As the 2024-25 NBA season draws to a close, so does TNT’s coverage of league action. But there will be no lack of basketball broadcasting, as the NBA is returning to NBC for the first time since 2002 and will feature a new on-air personality, Michael Jordan.
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The Chicago Bulls legend doesn’t often show his face in the media, but that is soon to change. Jordan has agreed to be a special contributor for NBC in the upcoming NBA season, though details of MJ’s position have yet to be released.
Many widely consider the six-time NBA champion as the greatest basketball player ever. The question now becomes, what type of personality will Jordan have in the media? Shaquille O’Neal seems to know the answer.
O’Neal doesn’t hesitate to criticize players if he believes they deserve it. Of course, Jordan is ubercompetitive, so we could also hear some harsh words from him about the players he’s covering. Shaq seems to be okay with that, believing that if anyone should be able to speak how they like, it’s MJ.
“First of all, if anyone says Michael Jordan is hating, you’re an idiot,” O’Neal proclaimed in an interview with Ashley Nevel. “This man is the only man on Earth with a G19 classification. Higher than the President of the United States.”
The term doesn’t have a literal significance. It’s a reference to the hit comedy film, “Rush Hour.” But Shaq’s math is quite simple: The higher the classification, the more importance it holds.
Showing a little envy of the younger current players, the Lakers legend revealed that he would welcome the chance to be on the receiving end of Jordan’s criticism.
“I would love to be playing right now,” O’Neal revealed. “[If Jordan said], ‘Shaq tries to go to the middle. Maybe he should use finesse [in his] game.’ You know what I’m going to do when I hear that? I’m going to go home and practice all my finesse.”
Shaq would use those words as fuel, so he could say, “Hey, Mr. Jordan, I have finesse in my game too.”
In recent years, many players have been offended by comments made by analysts in the media because many of those experts don’t have the experience to back up their claims. In Jordan’s case, the one thing a player can’t do is say he’s unqualified to speak.
Jordan hasn’t said much about how he’ll cover the NBA for NBC. Regardless of O’Neal’s beliefs, only time will tell what finesse MJ will bring to his media debut.
