With Wayne Gretzky serving as an NHL analyst for TNT and Tom Brady commentating on Fox’s NFL broadcasts, Michael Jordan is the latest GOAT to take a TV gig covering the league he once dominated.
And according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, NBA players should take note: Jordan the analyst can be just as devastating as Jordan the player.
‘Let me tell you something about Michael Jordan,’ Smith told his podcast audience. ‘He’s going to be brutally honest—I can assure you that. He’s not going to be somebody who’s going to be passive.’
The 62-year-old Jordan recently sold his majority stake of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets to investor Gabe Plotkin, while retaining a minority share in his home-state team. And with some more time on his hands, the six-time NBA champ and Chicago Bulls legend has since agreed to join NBC’s NBA coverage when the network regains domestic media rights next season after a 23-year break.
Jordan has refrained from speaking about the current NBA these days, unlike his former friend and fellow Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, who remains the cornerstone of Inside the NBA as it transitions from TNT to ESPN next season.
But like Barkley, Jordan has the credibility to give his take with some genuine authority.
Michael Jordan is the latest GOAT to take a TV gig covering the league he once dominated
‘The Michael Jordan I know, when talking basketball, he is as candid as it gets,’ Smith said. ‘He ain’t trying to hurt nobody’s feelings. He ain’t trying to be insulting—but he’s going to tell you what’s going on.’
Of course, television isn’t easy as both Brady and Gretzky have discovered.
Fans slammed Brady’s in-game NFL analysis for a perceived unwillingness to express frustration about the league’s current stars. Meanwhile, Gretzky has been criticized for having low energy and failing to show a genuine interest in the discussions on TNT.
According to Smith, that won’t be Jordan’s problem.
Stephen A. Smith said Jordan won’t be bashful about bashing today’s young NBA stars
‘I don’t think he’s going to be passive at all. I really, really don’t, and I’m actually proud of him for doing it because, with the Jordan brand and him being worth over $2 billion, he don’t need this,’ Smith said.
And just in case Jordan gets bashful, he’ll have his friend Smith reminding him to keep his foot on the gas.
‘I don’t think he’s going to be shy about saying what he sees—at all,’ Smith said. ‘As a matter of fact, if he is, he’s going to have to deal with me because I’m going to be in his ear telling him, “You’re getting shy now. That’s what we’re doing? That ain’t the MJ I know!”‘
Jordan will be a ‘special contributor’ to NBC’s NBA broadcasts next season, the league recently revealed during an upfront presentation to advertisers in New York last month.
