Michael Jordan got a large part of the basketball fandom excited when it was announced that he was going to join NBC’s NBA coverage as a ‘special contributor.’ There was a three-minute segment during the Rockets vs. Thunder game on their opening day coverage called ‘Insights to Excellence.’
It was mostly him addressing his return to the spotlight. He also narrated a story about the pressure the 62-year-old felt the last time he picked up a basketball and shot a free throw.
NBA Insider Shams Charania was not fully convinced by Jordan’s recollection of this free throw and went on the Pat McAfee show on Thursday to supposedly debunk the story, which the six-time NBA champion narrated.
“I believe half of it was talking about when he went to… I think it was the Ryder Cup owner’s home, and he got challenged to shoot a free throw. He said it was like years ago or something. I know Brandon Miller was drafted by the Hornets in 2022… He told a story at the time that he was shooting free throws with Michael Jordan,” Charania broke it down.
Shams Charania Accuses Jordan of Lying about the Last time he picked up a Basketball
This 🤡 definitely on Klutch Sports payroll, Jordan isn’t fake like Lebron and has no reason to lie
(@Jacobtheclipper, Via The Dreamerspro Show on Youtube) pic.twitter.com/9xbHIUmAHj
— TheTruth (@Thetruth8240) October 24, 2025
The incident the NBA insider is recalling here made headlines at the time. Miller claimed he saw ‘his airness’ not just missing free throws but airballing them.
“I’m just refreshing memories, so I don’t know how long ago this was. Was this after the Brandon Miller occurrence… How could it be several years after?” the Insider added.
“So Pat, I, as a listener, I’m hearing that and I’m like, what’s ‘years’? Is ‘years’ five years? Six years? I know for sure he picked up a ball in 2022. And then he did it, then he made it, so the ending, so let’s, for our fantasy purposes, we’ll assume (that that happened),” said Charania in conclusion.
But after he raised all of these questions over this anecdote, a video surfaced of the event going down exactly as the arguable GOAT narrated it. After swishing the shot, he even accepts that he was nervous since he hadn’t done it in a long time.
Michael Jordan’s story that he told @miketirico is 100% legit. Here’s the original video of it.@NBA @NBAonNBC @espn @SportsCenter @ESPNNBA @CourtsideBuzzX @Ballislife @LegionHoops @TheDunkCentral @JordanMuse_ @HoHighlights https://t.co/eUxUMJvKdP pic.twitter.com/9YVa5RMOlj
— Adam Gilbert (@MyBodyTutor) October 22, 2025
Charania did not offer any update or acknowledgment of this till now, but surely it adds to Jordan’s aura and lore that the 62-year-old is still finding ways to surprise his admirers and critics alike.
But Jordan’s persona did take a hit outside of this anecdotal win, because many felt his segment was too short. It appeared more like a teaser than the actual thing, and did not include any analysis of current events.
It turned out to be far removed from what people thought would happen. Fans expected the former Chicago Bulls superstar to break down contemporary players or offer a general analysis of the state of the game.
Jordan won his last championship 27 years ago. The Last Dance came out five years ago. It has been a while since he has been relevant to what’s happening today, especially since he sold his stake in the Hornets as well. So there is some friction between him selling his nostalgia and people wanting him to be relevant to today’s game.
We are still just one episode into his coverage, and maybe in the future, there will be an inclusion of other things. But till then, it might only attract fans who are interested in his life and how one of the greatest players ever sees the game.
However, one is bound to wonder whether three minutes per week is enough time to “pay it forward” or if this will continue to draw an audience that drops out as soon as he’s off the screen? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.
