tension with Scottie Pippen demanding a trade and Michael Jordan's chip on the shoulder as the organization geared for what he deemed a hasty rebuild.
However, one particular feud has brought to light how disliked general manager Jerry Krause was, and how he may have been the inspiration for Space Jam's villain, Mr. Swackhammer.
Krause managed the Bulls during the championship dynasty and is regarded as the man who built them up as a franchise, overseeing the signings of players like Jordan, Pippen and Dennis Rodman. He was also the person who the docuseries alleges felt left out of the limelight, with the success he wanted to be recognized for being attributed to coach Phil Jackson. Krause and Jackson didn't hide their differences and the GM was the one who told Jackson this would be his final season, which the coach dubbed "The Last Dance."
But apart from rubbing Jackson the wrong way, Jordan and Pippen didn't like him either, even publicly taking shots at his height, size and overall demeanor. They felt he had "little guy's syndrome" and berated him because they thought he worked against them in the front offices. And for drama's sake, ESPN positions Krause as the villain of the doc so to speak. He already lost respect by hinting he masterminded the team's success, ahead of Jackson and the players, and the episodes are edited to make him the overall antagonist.
This has led many on Twitter to wonder if Swackhammer really was a representation of Jordan's views on Krause. Space Jam was a mix of live-action and animation with characters from the Looney Tunes, made when Jordan retired from the NBA. His baseball career stalled when the sport went on strike in '95 and in '96 the film came out, incorporating this retirement and Jordan coming back to play ball.
Mr. Swackhammer wanted new attractions for his intergalactic park, Moron Mountain, transforming small aliens into the Monstars by stealing the talent of other NBA players and Jordan's friends. Jordan would partner with the Looney Tunes team, the Tune Stars, and upon winning, he'd shut Mr. Swackhammer down. Now, people are seeing parallels with Krause and Mr. Swackhammer, not just physically (which admittedly is a bit harsh), but also because Krause is depicted as a control freak. It seems both wanted to be the big kahuna and dictate how stars, like Jordan, should bend to their will.
There's no confirmation Space Jam used Krause as the template for its villain, but with Jordan's creative input, who really knows. The Bulls could be construed as Krause's theme park and the way he wanted entertainment to be done by his book, well, again it seems to be similar to Mr. Swackhammer running the show. Many felt that Krause damaged a good thing while failing to replace what he had lost, and they may have gotten a premature peek behind the curtain in Space Jam.