Michael Jordan recently signed a deal with NBC to join their team as a “special contributor” to their NBA coverage next season. This decision sent shockwaves across the league as Jordan was known to be averse to public appearances and media scrutiny.
The details of his role is still not quite clear; some clarifications have been provided, but no fixed understanding of how often he will appear on their coverage and whether his role is only in front of the camera or behind it. Thus began the journey of basketball analysts around the world predicting the nature and impact of his role. Among those discussions, one prominent aspect of this deal that is constantly brought up is Jordan’s pay.
According to Front Office Sports, the rumor that Michael Jordan is earning $40 million from NBC, which is twice what Charles Barkley earns with TNT, is false. Stephen A. Smith, one of the more vocal basketball analysts about Jordan, appeared on Patrick Bet-David’s podcast recently and spoke about Jordan’s deal.
In that discussion, Bet-David brought up that it was rumored that Jordan would earn twice as much as Charles Barkley is earning with TNT. Considering Barkley’s deal is worth $20 million a year, the number that was floated for Jordan was $40 million. However, according to the sources mentioned above, this number is incorrect, and he may earn even more than that.
For Jordan, as a billionaire, a few million dollars is not the incentive to come out of retirement. He seems to have additional motives beyond just making money.
What We Know About Michael Jordan’s Deal With NBC
During the NBA Playoffs this season, it was announced that Jordan will be joining NBC’s coverage of the NBA next season. Then further reports gave some insights into the nature of Jordan’s role in the coverage as well as the reason why Jordan is now becoming a part of the NBA media.
Sources claimed that Jordan is not expected to make an appearance on the live segments of their coverage but rather in the pre-recorded segments. Some analysts even made fun of his potential role and said NBC should employ him as a gambling expert.
Additionally, another report claimed that it was Jordan who went to NBC with this initiative to change the way the youth sees basketball players today. He reportedly believes that players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry do not get the respect they deserve in today’s NBA. Therefore, Jordan’s ulterior motive in initiating this deal was to redefine the way fans look at the modern NBA.
While pre-recorded segments can do that, it is only to a limited level. If Jordan agrees to do live segments and regularly appears on their coverage of the NBA, the viewership of the sport will almost certainly increase. But, since the older generation watched his greatness growing up, I am not sure how likely he is to influence the youth’s perspective of the sport. However, his presence alone will certainly generate more viewers for the games.
