"You couldn't do that, but he can" - When Geno Auriemma reacted to Michael Jordan's 'Last Dance' gambling revelation

Geno Auriemma and Sue Bird were among the many who reacted to Michael Jordan's "Last Dance" in an Instagram Live conversation in May 2020. Episode six talked about MJ's gambling habits, with a famous instance stemming from the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals.

Bird highlighted that she liked the docu-series's off-court segments. Auriemma added that fans often project their values and beliefs onto someone in the public eye, struggling to accept achievements that come with unconventional behaviors:

"Because you're in the public eye a lot, people have their own perception of how they want you to be and what they would expect you to be," Auriemma said (18:14).

"So that whole idea that he could go out, play golf all day, then go to a Atlantic city, then come back and get 35 or 40 the next day. They would go, 'How can you go to gamble the night before a game?' Well, you couldn't do that, but he can. So they don't want to admit."

Michael Jordan was spotted in Atlantic City the night before the second game against the New York Knicks. Despite being scrutinized for his actions and commitment to the team, MJ dropped 36 points the next day in a 96-91 loss.

Jordan then averaged 32.5 points per game across the next four contests, including 54 points in Game 4, leading the Chicago Bulls to the conference finals. The Bulls ultimately won their third consecutive NBA championship.

Geno Auriemma and Sue Bird discuss young players' perspectives of Michael Jordan

Later in the conversation, Geno Auriemma asked Sue Bird how young players perceive Michael Jordan after watching the documentary.

"How do you think young people today are responding to what they see when they watch Michael Jordan in his prime," Auriemma asked.

Bird said that young fans are mesmerized by Jordan's career. With that, she also chipped in the evergreen comparison between Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and MJ, saying that Jordan laid the foundation for many modern-day superstars.

"For a lot of people it's the first time they're seeing him and I think they're in awe," Bird said (at 37:10). "I think if you haven't seen a lot of Jordan and you've only seen Kobe and LeBron you're now seeing where Kobe and LeBron got a lot of their their swag, for Kobe a lot of his game.

"Lot of guys got to learn from his decisions and the ridicule in that case that he got... in a sense Jordan walked so LeBron and Kobe so on and so forth could run."

Geno Auriemma and Sue Bird then discussed which aspects of Diana Taurasi make her the Michael Jordan of the WNBA.