Dan Le Batard and company engaged in a lively discussion regarding the legacies of Michael Jordan and other NBA legends.
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It’s been a long time since Michael Jordan last wore a Bulls uniform or a Wizards uniform on an NBA court. But the man still remains the world’s most beloved basketball player – 18 years after his veritable last dance. He still competes with LeBron on searches and jersey sales.
In addition to his deal with Nike, Jordan has carved out a unique space for himself as a sporting legend. He’s now an owner of quite a wide portfolio of sporting franchises, not least the NBA and motor sports.
Many of us were outraged to learn the circumstances in which his divorce happened with the Chicago Bulls. People in the sports business knew what went on behind the scenes, but it was only last year that the general public caught up.
Naturally, we’re all really peeved by how the Bulls missed the opportunity to build their brand within sport by not empowering Michael Jordan. When you think about it, would there have been a bigger honor than for him to be a part owner of the Bulls?
Dan Le Batard talks about why Michael Jordan bought his own team in Charlotte
The Dan Le Batard show is known for allowing various hosts to chime on with their own astute insights. The variety of opinion thus generated is what made the show such a success for its fans.
They hit a ton of relevant points today, which is still live on YouTube at the time of writing. Le Batard broke down just why Jordan went on to buy the Bobcats instead of the Bulls:
“You just saw the tension between the management and player empowerment in Chicago. Michael Jordan was probably underpaid his entire career. And at the end as they squeezed the most out of it, Reinsdorf kept backing Jerry Krause till the very end.Satisfying a valued employee – Michael Jordan – should be easier than this.”
“Squeezed out, goes to Washington. Squeezed out – no, but it gets worse, we didn’t cover that in the documentary. The most powerful athlete we’ve ever known now works for Abe Pollin in Washington.”
“Powerhouse, systemic power, rises above the labor force. In Washington, at the end, Michael Jordan was an employee. At the end, he got run out of Washington. They milked the last dollar out of him, and the most popular athlete in sports with no black ownerships says ‘F*** this, I’m gonna be the black owner.”
