With NBC’s return to NBA coverage now just a day away, we’re learning more about the role that Michael Jordan will play on its broadcasts.
During Sunday’s broadcast of Sunday Night Football, NBC ran a promo previewing Tuesday night’s season-opening doubleheader. And that included footage of Mike Tirico interviewing His Airness, which marked the first look at Jordan in his role as a “special contributor” for the network.
An NBA on NBC promo on SNF, including a look at Mike Tirico interviewing Michael Jordan. 🏈🏀📺🎙️ #NFL #NBA #SNF pic.twitter.com/Y9jA179Rnu
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 20, 2025
In a release on Monday, NBC shared further details regarding the Hall of Fame shooting guard’s role. And it appears that his main contribution will come in the form of a segment titled ” MJ: Insights to Excellence,” with the first edition airing during Tuesday’s doubleheader.
While the release states that the series will air “throughout the season,” it’s currently unclear how often it will do so. It has also yet to be revealed whether such segments will be the extent of Jordan’s contributions for NBC, which first announced that the 6-time NBA champion would be a part of its coverage this past May.
Although many were caught off guard by the announcement considering how distant Jordan has remained from the basketball media space during his post-playing career, it quickly emerged that his role with NBC was expected to be a limited one. Shortly after the news was first announced, CNBC’s Alex Sherman reported that the 62-year-old legend would appear “in taped segments during the season to provide analysis that will air during pregame shows or halftime shows.”
The announcement of “MJ: Insights to Excellence” seems to confirm that, with the segment seemingly featuring Tirico interviewing Jordan. But while the role might seem underwhelming to some, it will undoubtedly still attract plenty of attention, as it hasn’t been often that the player many consider to be the greatest of all time has weighed in on the current state of the game.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.