Michael Jordan’s return to the NBA public eye was driven by a ‘passionate’ love of the sport and a desire to see the game ‘played the right way,’ commissioner Adam Silver has revealed.
It was announced in May that the Bulls legend was joining NBC as a ‘special contributor’, with the network once again set to broadcast NBA games as part of the league’s new media rights deal.
And in an interview with the Dan Patrick Show, Silver provided a window into Jordan’s reasoning for taking the on-air role.
‘I spoke to Michael about it,’ Silver said. ‘He’s excited about it. I think for him it means he’s got to stay current with the game.’
Silver continued: ‘He’s so passionate about it. I mean we talk about it all the time, he wants the game to be played the right way.’
While it’s unclear exactly what Jordan will be doing for NBC, or how often he’ll appear on air, Silver is not the only person who has heard of Jordan’s apparent enthusiasm for the new role.
Michael Jordan will be a ‘special contributor’ to NBC’s NBA coverage next season
And NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that Jordan is ‘so passionate’ about the sport
Play-by-play broadcaster Noah Eagle, who will be part of NBC’s coverage, said he was told by NBC Sports executive Jon Miller that Jordan was ‘legitimately excited’ about the role.
‘And I asked [Miller], I said, ‘Is he legitimately in on this?’ And he was like, ‘Yes, he’s fully, fully in,’ Eagle said on the Awful Announcing podcast.
‘Whatever that means is great. I have no idea what he’s going to be doing… but I look forward to it. Whatever it is, I just know he goes all in on anything he does. So, I look forward to watching him grow as a broadcaster, as well.’
While Jordan owned the Hornets for 13 years before selling his majority stake in 2023, he has mostly remained out of the limelight since wrapping up his historic playing career.
Nonetheless, that is now set to change after NBC and Peacock announced the addition of Jordan with a glittering highlight reel of his playing days in May.
NBC last held broadcast rights for the NBA more than 20 years ago, in 2002.
But as part of the league’s new media rights deal – which has seen TNT lose the rights to games – NBC and Peacock will air up to 100 regular season games total per season, with more than half of those on NBC, the NBA previously said.
As part of the new 11-year agreement, ESPN will also remain a rights-holder while Amazon has gained NBA broadcast rights for the first time.
Jordan will join a star-studded cast of talent at NBC, as the network previously announced that Carmelo Anthony, Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford would also be part of their coverage.
Following the conclusion of the ongoing NBA Finals series between the Thunder and Pacers, the next NBA season – and Jordan’s new role – will begin in the fall.
