Luc Longley reflects on playing with Michael Jordan, the Bulls’ demanding culture, and his take on the ‘GOAT’ debate on ‘Yao Mile’ podcast.
Luc Longley recently joined the ‘Yao Mile’ Podcast, where he shared personal stories about his time with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. One of the most memorable moments was Longley’s response to who he believes is the greatest of all time, or the “GOAT,” in basketball.
“For me, he’s the goat. Absolutely. Vote for him, every time. I mean I think depending on how you want to measure it, I mean if you want to close out a game I feel like that’s the guy you want with the ball.”
“We used to you know NBA teams try to hide the play calls all the time and they spend money trying to disguise play calls, we had guys on the team would run past the opposition bench and say 23. Everyone knew where the ball was going in the fourth quarter so yeah he’s the GOAT in my mind.” (13:35)
Longley also opened up about his initial reaction to being traded to the Bulls, a moment filled with mixed emotions.
“I thought I was getting traded to Golden State and I was excited to go. Donnie Nelson was coaching and Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond… They had an interesting style of play, they were very loose and I thought that looked like a lot of fun. It was out of Minnesota.”
“When I picked up the phone, I thought I was getting traded to Golden State and initially when Jack McClausky, the general manager, said look I’m sending you to Chicago.”
“I was disappointed for about half a second, wait did you say Chicago and Michael wasn’t there but Scottie and Phil and Horace Grant and John Paxton and Bill Cartwright and BJ Armstrong and all those guys were still there.”
“So that team was sort of still and they needed some of the things that I had. But my wife was pregnant and I think you have 48 hours to report. I was in Chicago like six hours later, left her to pack up the apartment but I was pretty excited.” (11:20)
Longley described the demanding environment in Chicago, which he credited with pushing him to improve.
“Very demanding and I needed to have things demanded of me like it was a good fit.”
“Phil, first of all, for me, because MJ wasn’t there, but interestingly, the culture that existed in Chicago and how hard the guys worked and all the things that were set up that demanded things of me without anyone having to say a word, because there was an expectation in there of how you went about your business and winning basketball games.”
“And when you strayed from that expectation, that’s when you’d hear Phil’s voice or, later on, Michael’s voice, or, to be honest, Scottie’s voice was just as strong. But I didn’t have to hear it much because the expectation was so clear and demanding but clear. Um, it’s so tricky when you don’t understand, right?” (12:41)
When asked about The Last Dance documentary and whether it was more about Jordan than the Bulls, Longley offered a diplomatic take.
“I’ve done this one to death. I think it was about the Bulls; obviously, it was focused on MJ, and to be fair, I will say this on the record—you know, he and Scottie and Phil and Dennis, they’re the interesting bits of that story for the world.”
“I get it; they’re the sexy bits, they’re the bright objects. So I’ve said my piece about the rest of the team, and it’s all cool with me.” (15:00)
Longley’s stories highlight not only his admiration for Jordan but also his respect for the Bulls’ culture under Phil Jackson’s leadership. His insight offers a rare glimpse into the unwavering standards that defined the Bulls dynasty and the unique role that each player, including himself, had in maintaining that legendary team’s success.