Jordan Rules: How the Bad Boys Shut Down MJ

Before Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance. Before ESPN’s 30 for 30: The Bad Boys. The Detroit Pistons released Jordan Rules, and at the time, it became the most-viewed video in Pistons.com history, arguably serving as a preamble to ESPN’s later release. Here's how I got it made and the people that part of it.

When I first brought up the idea during a brainstorming meeting for online content, there was some pushback. Leadership within the Pistons front office still held a serious grudge against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, and they didn’t want to glorify him.

But the reality was that this chapter of Bad Boys history was a moment of great pride. The Pistons had devised a system specifically designed to shut down MJ, and they had done it successfully during their back-to-back championship seasons in 1989 and 1990.

After some coaxing of my boss, Stan Fracker, who was the head of production at the time, the team gave us the green light. What came from it was this documentary short.

The project features interviews with Terry Foster, Greg Kelser, Bernie Smilovitz, James Edwards, Bill Laimbeer, and Rick Mahorn, offering firsthand perspectives on what the Jordan Rules meant and how the Bad Boys used them to take down the Bulls.

Credit goes to the amazing creative team that CEO Dennis Mannion and VP of Marketing Charlie Metzger had assembled at the time. The interviews that Stan Fracker, Ryan Archibald, Ellie Wiles, and I conducted are some of my favorite memories from that era.

I also have to give a huge shoutout to the late, great Darrel Quandt, who worked with me on all the graphics throughout this series. Darrel was always stoked to help and consistently created amazing work.

Pay close attention to the graphics as they break down the keys to what the Jordan Rules actually were. Then comes my favorite part. As the graphics transition from red to blue, the first six letters spell out DARREL.

RIP, Darrel. Miss you, buddy.

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