Five years passed with zero live-network NBA commentary from Michael Jordan, even as NBC quietly secured an 11-year, $2.5 billion broadcast deal. Now, in a move few saw coming, he resurfaces on NBC as a “special contributor” just weeks ago . Stephen A. Smith – Jordan’s long-time confidant – insists there’s one off-camera ritual NBC mustn’t interrupt if it wants unfiltered MJ on air. What happens when basketball’s fiercest competitor finally relaxes on live TV?

For the first time since retiring in 2003, MJ is stepping back into the spotlight in a way that feels both surprising and perfectly timed. Since The Last Dance, Jordan has largely avoided camera interviews. It’s a full-circle moment—the very network that once carried his prime to living rooms around the world is now welcoming him back, not as the face of a franchise, but as a voice of the game itself.

And with a move this major, you better believe the buzz is loud—and leading the charge is none other than Stephen A. Smith. As someone who also happens to be close with MJ, he had one piece of advice for NBC. Not technical. Not corporate. He started off smooth: “My only suggestion would be to NBC… and I’m just giving you some friendly advice,” he said, making it clear this wasn’t about networks or rivalry. “Even though it’s not ESPN or ABC. It’s a competitor like NBC.” The message?

You could hear it in his low voice, but also in that insider’s wink, like he was letting us in on something sacred. “You might want to let him smoke his cigars,” he said, pausing just enough to let that settle. “Because the Michael Jordan smoking a cigar is a little bit different from a Michael Jordan that ain’t. The Michael Jordan that smoked those cigars gets very, very relaxed. When he’s very, very relaxed, he tends to be a bit more outspoken. And that dude, trust me y’all—you want to see that brother on television.” Stephen didn’t have to say it—but he did anyway, because the truth is too good not to say out loud: that version of MJ? “Trust me, y’all,” Stephen said with a grin in his voice, “you want to see that brother on television.”

Smith saved his best line for last. “Just think for a second—I’m not talking about statistical data that you could analyze, dissect, and refute,” he said. “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? If he says ‘That brother can’t close,’ who you think is going to refute it?”

Smith’s mic-drop: “I’m telling you—it’s going to be must-see television, no matter what. ’Cause Michael Jordan speaks, we’re going to listen. But especially if the brother got a cigar in his hand.”

So why will Jordan’s cigar habit translate to must-see TV?

Michael Jordan’s secret weapon: The cigar ritual

Have you ever noticed how, when Michael Jordan lights up a cigar, it feels like more than just a smoke break? That’s because for MJ, cigars have always been bigger than just a habit—they’ve been a mindset. He smoked his first one in 1991, right after winning his first championship, thanks to Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf. “He’s a big cigar smoker,” Jordan recalled in a 2005 interview with Cigar Aficionado. Ahmad Rashad handed him the next one—and just like that, the ritual was born. From that point on, cigars became MJ’s personal signature of celebration, calm, and confidence.

By 1993, Jordan wasn’t just lighting up after games—he was puffing a whole cigar before every single Bulls home game. “Nobody knew,” said Cigar Aficionado’s Marvin Shanken, “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.” Usually, it was a Hoya de Monterrey Double Corona, helping him relax, refocus, and get mentally ready. Chris Webber once told The Dan Patrick Show that seeing MJ casually smoking a cigar in his Ferrari before a 1997 playoff game was so intimidating, it rattled the whole team. “It was almost like, ‘I lit the cigar. I’m celebrating already.’”

And even now, long after hanging up the jersey, MJ’s love for cigars hasn’t faded—it’s evolved. His favorites? The luxurious Partagas Lusitanias and Cohiba Siglo VI—both full-bodied, bold, and refined, just like him. Sports Rush reported in 2022 that MJ spends between $550,000 and $940,000 on cigars annually. When you’ve developed a billion-dollar brand empire and earned over $90 million in NBA salary, you get to enjoy the high life.

Jordan’s bond with cigars goes beyond a personal habit—it represents his preparation, confidence, and commanding presence. From his pre-game routine to his post-NBA life, cigars have remained a constant symbol of his success.