Michael Jordan established himself as a billionaire through two main avenues of income: being the chairperson of the Charlotte Hornets and receiving a 5% royalty on ever Jordan sneaker being sold. The former of these two, made him the only black majority stakeholder in an NBA team in the entire league.
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Despite being the President of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards and also having been a Chicago Bulls legend for nearly 13 seasons, it was the Hornets (then Bobcats) that piqued his interest.
This of course, has to do with the fact that he grew up in North Carolina and even attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for 3 years. Charlotte being the only team in NC, Jordan knew he had to look to purchase it.
He did so in 2010 by paying $275 million for the team. Now, the Hornets are valued at well over $1.5 billion.
Michael Jordan claimed that the next thing on his bucket list was to bring a championship to Charlotte
In a sequel interview to his 2005 sit-down with Cigar Aficionado, Michael Jordan was asked what was next on his bucket list. In response, he said, “Winning a championship in Charlotte. That to me, is huge. I think the city deserves it. It’s gone through a lot.”
Of course, being the owner of a competitive sports team, you’ve obviously got to have that on your bucket list. Though, ever since 2010, the Bobcats/Hornets have not made any noise in the postseason.
The 2012 Bobcats infamously won 7 games in the lockout season. They would make the Playoffs merely twice in the 2010s, both outings being against the Miami Heat where they would lose in the first round.
Kemba Walker was certainly the superstar of the decade for the Hornets but with Jordan not wanting to give him a max contract, Charlotte entered yet another rebuild.
Can the Charlotte Hornets build a championship contender around LaMelo Ball?
They most certainly can. However, aside from Ball, the Hornets don’t have any other pieces that are as talented and young as him. Miles Bridges will most likely never play for an NBA team ever again and guys like JT Thor and Kai Jones feel a bit too raw to put out on an NBA court for extended minutes.
Michael Jordan made the right decision by not maxing out Kemba Walker. Hopefully he can continue to make such decisions down the line to place solid talent around LaMelo.
Also read: Michael Jordan Once Caused His Bulls to Lose $100,000 During the NBA Playoffs
