Michael Jordan’s sportscaster era was very short-lived and the NBA world was far from satisfied with the sporadic “MJ: Insights to Excellence” on NBC. But bringing him onto one of the most culturally relevant talk shows in basketball would cost the hosts a small fortune on the fairway. For what it’s worth, Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes have tried their best to bring His Airness on All the Smoke.
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The former basketball stars hosted hip-hop icon Jeezy on the podcast this week. So they asked him his dream podcast guest. Like us, the one person Jeezy hopes to see on All the Smoke remains none other than Michael Jordan himself.
“Michael Jordan. I just saw him when I was in Portugal,” Jeezy said, a little surprised when the studio burst into laughter, and Matt Barnes put his hands up.
After all, he’s not the first one to hope MJ would break his media reclusion to come on the show. Stak even pointed out that it’s not for lack of trying, nor do they have any difficulty reaching out to the Black Cat himself. In response, Jeezy perfectly summarized why a full sit-down with the Chicago Bulls legend would be monumental for urban culture and sports media alike.
“You guys are the culture, like the culture needs to hear from him,” Jeezy said. “I feel like a lot of those guys that came out of that era, they’re real. But we never heard him speak in this kind of environment. When you hear people speak and hear their perspective, you get a chance to understand who they are. We just see Jordan, but we don’t really know Jordan. Him coming here would give people a chance just to know him. He’s a dope dude, man. Jordan’s solid.”
With 1.36 million YouTube subscribers, the podcast truly has become part of pop culture, with a finger on the pulse of the basketball world. And having a guest as prestigious as MJ would give all 1.36 million listeners an experience of a lifetime. But while Jeezy suggested a simple pitch might work, Stak disagreed.
Jackson, better known as Stak, won an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003 and has maintained a long-standing personal relationship with Jordan through his endorsement deal with Jordan Brand. He said he’s tried leveraging that connection too. However, securing Jordan for an interview comes with a very specific, competitive catch.
Whenever Stak texts the 6x NBA champion to pitch an appearance on All The Smoke, Jordan’s response is as blunt as it is predictable.
“I text him about the show and he’ll text back, ‘Bring your sorry a— to the golf course and bring your money,'” Jackson revealed, drawing laughs from the studio.
Jeezy wasn’t surprised in the slightest by Jordan’s immediate attempt to turn a podcast booking into a gambling match on the greens. “All he wants to do is gamble,” Jeezy quipped, and Stak confirmed, “He just wants to take something from you.”
But the rapper suggested turning that exact threat to bankrupt Jackson into an opportunity. He told Barnes and Stak to accept Jordan’s terms. The duo agreed, insisting that the crew would happily pack up their equipment and meet Jordan anywhere in the world just to make the episode happen, even if it means recording between swings across an exhausting day on the golf course. And Jeezy seemed on board with the idea.
“We’ll go shoot. We’ll do it right on the golf course.”
“I told him we’ll come anywhere, bro,” Stak said.
But Stak said it will likely be like, “… 32 holes a day,” acknowledging Jordan’s infamous reputation for pulling marathon 36-hole golf sessions while laying down massive wagers.
Jordan’s relentless gambling habits on the golf course have been documented for decades, remaining a core pillar of his larger-than-life persona. His best friend, whom he reconnected with after a decade, Charles Barkley, also confirmed it. According to Barkley, MJ once played 36 holes of golf on the morning of a Team USA game and then spent the entire game tormenting Puerto Rico during the 1991 Tournament of the Americas.
It would be easier to find MJ on a golf course than on TV. He’s been very media-shy since retiring from his playing career, barring the Netflix docuseries, The Last Dance. So when he was announced as NBC’s special contributor last season, it thrilled the basketball community.
It turned into a disappointment when fans realized it was one sit-down interview with Mike Tirico that was broken into segments to air sporadically throughout the season and not very relevant to the ongoing games. Even Barkley criticized NBC for the arrangement.
As of the 2026-27 season, NBC and Jordan have no such agreement to bring him back. But fans are still craving to hear from the legend himself. The prospect of an unedited, raw conversation with Jordan on All The Smoke remains a holy grail for basketball fans. As Jackson noted, getting MJ to agree to an interview might ultimately cost him a few grand on the fairway, but for the culture, it is a trade-off the NBA veteran is more than willing to make.