Michael Jordan’s second NBC segment appeared to be from same interview as his first

On Tuesday, NBC aired the second installment of its highly anticipated “MJ: Insights to Excellence” series featuring Michael Jordan.

But if you thought you were watching a re-run of Mike Tirico’s first sit-down conversation with “His Airness,” you likely weren’t alone.

As perhaps best evidenced by both Jordan and Tirico wearing the exact same wardrobes while seated in the exact same setting as the initial segment, all indications are that both conversations were filmed during the same interview. In addition to a teaser that first aired on the NBA’s opening night, all three Michael Jordan segments that NBC has now aired appear to be from the same session.

Asked by Awful Announcing earlier this week whether Tuesday’s segment would be from the same interview as the first, NBC declined to answer, stating, “we’re not providing any additional information.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m part of the reason why everybody tries to get a logo. But the thing is, that brand was established based on what I did on the basketball court. I didn’t put the brand before I put the work.” – Michael Jordan pic.twitter.com/YLdt42UGNM

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 3, 2025

While Jordan’s role as a “special contributor” to NBC is limited in nature, it’s been surprising for many to see it thus far consist of just one sit-down interview spliced into multiple segments. Last month, Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy reported that the 6-time NBA champion “could do” two-three more interviews with Tirico throughout the remainder of the 2025-26 season, which marks NBC’s first as a league rightsholder since 2002.

With the second full-length “MJ: Insights to Excellence” segment coming more than a month after the first one initially aired in late-October, it was certainly worth monitoring whether it consisted of a new interview or was pulled from the same initial conversation. Ultimately, it appears to have been the latter, with this segment featuring Jordan discussing “how his passion fueled his NBA career,” while revealing that his contract as a player included a clause that allowed him to play in any pickup game he wanted to without the risk of his salary being voided if he got injured (as if the Chicago Bulls or even Washington Wizards would have ever done that. But alas).

While very few would fault NBC for taking what it could get from Jordan as an on-air personality, it would also be tough to argue that these pre-taped segments haven’t felt a little flat, as they’re incapable of focusing on the NBA’s actual current events. At this point, it’s unclear when the next edition of “MJ: Insights to Excellence” will air. But it will be continue to be interesting to see whether it involves a new interview or is a different part of the same one we now seem to have seen three different times.