Ahead of the 80th NBA season, a few things caught the attention of media and fans, like the announcement from “NBA on NBC and Peacock” that, along with their return to broadcasting after 23 years, there would be a star-studded crew, sometimes joined by Michael Jordan.
It wouldn’t have been such big news if it weren’t for the fact that the six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls would be giving his takes about today’s game, something he rarely did since retiring. His aura is so big that it almost went under-the-radar that there will also be former players like Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter joining the team.
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NBC began slowly rolling out clips from his interview with Mike Tirico, in which arguably the greatest player of all time shared his take on today’s game. But out of the blue, news arrived a few days ago that, at least for now, Jordan wouldn’t continue the partnership, sending social media into a frenzy, including voices like Jason Whitlock.
“Goodness gracious. Mike paid off his 2025 golf bets with one hour long interview,” Whitlock wrote on his “X” account.
Jordan reportedly declined to do any further interviews
Whitlock, an outspoken analyst, was responding to a parody account claiming MJ earned $80 million for a single 1-hour-and-45-minute interview. Later, some relevant media clarified that the actual figure was likely much lower, still a staggering sum.
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Although unspecified, reports estimate the payment between $20 and $40 million, an absurd amount for one interview if accurate. NBC still has material to release throughout the rest of the season, and judging by reactions so far, every comment from Jordan will be heavily scrutinized.
After all, this is a six-time Finals MVP who nearly single-handedly elevated the league to unprecedented heights, and whose words, 23 years after retiring, still carry immense weight. Yet many, like Whitlock, remain shocked that NBC would pay such a sum for one appearance. All of that led Tirico to address the backlash.
“Was it what everyone wanted? Probably not. Was it better than not hearing from Michael Jordan? You’re damn right it was. Are there a ton of topics that you would love to get to? Of course. But Michael really wanted to talk about where he sees the game right now. And we haven’t heard a lot of that, so it was interesting, it was fun, it was good perspective.”
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NBC hit a home run with MJ
Tirico noted that even if it wasn’t the interview fans imagined, perhaps even a chance to grill someone like LeBron James, Jordan still provided his unique insight into today’s game, something rarely heard since he last laced them up.
From a purely financial perspective, NBC took a gamble and lost in the short term, but in the long run, this project could be a home run, giving them an edge over other networks that, it must be said, are doing a fantastic job this season. As long as they have someone like Jordan on their crew, in whatever role, they are simply at an advantage over other networks covering the NBA.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.