And the GOAT returns. 

NBC announced recently that no less than Michael Jordan will grace their broadcasting booth when the NBA returns to their platform next season. Meaning, from October, you will hear His Airness analyzing, dissecting, and debating about matches along with his peers. Maybe while puffing a cigar, too. 

Of course, NBC is tapping into fan nostalgia of the ’90s, when Jordan’s surge to the top coincided with the broadcast giant’s coverage of basketball. Indeed, as many who grew up idolizing MJ wrote on social media, it’s a return to their formative years.

But putting MJ in front of the mic (where was he for the last five years, again?) will have a deeper impact. Both for NBC and for the entire hoop culture surrounding the six-time NBA Champion. 

What do we know so far? 

The role has yet to be formally confirmed. Jordan’s presence in the broadcast booth isn’t expected for every match. Sportico reports the role is fluid; they are still sketching out the plan. The full schedule will take a more concrete shape before the 2025-26 season kicks off. But let’s put the nitty-gritty details on the side for a second. 

Is there any serious doubt that Jordan’s return will be a phenomenon as well? 

• The 1998 NBA Finals is still the most-watched edition of the tournament, averaging 28M viewers. [FOS]
• The Last Dance (2020) is ESPN’s most-watched documentary ever. [CNN]
• In the fiscal year 2023, Air Jordan raked in $6.6B in revenue for Nike. [RunRepeat]

In fact, our internal data also reveals the impact Michael Jordan still holds over the NBA fans.

• Last year, 8M NBA fans viewed Michael Jordan-related coverage at EssentiallySports.
• That’s just 1.9M fewer views than LeBron James-related coverage and 2.9M more than Steph Curry-related coverage.
• In fact, Jordan’s daughter, Jasmine, mourning the loss of the family pet, drew 3.23M eyeballs from fans.

So, for the NBA, for NBC, and for Michael Jordan as well, this move makes perfect sense. “The NBA on NBC was a meaningful part of my career, and I’m excited about being a special contributor to the project,” the six-time NBA champion said in the press release. But beyond the impact on this holy trinity, Jordan’s return will leave a mark on people of color. 

Michael Jordan Could Lead the Charge for Diversity and Inclusion

Michael Jordan likes to lay it on the line. Who else would use the Hall of Fame podium as a stage to speak out against the establishment? Well, Jordan did. And now that he will be in the booth, you can expect more fireworks from him. And he has been relatively quiet since the release of ‘Last Dance’. 

An outspoken MJ will influence the young, aspiring basketball players. It will surely be a confidence boost for the stars. After all, Jordan was the first black hooper in many ways: 

• • No black sports icon before him drew in as mammoth deals as Jordan did with Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and more.
  • Jordan was the first black majority owner of an NBA franchise, the Charlotte Hornets, which he sold for almost a 100% return. 
  • MJ was the first basketball player to reach a career earnings of $1B, mostly leveraging his personal branding. 

Jordan never conformed to any expectation of who he should be as a person on and off the court, said sports historian Johnny Smith. And while he has never explicitly aligned himself with any movement, the six-time NBA champion has spoken about his childhood encounter with racism in many candid interviews. In 2020, Jordan Foundation donated $100M over 10 years to organizations working to promote equality. 

Then the ‘Be Like Mike’ campaign resonated in every black household. MJ still stands as an icon who built an image of himself and controlled the surrounding narrative. When Jordan became the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, maintaining diversity and inclusion in the C-suite role was one of his top priorities. As Scoop Jackson wrote in an ESPN piece, “His contribution to the race has been by providing power but not by voice.”

Well, the NBC job will perhaps give him that too.