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Jemele Hill Doesn't Hold Back On Michael Jordan's Return To TV

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated May 12, 2025 5:32 PM ET

Jemele Hill knows Michael Jordan on NBC will become appointment viewing for hoops fans.

On Monday, NBC revealed that Jordan will join the network's NBA team as a "special contributor" for the 2025-26 season this fall. The Chicago Bulls icon marks a monumental addition for the sport's return to NBC.

Responding to the announcement, Hill called Jordan's involvement "huge."

A more skeptical fan wondered if Jordan would be a "hater" of the current NBA product like other past stars from his generation. The commentator said fans "don't need more of that" in their basketball coverage.

Hill noted that, whether positive or negative, all of Jordan's commentary will elicit attention. She also imagined what would happen if the six-time NBA champion discussed a hotly contested and heavily recycled argument on NBC programming.

"Everything he says is going to be a headline regardless," Hill predicted. "If they get Jordan to engage in a debate about [if] LeBron is better than him, it would melt Twitter."

Hill's prognostication certainly isn't a reach. Even if Jordan labeled himself the G.O.A.T. playfully or in passing, every sports debate show would likely lead the next day's show with that declaration.

Football fans have seen a similar dynamic with Tom Brady working NFL games as a FOX analyst. Everything the seven-time Super Bowl champion says carries extra weight, and the same should apply whenever Jordan appears on NBC.

Hill's former ESPN colleague, Stephen A. Smith, wondered if Jordan would temper his true feelings or speak freely on NBC. The First Take host said MJ would deliver "epic" TV if he talks like he does off-camera.

"The things that he will say and the way that he says them, and the way he breaks them down? Lord, have mercy," Smith said Monday.

It's unclear what role Jordan will serve or how frequently he'll appear on NBC programming. But fans will certainly watch and listen carefully to anything the living legend has to say when he joins the network's NBC coverage this October.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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