Add The New York Post on Google Perhaps Michael Jordan’s media career will mirror his NBA years with a little break in the middle.
Jordan’s run with NBC Sports’s basketball coverage is expected to cease after just one year, according to Front Office Sports, although the reason has not yet been revealed.
NBC Sports landed exclusive interviews with Jordan in its return to NBA coverage last season, an addition many hailed since Jordan is known for being rather reserved when it comes to media details.
Michael Jordan during one of his NBC segments. @NBAonNBC/YouTube That excitement, though, tempered when NBA fans realized that Jordan would not be making live appearances to provide analysis.
Instead, the network broke up one pre-recorded sit-down interview with Mike Tirico into different clips for the “MJ: Insights to Excellence” segments that didn’t highlight the sport’s current storylines.
Hall of Famer and friend turned enemy turned friend Charles Barkley ripped NBC for the format.
“It’s a bad look for NBC and it’s just a bad look, plain and simple,” Barkley said in January.
“They couldn’t fly to Michael like once a month and do a new interview? That makes NBC look really bad, plain and simple.”
Tirico defended the segment, pointing to the rarity of Jordan speaking about the sport since he had last done so during ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary in 2020.
He described Jordan as “awesome” for the segments.
“Was it what everyone wanted? Probably not,” Tirico said in January. “Was it better than not hearing from Michael Jordan? You’re damn right it was. And if we get another shot at it, will I be more than excited to be a part of it? You betcha. In our world right now, all you want to do is make the final answer before you know everything. I love that Michael trusted us enough to sit and do something that he hasn’t done in a long, long, long time.”
He added: “Every time one airs, people say, ‘Oh, this is from the same interview.’ But they also talk about what he said. It starts a topic of conversation. His voice still resonates.”
Michael Jordan (r.) sitting with Mike Tirico (l) during one of the segments. @NBAonNBC/YouTube Jordan, the six-time NBA champion, is still active in NBA circles due to his standing as a minority owner of the Hornets.
