It’s going to be a sad day when MJ isn’t at the forefront of the NBA. Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan has been in talks with outside businessmen and his own minority owners as he is looking to sell his majority stake in the team.
I know Michael Jordan has been a pretty bad owner (which is putting it mildly) during his tenure as the Hornets boss, but it’s going to be sad to no longer see MJ taking a front and center role in an NBA organization.
Yeah, all Charlotte Hornets fans are probably rejoicing with this news as the team has averaged 33 wins/season, 45 losses/season, the Hornets have never won the Southeast division title, they’ve only made the playoffs 3 times in 14 seasons, they’ve failed to get out of the 1st round of the playoffs ever since a team was put back in Charlotte, and the Hornets have had some awful draft blunders (trading SGA pick, drafting Malik Monk over Donovan Mitchell, etc.) in the 14 seasons Michael Jordan has been in charge.
Simply out, even though MJ is the G.O.A.T. of basketball, he’s most definitely not the G.O.A.T. of NBA ownership.
Still, I’m going to miss seeing MJ seethe on the Hornet’s bench and bark out at both players and referees alike when a call or score goes against his side. Which, as the average 33-45 record tells, happens a lot.
Just having the presence of Michael Jordan as the face of this franchise, even though he’s now a 60-year-old owner, gives the Hornets 10X the credibility, respect, and media coverage a bottom feeder organization) such as this franchise has been since its inception in 2003/04) would normally receive.
Yes, having Lamelo Ball as the de facto franchise superstar on the court has helped attract new fans and media interest to professional basketball in North Carolina, but having MJ be the go-to figurehead is something else entirely.
I mean, every single media talking head and morning debate show has mentioned Jordan’s name at least 3-4 times an hour in some sort of stupid comparison/gotcha-argument as he’s that vital and monumental to the game of basketball. Despite not playing a minute of basketball since 2001, Michael Jordan is still one of the two most talked about and recognized players in the world (the other being LeBron James).
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson saved the NBA from irrelevancy in the 1980’s, but Michael Jordan and his 1990’s Chicago Bulls rocketed basketball up the viewership rankings to be the second most popular sport in North America today.
Nonetheless, I hope Michael Jordan instead seeks to surrounds himself with NBA executives, scouts, GMs, coaches, etc. that are more in tune with the modern NBA and how the league operates as opposed to giving up the controls of the team.
The Hornets have some good pieces and players already, such as Lamelo Ball, P.J. Washington, Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre Jr., but need guidance in the managerial aspects of the game to develop into a playoff contending team. Jordan only needs to surround himself with competent people, rather than sell the team outright.
But, if he is simply done with the NBA after 50+ years (as a player, de facto GM, league ambassador, and owner), then I salute him for his monumental contribution to the game.
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