Michael Jordan‘s partnership with NBC for the segment “Insights to Excellence” had many hyped about the potential content that would emerge from it. While several were hoping for Jordan’s unfiltered commentary, the reality, as Charles Barkley mentioned recently, was disappointing.
Although reports had indicated that Michael Jordan wouldn’t be participating in live segments, Charles Barkley slammed the network for pre-recording all the content and airing it in parts. While speaking on “The Dan Patrick Show” on the matter, he stated:
“It’s a bad look to do one interview and splice it up throughout the season. They couldn’t fly down there once a month to sit down with Michael for an hour? To do an interview in August, and to splice it up and still shoot the same interview in January and February, that’s a bad look.”
“I thought it was great that we had Michael Jordan back in the NBA,” he continued. “But now you look, and I’m like, ‘He’s wearing the same outfit from August.’”
NBC’s “Insight to Excellence” was poised to be a halftime segment where Michael Jordan would provide valuable input on the game of basketball. When the first episode aired, there was a general excitement among audiences to see the six-time champion back in the public eye.
The stories involving Jordan’s life and personal challenges proved to be engaging content, generating some intrigue about what would emerge in future episodes. However, when considering that the interviews are just portions of one long interview conducted with Mike Tirico in August 2025, Barkley’s disappointment is understandable.
This also wouldn’t be the first time Charles Barkley called out NBC on this topic. Before joining “The Dan Patrick Show,” Barkley made a similar comment on SiriusXM’s “NBA Radio,” pointing out the inherent issues with the low-effort approach.
Needless to say, Charles Barkley’s problems with this format seem valid. Having a superstar like Michael Jordan join a broadcasting team is quite significant, one that even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver didn’t foresee happening. Given the kind of expectations this creates, witnessing a subpar product, especially in light of the NBA’s declining viewership, could have a considerable impact on the league and the network.
Charles Barkley is known as an outspoken individual, calling out popular figures and athletes on different platforms. In many ways, however, Barkley’s comments could be a reflection of his own long-standing career in broadcasting.
Having established himself as one of the most popular figures in NBA media with regular appearances on “Inside the NBA,” the Hall of Famer comes from a place of experience when criticizing NBC.
