Senior Kaci Wasilewski details working on Michael Jordan documentary

There are challenges to telling a story when everyone knows how it ends.

But sometimes, like in the case of “The Last Dance,” an upcoming documentary about Michael Jordan, it’s not as much about the ending but how we get there, Syracuse senior Kaci Wasilewski said.

As an intern last summer for Mandalay Sports Media, Wasilewski helped work on the 10-part documentary that depicts Jordan’s 1998 season. The film’s release date was moved up from July and will debut on ESPN on April 19. “The Last Dance” will be released two episodes per week for five weeks, filling a sports void in a socially distanced world. 

“This is the sporting event of April now,” Wasilewski said. 

“I do think it will be a really cool thing, especially for people our age, where we grew up knowing that Michael Jordan was the greatest basketball player of all time,” Wasilewski said. “Like, that’s just a fact that’s told to us. But for five weeks, we get to sit there and watch a documentary series actually showing us the proof.” 

As a production assistant, Wasilewski’s responsibilities included helping frame shots, reading scripts, moving set furniture, accommodating guests with food and drinks and adjusting sound and lighting. She worked on the Jordan documentary, the previously released Dodgers documentary “Improbably Gibson” and multiple scripted shows. 

She’ll never forget sitting in on the Vin Scully interview — and doing his makeup — for the Dodgers feature. For the Jordan documentary, her most lasting memory is helping with the interview of John Salley, a member of Jordan’s rival: The Bad Boy Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s. 

“Just hearing people tell these stories (is the coolest part),” Wasilewski said. “It’s like when you’re interviewing someone and they tell you this really cool story about their life and stuff, it’s like that, but the names they’re using are Michael Jordan and Jackie Robinson. The names you grew up with.” 

Wasilewski compared the Jordan documentary’s potential to attract an unusually captive audience to recent Netflix phenomenon “Tiger King.” But “Tiger King” had a shock factor, a remarkable plot twist at every turn. With the Jordan documentary, most viewers know the Bulls won the 1998 NBA Championship. No spoilers there. 

Still, “The Last Dance” will be a “fully fleshed out” exploration of Jordan, then the most famous athlete in the world, Wasilewski said. Starting Sunday, viewers can also expect previously unseen clips, as a film crew followed Jordan throughout the iconic season. The documentary features more than 100 interviews spanning from Jordan’s teammates, coaches and opponents to former president Barack Obama and pop star Justin Timberlake. 

Wasilewski’s experience as an intern refined her dream of working in the entertainment industry. She learned the value of working behind the scenes of major productions. 

“It kind of introduced me to this world of documentary filmmaking, which I think is really cool,” Wasilewski said.

She’s still looking for a job either in digital media or production development, but she wants to make her own sports documentary one day. A broadcast and digital journalism major at SU, Wasilewski worked at The D.O. as an asst. sports copy editor, asst. sports digital editor, senior staff writer, staff videographer and staff photographer.