Charles Barkley was excited for Michael Jordan to enter the NBA media space with NBC, but the highly anticipated partnership has already been a huge letdown.
Like most of us, Barkley was initially “shocked” last year when NBC announced Jordan was joining their NBA coverage as a “special contributor” this season. Barkley didn’t know what Jordan’s role was going to be, but he knew Jordan wasn’t going to do a lot. That ended up being an understatement.
While many wondered whether Jordan was going to be in-studio for big games or maybe even serve as an analyst on occasion, his role at NBC has been limited to just one interview conducted by Mike Tirico, with clips from the conversation being sprinkled throughout the season. And according to Tirico, there are no current plans for a second interview.
Earlier this week, Barkley joined Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson on SiriusXM NBA Radio where he was asked about Jordan’s rookie season in media. And like just about every NBA fan, Barkley feels led on by NBC’s partnership with Jordan.
“I was excited to have Michael because Michael Jordan is the reason we all make this money from the NBA,” Barkley said. “We need Michael Jordan affiliated with the NBA. But now you see this thing coming out with NBC and you’re like, ‘Wait, you all did one interview five months ago and you’re all gonna sprinkle it throughout the season?’ Come on, man. That’s disingenuous by NBC. That’s crazy. I’m so disappointed at the way that worked out.”
“It’s a bad look for NBC, it’s just a bad look, plain and simple,” Barkley added. “They couldn’t fly to Michael like once a month and do a new interview? That makes NBC look really bad, plain and simple.”
The interview between Jordan and Tirico has created for some interesting clips and conversation starters. But Jordan’s role with NBC was initially hyped as if he were returning to the NBA. And if Jordan’s role with the NBA on NBC remains limited to one interview, then it feels misrepresented. No other network or media entity conducts a long-form interview and claims the subject as their own, nor should they.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com