Michael Jordan was set to lose $1 Million during the NBA lockout, but got away with a $100,000 slap on the wrist

Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan was fined $100K by David Stern because of his comments regarding Andrew Bogut

The NBA is a league that works when harmony between the owners and the players exists. In 2011, the 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement ended, and both the players and the owners had ideas. Due to the difference in opinions, the players called for a lockout that lasted from 1 July 2011 to 8 December 2011.

The owners wanted a hard cap, just like the NFL. They also wanted a bigger slice, reducing the revenue shared with players from 57% to around 40%. The owners also pushed for un-guaranteed contracts, giving them the ability to cut non-performing players.

The players wanted more guaranteed contracts, just like the MLB. The one thing both players and owners agreed on was getting more money to smaller market teams to help them compete better and get more money for their players.

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Michael Jordan broke the rules of engagement set by NBA Commissioner David Stern. Due to his actions, the Bobcats owner had to pay a hefty fine.

Michael Jordan avoided a considerable fine, got away with a $100K warning

In 2011, NBA executives and team employees were told strictly to not communicate with the players or discuss the lockout and the players. However, the 6x NBA Champion did not pay attention and gave an interview to the Herald Sun.

“The model we’ve been operating under is broken. We have 22 or 23 teams losing money, (so) I think we have gotta come to some kind of understanding in this partnership that we have to realign,” Jordan said.

“I can’t say so much … but I know the owners are not going to move off what we feel is very necessary for us to get a deal in place where we can co-exist as partners. We need a lot of financial support throughout the league as well as revenue sharing to keep this business afloat.

“We have stars like (Andrew) Bogut who are entitled to certain type of demands. But for us to be profitable in small markets, we have to be able to win ballgames and build a better basketball team.”

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With his statement, the Bobcats owner was liable to a $1 million fine. However, David Stern went easy on him and gave him a $100,000 slap on the wrist.