For the first time in over two decades, the NBA on NBC is returning, and with it comes one of the most stunning additions imaginable: Michael Jordan himself. The six-time NBA champion and Chicago Bulls icon will join the network as a special contributor, marking his first official on-air basketball role since retiring from the game in 2003.
But what exactly will Jordan be doing? Until this week, NBC and Jordan’s camp kept those details tightly under wraps. That is, until NFL broadcaster Cris Collinsworth, his colleague on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, let a few things slip.
Appearing on Up & Adams with Kay Adams, Collinsworth couldn’t resist teasing Jordan’s mysterious new project, even joking that he might “get shot” for revealing too much.
“I’m gonna get shot for some of this. I’m sure it’s all a big surprise, but it will be a deep dive into the brain of Michael Jordan. Is that enough of a tease without giving away anything?”
“The things that you would really want to know from Michael Jordan, if you got a chance to sit down and just have a conversation with him, no cameras, just a couple glasses of wine and a great talk about all the things you thought you knew about him from watching The Last Dance, you’re gonna get that.”
“Plus, you’re gonna get a very focused version of Michael. Not, you know, ‘Michael, who do you think the best player in the NBA is?’ It’s not that stuff. It’s details, way inside the brain of the greatest basketball player that ever lived.”
“I’m acting like I know what I’m talking about. I just know little bits and pieces of it. But I think there’ll be parts of both, you’ll get the full Michael experience. He’s fantastic.”
“He’s one of the great, how do you say this, he busts chops better than anybody I’ve ever met. The first time I walked up to him and said hello, he went bam, bam, bam, like that. Three shots right across the face, and he was laughing.”
NBC reportedly plans to produce a recurring segment that blends storytelling, film-room analysis, and unscripted conversation, all filtered through Jordan’s perspective. Viewers will get his raw takes on competition, leadership, failure, and success, the kind of insight that even The Last Dance only hinted at.
For Jordan, this marks a symbolic full circle. NBC was the home of some of his most iconic basketball moments, from his 1990s Finals triumphs to the unforgettable NBA on NBC theme music that became synonymous with his era.
Jordan’s NBC role won’t be about humor or hot takes; it will be about legacy and mentality. Think of it as Jordan’s version of a masterclass: part documentary, part interview, part lecture from the ultimate competitor.
As Collinsworth put it, this isn’t just another basketball segment; it’s a deep dive into the mind of the man who redefined what greatness looks like.
When NBC’s NBA coverage returns later this fall, fans won’t just be watching basketball. They’ll be stepping into the mind of Michael Jordan and getting, as Collinsworth promised, “the full Michael experience.”
