Everything We Learned From Michael Jordan’s Stint on ‘NBA on NBC,’ Which Wasn’t Much at All

It turns out Michael Jordan’s first season with NBC was his Last Dance after all.

Earlier this week, Front Office Sports reported that Jordan is not expected to return to NBC Sports’ coverage of the NBA this upcoming season, ending his tenure after a short-lived debut that left the basketball world wanting more.

Last May, NBC—preparing for its first year of live NBA coverage since 2002—announced Jordan would be joining its broadcast team for the 2025-26 season as a “special contributor.” All hoops fans were ecstatic, as Jordan’s appearances in any basketball-related media these days are few and far between. NBC’s Cris Collinsworth only added to the anticipation by saying it would be a “deep dive into the brain of Michael Jordan.”

Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the hype. Instead of appearing live on pregame or postgame coverage and sharing his thoughts on the day-to-day happenings in The Association like fellow former players Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady did on NBC, Jordan’s contributions were solely through one pre-taped sit-down interview with Mike Tirico from the comfy confines of his living room. The footage—labeled “MJ: Insights to Excellence”—was cut up into five different three- or four-minute segments that aired during pregame and postgame shows throughout the year.

Nobody expected Jordan to run through a big screen on set like Shaq on Inside the NBA, but everyone outside of NBC offices were certainly hoping for more interesting discourse from the man who many consider to be the best to ever lace ‘em up.

NBC has done a lot right in its year-plus back covering the NBA, but this was a miss. The interview itself was fine, but it was rather disappointing. As the kids say, it probably could’ve been an email. Even Tirico admitted as much.

“Was it what everyone wanted? Probably not,” Tirico told Sports Illustrated in January. “Was it better than not hearing from Michael Jordan? You’re damn right it was.”

Indeed, hearing something from the GOAT himself was better than nothing. To commemorate the end of Jordan’s short-lived run with NBC, here is everything we learned from his conversation with Tirico:

1. Jordan hasn’t hooped in years

MJ told Tirico that he hasn’t played the game of basketball in years, and he told a great story about the last time he picked up a ball.

Jordan said he was staying at an Airbnb during a recent Ryder Cup, a biennial golf tournament between teams from the United States and Europe that he frequents as a fan. The Airbnb owner had a basketball court on his property and asked Jordan to shoot a free throw in front of his grandchildren.

"When I stepped up to shoot the free throw, it was 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 their expectation is 30 years prior, and I haven't touched a basketball.”

Of course, Jordan swished the shot. Video of the shot resurfaced in the following days after the NBC interview first aired.

Michael Jordan’s story that he told @miketirico is 100% legit. Here’s the original video of it.@NBA @NBAonNBC @espn @SportsCenter @ESPNNBA @CourtsideBuzzX @Ballislife @LegionHoops @TheDunkCentral @JordanMuse_ @HoHighlights https://t.co/eUxUMJvKdP pic.twitter.com/9YVa5RMOlj
— Adam Gilbert (@MyBodyTutor) October 22, 2025

2. Jordan once had a clause in his contract to allow him to play in random pick-up games

The biggest takeaway from “MJ: Insights to Excellence” was that Jordan still is incredibly passionate about the game of basketball. He told Tirico that back in his playing days, he had a clause in his contract that allowed him to play in any basketball game he’d like, even if it was with a couple of randoms at a local park. If he got hurt in that game, his contract was still guaranteed.

“I love the game so much that I would never let someone take the opportunity to play the game away from me,” Jordan said.

3. MJ’s favorite ice cream flavor is butter pecan

Speaking of things Jordan is passionate about, he had plenty to say about his favorite dessert.

“I have a love for ice cream. I mean, real, deep love for ice cream,” Jordan said. “I’m going to do everything I can to find that flavor of ice cream. … Basketball was that type of love for me.”

When asked to name his favorite flavor, Jordan quickly answered with butter pecan.

Did you need to know this? No. But now you do. You’re welcome. Think of Jordan the next time you’re browsing the frozen dessert aisle at your go-to grocery store.

4. Jordan is unbothered by the GOAT conversation

Basically since the day James Naismith invented the game, basketball fans have been debating who deserves the title as the greatest player of all time.

Jordan? LeBron? Wilt? Kobe? MJ simply doesn’t care.

“The GOAT term is something I will never get high or low about. It just doesn’t exist with me,” Jordan said to Tirico. “I never played against Oscar Robinson or Jerry West. I would've loved to. Absolutely loved to. But I actually learned from them. And we paved the way for the Kobes and the LeBrons. To me, that’s the beauty of the game of basketball that a player after a previous player can evolve the game further. But don’t then use that against the player that you learned from.”

So, no, we didn’t get Jordan’s answer if he considers himself a better player than LeBron.

“I would’ve loved to have played Kobe and Bron in my prime. I would’ve loved to play against those guys. But we’ll never be able to know that. … It is an empty comparison because you’ll absolutely never find the true answer to that question.”

Fine, Jordan. We’ll just keep debating it over here.

5. Jordan is not a fan of load management

To Jordan’s credit, he kept a very positive tone throughout the interview about where the game of basketball is headed. The same can’t be said about many retired players from a bygone era. How many times have you been watching a pregame show and the analyst is complaining about the lack of physicality in today’s game, or that players shoot too many threes, or that the big men are too soft in the paint. Instead of adding value to the broadcast, those stale comments just hurt the product.

Jordan kept everything positive, but he did go on a slight rant about load management, a common phrase in the NBA these days as coaches pick spots for their superstars to rest during the grind of an 82-game regular season.

“It shouldn’t be needed, first and foremost,” Jordan said of load management. “I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove myself. … If [fans] are wanting to see you, as an entertainer, I want to put on a show. If guys are coming to watch me play, I don’t want to miss that opportunity.”

Unfortunately for Jordan, his light contributions to the NBC airwaves last season could be looked at as load management. But it was better than nothing, I guess.

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