New documentary featuring unseen The Last Dance footage honors Bulls legend Luc Longley

Netflix’s “The Last Dance” provided a profound insight into Michael Jordan’s life and dominance in the NBA during the decade of the 90s. However, it barely even recognizes the efforts contributed by Australian legend Luc Longley with the Bulls.

The big man wasn’t only the first athlete from his country to ever grace an NBA court, he was also a major part of Chicago’s amazing feat alongside stars Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, Dennis Rodman and Jordan, of course.

It’s been 25 years already since their 1998 championship title, and now comes a documentary called “Foundations” that will show unseen footage from the Illinois franchise’s golden era, hoping to prove how vital Longley was to his team.

"The bad news is I've traded you….the good news is it's Chicago."

Luc Longley recounts the moment he found out he was a member of the @chicagobulls.

🎥 Watch 'Luc Longley: Foundations' on the NBA App: https://t.co/TU5pVX8lzi pic.twitter.com/CTLPbKx7D8

— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) August 2, 2023

“I’ve seen the documentary and it’s cool to see some of the old, original The Last Dance footage,” Longley said, as the team recently released his No. 13 jersey out for sale.”Probably the playing footage was what I enjoyed the most, and there’s some bits and pieces of family footage.”

The Australian center is not quite certain why these videos weren’t a part of Netflix’s footage, but feels proud to be honored in this second opportunity.

“I don’t know why it went into the archives for a long time, but it was good to see, and it’s cool for the NBA to recognise me and my part in that team and history,” he said. “With the documentary and the T-shirts and jerseys, for me that’s top-shelf flattery.”

Longley has always been a low-profile icon, which is why it makes it even more special that he’s agreed to this two-part ABC Australian Story about his career. He recently admitted he’s feeling more comfortable in the limelight.

“I’m never sure where the line between me avoiding building a profile and not caring about having a profile was,” he said. I’m not sure what combination of factors it was when I finished playing, but I knew I wanted to be away from the game for a bit,” he shared. “I’ve been flattered by the appetite for people to hear more about my story and it’s cracked open a door for me that I’ve chosen to step through and I’ve enjoyed.”

Longley revealed the he felt very comfortable during the film as he already had a friendship with the crew

As Wollongong filmmaker Sam Tolhurst already had bonded with Longley through his work for the Sydney Kings, they both felt comfortable knowing that he would provide his services as a videographer on “Foundations”.

“I’ve always been conscious of not trying to bug Luc about his time in the NBA and asking questions about MJ [Jordan] because I know a lot of people want to know about his time in Chicago,” he shared. “When the opportunity came up to work on this documentary, I was taken aback by the gravity of what it meant.”

“He’s got a commanding presence, but not in a way you’re intimated by him. You want to take in everything he says and I was captivated the whole time [we filmed],” Tolhurst said.

The filmmaker recalled the moment he called the Bulls legend to tell him they’d be working together again, as he received a warm welcome from Longley.

“When I called him [before the shoot] I expected him to say he’s stuck with me again, but he said he was proud of me and that we get to work together because we’re a package deal now and that meant a lot,” he expressed.”He’s shown a genuine interest in me and we share a healthy love of banter, which I can take, but I don’t have much choice when the guy is seven foot two.”