Michael Jordan made his debut as a broadcast contributor for NBC at halftime of the NBA season opener between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets, writing a new stanza in his legacy as a basketball figurehead. In an effort to “pay it forward” and further the game, Jordan will appear on select broadcasts throughout the 2025-26 season and offer his perspective on basketball, although his official role and the nature of his appearances is still unclear.
The first segment was a pre-recorded interview at Jordan’s house in which he peeled the curtain back on his relationship with the sport and how and why he aims to be involved moving forward.
Jordan’s post-retirement life has included a diminishing amount of basketball as he places an emphasis on spending time with family. In fact, he said he has not “picked up a ball in years.” The last time the Chicago Bulls legend took a shot was, in true Jordan fashion, at a golf tournament.
“I was at the Ryder Cup, and I rented a house from the owner,” Jordan said. “He came over to do pictures. He had grandkids. I was doing the meet-and-greet, thanked him for allowing me to stay at the house. He had a basketball court. He said, ‘I want you to shoot one free throw.’ I said, ‘Really?’ I already paid for the house; it’s not like he had to see me.
“So when I stepped up to shoot the free throw, it’s the most nervous I’d been in years. The reason being is those kids heard the stories from their parents about what I did 30 years ago. So their expectation is 30 years prior, and I haven’t touched a basketball.”
He made the shot.
“That made my whole week,” Jordan said, “that I was able to please that kid not knowing if I could.”
It has been 22 years since Jordan last suited up in an NBA uniform, and while his playing days are far in the past and it has been years since he last picked up a ball, the five-time MVP said he misses the game dearly.
“Love it like you wouldn’t believe,” Jordan said. “In all honesty, I wish I could take a magic pill, put on shorts and go out and play the game of basketball today. Because that’s who I am. That type of competition, that type of competitiveness is what I live for. I miss it. I miss that aspect of playing the game of basketball. Being able to challenge myself against what people see as great basketball. But it’s better for me to be sitting here talking to you as opposed to popping my Achilles and I’m in a wheelchair for a while.”
With playing out of the equation, Jordan embraced a different method to return to the game. He said that professional athletes have an obligation to pay it forward to future generations. Jordan is far from the only big-name athlete to take on a prominent role in broadcasting in recent years, but his status as arguably the greatest to ever dribble a ball gives his position immense gravity.