NBA icon Michael Jordan might have retired from basketball long back but he still remains connected with the game through his $1.7 billion team, Charlotte Hornets. Whenever news breaks out surrounding MJ and his team, it disrupts the hoops world and this time was no different. Lately, a piece of news emerged in the basketball world that unveiled the six-time champion is reportedly looking forward to selling majority stakes in Hornets.

This news drew reactions from many including ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who in fact suggested that trust issues might be one of the key reasons behind his selling. Jordan’s tenure as an NBA owner is seemingly the worst possible tenure for an owner as the Hornets made it to the playoffs only two times since His Airness purchased the team in 2010. However, the noted analyst viewed his tenure as an NBA owner through a different lens.

Stephen Smith on how Michael Jordan is willing to sell

In the latest episode of ESPN’s First Take, Smith said “It doesn’t bother me,” after coming across the news surrounding MJ. Moreover, the now 55-year-old went on to say everybody should commemorate the former Chicago Bulls for the way how he has contributed to the game till now. Subsequently, Smith proceeded to give his take on MJ willing to become a minority owner of the Hornets.

He said, “He [Michael Jordan] is such a superstar… I don’t think he’s ever had the freedom of just being an owner and hiring folks just to make basketball decisions. Because he is who he is, trust matters so much that getting the right person in there is second to having people you can trust. And that’s always been a very, very difficult proposition for him, which is what I think gets in the way sometimes of having better people within the organization.”

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The analyst continued, “He’s got some good people within the organization, but he’s had some challenges obviously, and I think that’s played a significant role in some of the struggles.” He finished by saying that he liked the idea of Jordan selling his stake and staying as a minority owner as the 14x All-Star would still be able to make a profit from it.

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The interesting thing about Smith’s statements are that they echoed what Barkley said about the former Bulls player almost a decade ago. The 11x All-Star criticized his now ex-best friend by saying he wouldn’t be a good general manager if he doesn’t stop hiring people-pleasers around him. Jordan didn’t take his comments lightly and from there on stopped talking with him.

Smith, just like Barkley pointed out that MJ became selective while hiring the people around him due to his immense fame. The only difference was that Sir Charles criticized him while Smith presented the same opinion in defense of the arguably greatest player of all time.

Jordan’s bag of money if he sells

The 14x All-Star bought it for $275 million in 2010 from Bob Johnson. The current valuation of the team is around $1.7 billion. Hence one could understand that he would make a fortune if he sells his stakes now or in the near future. His Airness is reportedly keen on selling his stakes to Hornets minority owner Gabe Plotkin and Atlanta Hawks minority owner Rick Schnall.

Watch this story- How much does Michael Jordan earn from the Hornets’ ownership?

What are your thoughts on Michael Jordan planning to sell his majority stake in Hornets? Do you think a change in ownership would be beneficial for them? Let us know in the comments below.