"The Last Dance" 10-part documentary on Michael Jordan premieres April 19 on Netflix, ESPN

"The Last Dance," a 10-part series about the career of legendary NBA star Michael Jordan, is set to premiere on April 19, at 9 p.m. EST. Produced by Michael Tollin in partnership with ESPN and Netflix, the documentary is set to show never-before seen footage from the career of arguably the greatest basketball player of all time.

According to Tollin, Jordan had to approve the use of any footage from his final season (His owner-player stint for the Washington Wizards does not count as far as most people are concerned) in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls.

CBS Sports reports that the idea for the documentary began as early as 1998, when Jordan retired from the NBA for the second time. Current NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who at the time was working as head of NBA Entertainment under his mentor David Stern, pitched the idea to film behind the scenes to Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and outgoing head coach Phil Jackson. He was able to get their permission quickly. But when it came to Jordan, he presented a deal wherein both the NBA, now ironically represented by Silver himself, and Jordan will need to sign-off on the footage should it be used in the future.

There are lots of rumors around insider circles about why the documentary was fast-tracked and released a few months ahead of schedule. First, the NBA is in dire need of income, and the series will give them broadcasting and content income from both ESPN and Netflix. The second is LeBron James. A number of younger analysts, fans, and commentators are starting to say that LeBron James is the greatest player of all time, the way people started talking about Kobe Bryant when he was playing at his peak. In the twilight of LeBron James' career, he is playing better than ever, the same way Jordan did in his last three years with the Bulls.

1998 is 22 years ago, a generation away. People are starting to forget Michael Jordan and how much he impacted modern basketball and how he dominated the league during his era. The same way people think (or rather not-think) about Bill Walton and Wilt Chamberlain.

That's why people believe that "The Last Dance" is Jordan's attempt to get back in the limelight. Banking on his competitive nature, pundits believe that "The Last Dance" is his way of informing the younger generation why he is the greatest basketball player of all time. Regardless of personal opinion, it should be a great show about the game of basketball and an exceptional athlete.