NBA fans will hear more from Michael Jordan on NBC this season, but Mike Tirico confirms it’s going to be from the same interview that was conducted months ago.
Tirico joined this week’s episode of SI Media with Jimmy Traina, and during the interview, the renowned NBC play-by-play voice was asked about the network’s relationship with Jordan. Last year, the NBA on NBC created a lot of hype for its reboot season by announcing Jordan as a special contributor.
To date, Jordan’s special contributor role with the NBA on NBC has been limited to one long-form interview conducted by Tirico, with clips from their conversation being sprinkled in throughout the season. As for whether Jordan’s role with NBC will expand beyond that one long-form interview, it doesn’t sound like NBA fans should be expecting anything.
“Nothing scheduled as of now that I know of, but it is a possibility,” Tirico told Traina. “I hope there’s something else after it. Michael was awesome.”
Tirico said he spent two days with Jordan before the NBA season tipped off. The first day was just them talking and spending time together, the second day was the recorded interview which lasted about one hour and 45 minutes.
“Are there a ton of topics you’d love to get to? Of course,” Tirico continued. “But Michael really wanted to talk about where he sees the game right now, and we haven’t heard a lot of that. It was interesting, it was fun, it was good perspective. My takeaway was how much he cares about the games still. He loves the game, and in some regards, doesn’t love the direction of the game.”
Tirico’s right, we haven’t heard a lot from Michael Jordan on where he sees the NBA today, and it has been good perspective. The problem with the highly touted NBA on NBC partnership with Jordan, is that we still haven’t heard a lot from him.
“Was it what everyone wanted? Probably not,” Tirico admitted of Jordan’s special contributor role. “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 a part of it? You bet ya. 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 that he hasn’t done in a long, long, long time.”
“Every time one airs, people say, ‘Oh, this is from the same interview.’ But they also talk about what he said,” Tirico told Traina. “It starts a topic of conversation. His voice still resonates.”
From everything we’ve been able to watch of the long-form interview, Michael Jordan and Mike Tirico were both great. The insight has been a welcome addition whenever it’s available to an NBA on NBC broadcast. But if Jordan’s partnership with the NBA on NBC remains limited to just one interview, it feels like his role may have been slightly misrepresented.
No other network or media entity conducts a long-form interview and announces the subject as a special contributor. Yes, fans have still enjoyed the insight and hearing from Jordan, as limited as it may be. But if his special contributor role with the NBA on NBC doesn’t expand beyond one interview, everyone will be left wishing for more.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com