Michael Jordan is on the verge of finalizing the sale of his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets. If reports are to be believed, Jordan stands to make a $2 billion profit, after buying the franchise for $180 million back in 2010. And, with the sale almost done, memories of MJ’s ownership have started to resurface. And, one, in particular, was recalled on an episode of the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, where Stephen Jackson revealed how a 47-year-old Jordan once took on the Horners starters and won.
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Jordan, known for his fierce competitiveness and tough demeanor as a player, carried that same mentality into his role as an owner. Whether on the court or in the front office, he ensured his team knew he was the boss and always strived for greatness. Even if that meant showing them up in practice.
Michael Jordan once schooled the Hornets starters on the basketball court at the age of 47
In 2009, prior to Michael Jordan buying the Charlotte Hornets, Stephen Jackson was on the team. During his time there, Jackson survived one of the harshest spells in Hornets’ history. The team was constantly losing and things weren’t exactly going well in the front office. And so, once he bought the team in 2010, Jordan wasn’t too happy.
In fact, as Jackson recalled in a podcast, MJ took it upon himself to teach his starters a lesson. He described how His Airness was incredibly annoyed after the then-Bobcats lost. So, he walked into practice and started trash-talking the team.
However, things got out of hand when a 47-year-old Jordan decided to suit up and play with the second-stringers. One would assume it was just an outburst, and the starters would win easily. After all, they were facing an MJ well beyond his prime. But, as Jackson revealed, an aged Jordan only needed the reserves to beat his starters. Take a look at the tweet below by @shannonsharpeee.
“He was going off…going off, “Look at all the shit I’ve done!”. Just going off on us, right to the point where he gets on the second team in practice. And we lose! This was in 2010. Whatever he had on…he came out there…pushed out the guard, whoever Gerald Wallace was guarding…the two guard…kicked him out…got in that spot, and played with the second team. Our second team weren’t scrubs now, but he scored a couple of points and to the point where he talked so much shit afterward, he grabbed the ball and dunked one on the way out!”
Safe to say Jordan got his point across that day. Unfortunately, it didn’t stick, seeing as MJ has never really seen the Hornets do well during his 13-year tenure as the majority stakeholder.
MJ saw little to no success as the owner of the Charlotte Hornets
Michael Jordan is all set to sell the Hornets for $3 billion. A lofty price, but one that does not reflect how his team performed in the NBA. In fact, during the 13 years as the Hornets’ majority owner, MJ has seen little to no success come the franchise’s way, with a losing record of 423-600.
A record that makes the Charlotte Hornets only the 26th-best team out of 30 in that duration. But, although it certainly isn’t something to be proud of, Jordan’s impact on the team will continue to be felt, regardless of whether he is the majority owner, a minority owner, or has no stake in the franchise at all.
