SI

Mike Tirico Understands Criticism, but Defends NBC’s Usage of Michael Jordan

So far, Jordan’s NBC role as a “special contributor” has consisted of one chopped up interview with Tirico.
Jimmy Traina|
Mike Tirico interviewed Michael Jordan for nearly two hours before the start of the NBA season.
Mike Tirico interviewed Michael Jordan for nearly two hours before the start of the NBA season. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

1. With NBC getting back into the NBA business this season, the network tried to make a splash by announcing that Michael Jordan would be a special contributor to its coverage. Given how little we’ve heard from Jordan over the years, NBC’s hire drew a lot of attention.

Then the season started. And Jordan’s “role” was basically an interview he did with Mike Tirico that NBC chopped up into a few segments that aired over multiple episodes of its studio show. This was not what most fans envisioned when they heard Jordan was going to have a job with NBC as a special contributor.

On the latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina, Tirico pulled back the curtain on Jordan’s role with the network and shared his thoughts on how its played out so far.

Tirico, who revealed that there isn’t another interview with Jordan scheduled, said he spoke with His Airness for about an hour and 45 minutes for that one interview.

“Michael doesn’t talk much, as you know,” said Tirico. “Michael still has so many interests in the game, business interests, with a piece of the Hornets and obviously his involvement with [Jordan Brand]. There’s so much involved there.

“Are there a ton of topics you’d love to get to? Of course. But Michael wanted to talk about where he sees the game right now. And we haven’t heard a lot of that. It was interesting. It was fun. It was good perspective. My takeaway was how much he cares about the game still. He loves the game. And in some regards [he] doesn’t love the direction of the game and wanted to talk about it. It was a great forum. His longevity and connection with the NBA on NBC made it possible.”

Tirico then admitted that the single interview with Jordan was likely not what people expected when NBC said the GOAT would be a special contributor to its NBA coverage.

“Was it what everyone wanted?” asked Tirico. “Probably not. 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 part of it? You betcha."

Tirico teased that we will still see more of that Jordan interview in the future.

“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 he hasn’t done in a long, long, long time—to talk about where the game is right now. And there’s still a few more to come that will still be pitch perfect for the moment, although it’s not gonna talk about Nikola Jokić [getting] injured four weeks ago for Denver. We got a hundred people talking about that. We don’t have the greatest player of all time talking about what he sees as the evolution of the game.”

Despite the interview not being current, Tirico still sees massive value in having Jordan content.

“Here’s what I come away with: Every time one [of the interview segments] airs, people say, ‘This is from the same interview,’ but they also talk about what he said. Michael said this. Isn’t this interesting. It starts a topic of conversation. His voice still resonates. And the time he uses his voice it’s with us, then I think it’s additive to what we do as a network.”

During the podcast interview, Tirico also discussed calling this week’s Rams-Bears game, calling his first Super Bowl on Feb. 8, working the Olympics and much more.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

2. I gave you the wild-card ratings minus Texans-Steelers in Wednesday’s Traina Thoughts. That viewership number is now in and it’s big. ABC/ESPN drew 29.1 million viewers for the game. That number topped NBC’s viewership for the Chargers-Patriots game, which pulled in 28.9 million.

3. I wasn’t totally shocked that New Yorkers couldn’t recognize Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, as you’ll see below via Kyle Brandt and Good Morning Football. What did shock me was how the last guy thought “Macdonald” was spelled.

4. I always enjoy it when an athlete says or does something that is completely relatable to the typical sports fan. If you do too, check out the reaction from Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (at the 2:20 mark of the video below) after Caleb Williams completed the wild fourth-and-8 play in the fourth quarter to keep the Bears in the game against the Packers last Saturday.

5. With Matt Ryan gone, CBS will have Kyle Long and Kirk Cousins join James Brown, Nate Burleson and Bill Cowher for the NFL Today the rest of the postseason. If you tune in, keep an eye on Long. He’s been excellent on studio shows for the past few years.

6. Josh Allen better be prepared for a reporter to ask him about this 2016 tweet from Hailee Steinfeld ahead of Sunday’s Bills-Broncos game.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: I always enjoy going on a nostalgia trip and watching old-school NFL playoff intro videos this time of year. Here’s some Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen from 1988.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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