Michael Jordan stunned the NBA world yet again with the news of his return from retirement. But this time, his return is as part of the NBA media. Which, if you know about Jordan’s personality, is also shocking, considering he doesn’t like engaging with the media himself.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently appeared on Dan Patrick’s show, where they spoke about several subjects around the NBA. When addressing Michael Jordan’s deal with NBC, he admitted he did not believe it was going to happen when he first heard about it. He claims he had no role in convincing Jordan to return or any influence on this deal of any kind.
“I mean, they told me they were going to try, and I said ‘good luck’. I honestly didn’t think he was going to do it. You know it took us decades to convince him to do the documentary ‘The Last Dance’ which came out during the pandemic and ended up, still I think, is one of the you know widely viewed on Netflix. But he didn’t want to do that for a long time, we had the footage.”
Silver then went on to attribute the credit for this deal to Jordan’s relationship with NBC employees. They were the primary broadcasters of the NBA during Jordan’s playing days, and hence, several staff members had a personal relationship with Jordan.
“I know there were other inquiries over the years, and I think he, for whatever reason he was ready to do it now. I think he has, of course, incredibly fond memories of NBC. I don’t think that’s lost on anyone. Some of the very same people are there, people like John Miller whom he had a relationship from back all those years ago, Mark Lazarus was still there, just switched over to the other side of the operation. But I think like he had those relationships, and again I didn’t discourage them, but I was surprised he said yes.”
Why Is Michael Jordan Returning?
Considering his intention will look to directly impact the viewership ratings of the league, one would assume this move was initiated by the commissioner’s office. However, Silver has clarified he had no role in making this deal happen. Rather, it was Jordan himself who initiated this idea.
According to sources, Jordan believes that players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and James Harden are not getting the credit they deserve from the modern generation of NBA fans. Moreover, he feels his fans have been critical of the modern-era players and believes if he himself were to tell them why they shouldn’t do that, maybe they will listen and respect the game more.
Some rumors and reports claimed that Jordan would be receiving a $40 million paycheck for his services to NBC. But sources have also claimed that this report is inaccurate.
While he may be earning more or less than the rumored sum, it is clear that he intends to promote the game and not fill his pockets. But as the greatest player of all time, he’s in a position to command any fee he deems worthy of doing this with NBC. Will Jordan’s return help boost NBA ratings? Or is this a last-ditch effort that will go in vain? It will be interesting to see how this deal impacts the NBA next season.
