NBC dropped a Woj-sized bomb during its upfront presentation on Monday morning. No, there wasn’t another Luka Dončić-esque trade. This might be something bigger: Michael Jordan — yes, that Michael Jordan — will contribute to NBC’s forthcoming NBA coverage.
Awful Announcing contributor Dan Kaplan was at the NBC upfront with news of the reveal that will see legendary figure will soon become a member of the sports media for the first time.
NBC later issued a press release about Jordan’s contributions. In the release, Jordan said, “I am so excited to see the NBA back on NBC. The NBA on NBC was a meaningful part of my career, and I’m excited about being a special contributor to the project. I’m looking forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC launches this October.”
Jordan has not regularly appeared on NBA television coverage in any capacity since his retirement in 2003. The six-time NBA champion has instead focused his post-playing career on other business ventures such as owning, then selling, the Charlotte NBA franchise. Jordan also founded 23XI Racing, which fields a NASCAR Cup Series team.
As for his media ventures, Jordan has, of course, starred in Space Jam and has also been involved in a number of brand activations.
It’s unclear exactly what Jordan’s role on NBC’s NBA coverage will be. As a “special contributor,” one could imagine his role will be rather limited. Nevertheless, this is a coup for NBC, who can now say they have arguably the greatest basketball player of all time under its umbrella.