MIAMI _ Andre Iguodala, already living in close quarters amid this quarantine necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, had enough court vision to recognize Sunday's conflict.
"That's my wife's birthday," the veteran Miami Heat forward said, "so I asked her, did she want to celebrate before or after?"
As in before or after the first episode of the highly anticipated 10-part Michael Jordan ESPN documentary, "The Last Dance."
"We got to figure this thing out," Iguodala joked during an appearance on the Heat's Instagram Live, "because we got to lock in.
"I think she's excited for it, too. We grew up in the same city (Springfield, Ill.), so she grew up watching Michael Jordan when basketball was on."
While the documentary is presented through the lens of Jordan's sixth and final Bulls championship season, in 1997-98, it is a larger-scale look at the legend, a scale with ample Heat components.
Among those interviewed for the project were Heat President Pat Riley, a coaching rival against Jordan with both the New York Knicks and Heat; as well as former Heat coach Kevin Loughery, who coached Jordan as a Bulls rookie; and former Heat players Glen Rice, Gary Payton and John Salley.
Jordan holds a somewhat awkward bond with the Heat, with the Heat the first team to retire his iconic No. 23, something Riley did on April 11, 2003, as Jordan was completing his NBA career with the Washington Wizards. The Bulls did not retire Jordan's jersey until 2009.
In celebrating Jordan, Riley said at midcourt at AmericanAirlines Arena, "In honor of your greatness and for all you've done for the game of basketball _ and not just the NBA, but for all the fans around the world _ we want to honor you tonight and hang your jersey, No. 23, from the rafters. No one will ever wear No. 23 for the Miami Heat. You're the best."
Jordan's No. 23 initially was displayed where the Heat's retired jerseys hang above the west baseline of the arena. It since was moved to a non-illuminated upper wall on the south end of the arena.
As a matter of perspective, Heat rookies Tyler Herro (2000) and KZ Okpala (1999) were not even born when Jordan won his final NBA championship, with Bam Adebayo and Derrick Jones Jr. each just one year old at the time.
"I'm really excited for other people to watch it, as well," Iguodala said, "because a lot of our youth, in terms of how we consume information, content now is kind of like short-lived. So it's like something happens, and then it's forgotten about. They'll get a chance to really see and appreciate Michael Jordan and the guys on the Bulls teams."
Iguodala, 36, said most of the reference points for his young teammates are the Jordan Brand and Jordan's iconic sneakers.
"They don't quite understand, he really had no weakness," he said. "If he was in social media (era), they wouldn't be able to say anything about his game. Like, there was no fault there.
"It's good that it's come in the situation we're in right now. People can really dive in and really appreciate it."
