It appears Michael Jordan was not given a very high bar to clear by some in his debut for NBC on Tuesday night.
The six-time NBA champion appeared for the first time in his new “special contributor” role on NBC during halftime of Rockets-Thunder on Opening Night, and gave what would have been an underwhelming performance for just about anyone else in that position. Except, Michael Jordan isn’t anyone else.
NBC’s Mike Tirico sat down with Jordan for a pre-taped interview that somehow proved to be entirely mundane but simultaneously enthralling. For the majority of Tuesday’s segment, Jordan told a story about the last time he touched a basketball. It was last month when he was in New York for the Ryder Cup and rented a house with a basketball court. The owner, with his grandchildren, wanted to see Jordan shoot a free throw.
“When I stepped up to shoot the free throw, that’s the most nervous I’ve been in years,” Jordan said. “The reason being is those kids heard the stories from the parents about what I did 30 years ago. So, the expectation is 30 years prior, and I haven’t touched a basketball.”
No doubt, to hear that Michael freaking Jordan was nervous to shoot a free throw on someone’s driveway is compelling stuff. Not exactly traditional halftime fare, but compelling nonetheless.
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons would tend to agree.
“So they had this Michael Jordan thing, they’ve been playing it up a lot. They called it like, ‘Degrees of Excellence’ or ‘Insights in Excellence,’ and it basically just turned out to be an interview with Mike Tirico that they probably filmed for two hours and they’re just going to cut segments out of. I can’t think of a single thing during the halftime thing that happened, and I realize it doesn’t really matter what he says,” Simmons said of Jordan.
“His insights, his observations, his thoughts about the league, it just doesn’t matter. Because anything he says, I’m captivated. He told some story about he rented a house, there was a basketball court. I didn’t even know what happened, and I was nodding like, ‘Yeah, this is great Michael Jordan.’
“He might be the first person who’s ever been on a pregame or halftime show where I literally don’t care what he says. I just like having him around. It’s just nice to have MJ,” Simmons concludes.
That seemed to be the general sentiment from most viewers. Would it be nice to have Jordan comment a bit on the modern NBA? Absolutely, and those segments are hopefully coming. But honestly, most people are just happy he’s involved, regardless of what he’s talking about.
That’s not to say these segments won’t get old if it becomes clear that Jordan doesn’t want to talk ball. For now, though, NBC will take having the mere presence of His Airness on its own air, regardless of the contents.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.