Five years—no commentary, no network presence, just the legend watching quietly from the sidelines. But now, Michael Jordan is back on our screens, this time as a “special contributor” for NBC’s NBA coverage. And why is it special? After more than two decades, the NBA is coming home to NBC this October! If you grew up on ’90s hoops, this is the comeback you’ve been waiting for. Think epic playoff showdowns, the iconic Roundball Rock theme, and that Saturday-Sunday excitement that made NBA on NBC must-watch TV. The original run may have ended in 2002, but with the league booming again, it’s the perfect time to bring back that magic! And just like everyone, here’s Dwyane Wade, jumping into the conversation.

And why is Jordan’s inclusion important? After staying largely off-camera since The Last Dance and keeping a low profile in basketball since retiring in 2003, His Airness returns just as NBC signs an 11-year, $2.5 billion deal to bring the NBA home. So, you can’t keep Wade calm.

On the Good Word with Good Will podcast, the interviewer asked D-Wade about Jordan’s upcoming return to TV as a special contributor for NBC’s NBA coverage. Specifically, he was asked which version of MJ we might see on screen—the fiery, ultra-competitive legend we glimpsed at the NBA 75 celebration, or the polished, corporate pitchman fans are more used to nowadays?

Wade paused before answering, then said, “Listen… I hope we get that Michael Jordan. We all listen Mike. Mike is Mike, man. Mike don’t have to do anything, you know what I mean. And if he going to do it, then they might give us what we need. Give us the Mike with the cigar and with the Syncoro. We want that, Mike.” You could hear the excitement in his voice—the kind only true fans and former players share when talking about someone who shaped the game.

That image? Classic MJ. The GOAT just chilling, cigar in hand, talking the game like only he can. Not some TV-friendly cutout—but the real deal, unfiltered legend energy. And beyond the TV role, Wade really captured why this moment matters: “I don’t know how it’s going to be on network TV, but I just think it’s great to have his voice back as part of the game. Like, we need our greats, our GOATs, to be part of this game as much as possible.”

Wade might’ve just let slip a little insider scoop on what Jordan’s NBC debut is going to look like—and it sounds anything but ordinary. “I know them trophies going to be behind him when he talking somewhere in this special contributor role,” Wade said, painting a picture that’s more legend’s lair than studio set. “He ain’t going to be in the studio, going to be in something nice… and so I can’t wait to hear him talk about the game.” The whole vibe? Less sports desk, more iconic moment loading.

But Wade wasn’t the only one who expressed how much we all want to see the easygoing, cigar-holding Mike on screen.

Stephen A. Smith’s take on MJ’s cigar ritual

You could almost hear the insider’s wink in Stephen A. Smith’s voice when he dropped this line: “You might want to let him smoke his cigars.” He let that pause hang for a second, like he was giving us a sneak peek into something we didn’t know we needed. “The Michael Jordan smoking a cigar is a little bit different from a Michael Jordan that ain’t,” Smith said. And trust me, when MJ is relaxed with that cigar in hand, he’s not holding back—he gets real outspoken. And that’s the MJ we all want to see on TV, right? The one who’s just chilling, saying whatever’s on his mind.

Now, it’s not just about the cigars themselves, but what they represent. For Jordan, it’s been part of his ritual since 1991, right after his first championship win. As he told Cigar Aficionado, “He’s a big cigar smoker.” That first cigar came courtesy of Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, and it was from that moment on that cigars became MJ’s personal signature—his calm before the storm, his moment of celebration.

But it wasn’t just post-game indulgence—no, by 1993, Jordan was smoking a cigar before every home game. “Nobody knew,” said Marvin Shanken of Cigar Aficionado, “but on the way to every Bulls home game, because he’s in the car for an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half, he smoked a cigar.” It was his way of mentally gearing up, getting into that zone before hitting the court.

And what does all of this mean for us as fans? Well, when Stephen says, “Trust me, y’all, you want to see that brother on television,” it’s not just about MJ’s greatness on the court—it’s about the persona he brings. Michael Jordan with a cigar in hand? That’s a man who’s relaxed, who’s confident, and who’s ready to drop knowledge.

As Smith put it, “If the man is talking to you about basketball, what the hell are you going to say? If Michael Jordan was to sit up and say, ‘That brother can’t play,’ who going to refute it?” The truth is, when MJ speaks, we all listen. It’s the perfect blend of wisdom and swagger, and it’s exactly the kind of MJ we need back on our screens.

So here we are—decades removed from his last game, yet still waiting for Michael Jordan to show up and speak his truth. This time, not as a player, not as an owner, but as the game’s most trusted voice. If that voice just so happens to be holding a cigar? Even better.