Aside from captivating the nation during the pandemic with The Last Dance, Michael Jordan has mainly stayed out of the media spotlight since retiring.
Unless he was sitting courtside at a Hornets game, the “GOAT” usually laid low, reportedly spending most of his time golfing or with family.
Until now. The six-time NBA champion announced that he would be joining NBC Sports for their NBA coverage as a special contributor.
As TNT’s contract with the NBA is ending after 35 years, NBC signed a deal with the league to start broadcasting games for the first time since 2002.
Before joining the NBC team, Jordan had never publicly served in any type of media/commentator role since his retirement.
“I’m excited about being a special contributor to the project. I’m looking forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC launches this October,” Jordan said.
When asked about Jordan’s future as a member of the media, legendary broadcaster Kevin Harlan also expressed excitement.
"We have a barrage of stories from hosts and their analysts, those are great, but there is only one Michael Jordan.” said Harlan. “That’s what they want to see. What’s behind the curtain."
The 62-year-old spent 15 seasons in the NBA, averaging 30.1 points per game (the most all time), 5.3 assists, and 6.2 rebounds. Jordan won the NBA’s MVP award five times and made the All-Star team 14 times.
After his playing days were over, Jordan bought a significant stake of the Charlotte Bobcats back in 2006 (second largest shareholder behind majority owner Robert Johnson). He also served as the team's Basketball Operations Manager.
A few years after taking over as the team’s majority owner in 2010, Jordan changed the team’s name back to the Hornets ahead of the 2014-2015 season. A couple of summers ago, Jordan sold his majority stake to a group headed by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall.
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