Ken Griffey Jr.’s New Documentary “Junior”

Seattle legend and 2016 MLB Hall of Fame inductee Ken Griffey Jr. has found the limelight yet again. MLB Network will be airing the 90 minute documentary “Junior” at 8pm EST Sunday. It is fitting for Griffey’s documentary to be aired on Father’s Day, because he and his father share a special bond unlike many others. Griffey and his father, Ken Griffey Sr., were very successful as major leaguers. Although Griffey Sr. is not in the MLB Hall of Fame, he is not far from his son’s shadow hitting a career .296 throughout 19 seasons. The Griffey father-son duo also happened to be the first and only time a father and son were on the same MLB team simultaneously.

Griffey Jr. spoke on his documentary following “The Last Dance” about Michael Jordan, who he has the utmost respect for. Similar to “The Last Dance”, “Junior” has been in the works for years. Griffey did not want to release the doc last year due to his fellow Seattle Mariner teammate Edgar Martinez’s Hall of Fame induction. He stated “I didn’t want to step on Edgar [Martinez’s] toes last year, having his Hall of Fame year. It was important to me that he had his time and was able to enjoy the full year.”

Although being a documentary surrounding Griffey Jr., NBA fans might be surprised to see Lebron James, who is featured in “Junior.” Just as Jordan inspired Griffey, LeBron has admired Griffey himself for years. LeBron and Griffey go all the way back to LeBron’s first Christmas as a pro, where Griffey cooked for him and some of his teammates. Griffey’s life off the field shows that generational talents can form such close bonds regardless of the sport they play.