Basketball legend Michael Jordan is not expected to return to NBC Sports for its coverage of the 2026/27 National Basketball Association season, according to reports.
As it stands, according to Front Office Sports, Jordan is unlikely to feature in the network's basketball programming following a backlash from supporters over his limited airtime during his debut year. The Daily Mail has contacted NBC for comment regarding his status.
Jordan sparked widespread excitement last May when NBC announced that the former Chicago Bulls star would join its broadcasting team as a special contributor. However, rather than providing regular studio analysis, Jordan conducted only a single sit-down interview with host Mike Tirico, which was edited and broadcast across multiple weeks of the season.
Limited airtime and fan complaints
The decision to spread one interview over several weeks drew criticism from viewers who had anticipated frequent commentary from the hall-of-famer. During one segment of the conversation, Jordan questioned the motivation of today's big-money NBA players, asking whether they retained a genuine love for the game.
Jordan, widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, holds extensive commercial interests across the sport. He retains a minority ownership stake in the Charlotte Hornets after selling his majority share in 2023, while his Jordan Brand footwear division remains a major entity in global sportswear.
Host Mike Tirico defends Jordan role
Following the public complaints about Jordan's role, NBC host Mike Tirico defended the partnership during an interview with Sports Illustrated. Tirico highlighted Jordan's busy schedule and business commitments as key factors behind his restricted appearances.
"Michael doesn't talk much, as you know. Michael still has so many interests in the game, business interests, with a piece of the [Charlotte] Hornets and obviously his involvement with [Jordan Brand]," Tirico told Sports Illustrated. "Are there a ton of topics you'd love to get to? Of course. But Michael wanted to talk about where he sees the game right now. And we haven't heard a lot of that."
Tirico emphasized that Jordan's willingness to speak publicly offered rare value for basketball fans, even if the format differed from standard broadcast analysis.
"It was interesting. It was fun. It was good perspective. My takeaway was how much he cares about the game still. He loves the game," Tirico said. "And in some regards [he] doesn't love the direction of the game and wanted to talk about it. It was a great forum. His longevity and connection with the NBA on NBC made it possible."
Future broadcast plans and network perspective
While Tirico acknowledged that the sit-down was "probably not" what "everyone wanted," he maintained that securing Jordan's perspective remained a major win for the network.
"Was it better than not hearing from Michael Jordan? You're damn right it was... and if we get another shot at it, will I be more than excited to be part of it? You betcha," Tirico told Sports Illustrated.
"In our world right now, all you want to do is make the final answer before you know everything. I love that Michael trusted us enough to sit and do something he hasn't done in a long, long, long time - to talk about where the game is right now," Tirico added.
Tirico pointed out that mainstream sports coverage already offers abundant daily analysis on routine news events, such as Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić suffering an injury four weeks ago. In contrast, Jordan's insights provided rare big-picture reflection from the game's most iconic figure.
"And there's still a few more to come that will still be pitch perfect for the moment, although it's not gonna talk about Nikola Jokić [getting] injured four weeks ago for Denver. We got a hundred people talking about that," Tirico said. "We don't have the greatest player of all time talking about what he sees as the evolution of the game."
