Michael Jordan’s ownership stint in the NBA went through almost as many rough patches as his playing career did, with successful runs. It was riddled with roster issues, player selection issues, multiple injury crises, and much more.
In essence, as memorable as his playing career is, Jordan likely wants to forget the ownership run as much, which eventually ended in 2023 when he sold the Hornets for $3 billion. But before he did that, he tried to remain as hands-on with everything around the team as he could. From recruiting to training with players, Jordan was almost always available to his players for guidance.
Hence, when Lance Stephenson appeared on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast, the former Hornets player revealed that his biggest regret was not seeking help from Michael Jordan when the Hornets signed him. He felt that the massive $27 million contract at the time, in a way, dumbed down his hunger and drive to improve under Jordan’s guidance.
“I’m not going to lie. When I told you, like that’s the only year I regret. I felt like I didn’t use all the tools that I had around me at that moment to be the best player I could be, cause I had Michael Jordan right there, and I didn’t go to him, I never went to him, and ‘yo can you help me with this? Can you do this? Can you do that? Do you do that?”
“I told you I got paid, right? And I’m telling you, that hunger like kind of I ain’t gonna lie, it kind of dumbed down a little bit. And I felt like at that moment I felt like I should have gone to MJ telling him to, ‘yo, meet me in the gym.’ All the stuff that after I left I I was like, ‘damn, why didn’t I do that?’ So I told you that’s the only year I regret. Like I didn’t get to build that relationship with MJ.”
Despite signing a three-year deal worth $27 million with the team, Stephenson was traded to the Clippers in just his second season with the Hornets. His offensive production fell from 13.8 points per game with the Pacers to 8.2 points per game with the Hornets.
Additionally, his rebounding numbers also fell from 7.2 rebounds per game in 2013 (last season with Pacers) to 4.9 rebounds per game in 2014 (first year with Hornets), despite having a similar usage rate in both teams.
Hence, Stephenson believes that if he had reached out to Michael Jordan for advice, his career may have taken a different trajectory altogether.
