NBC has been getting a lot of mileage out of a one-on-one interview that Mike Tirico recently conducted with Michael Jordan, and many fans have criticized the conversation for a funny reason.
Jordan was hired by NBC as a “special contributor” after NBA coverage returned to the network this season for the first time in more than two decades. It remains unclear exactly what Jordan’s role will entail, but he has not been seen all that much through the first two weeks of the 2025-26 season.
Prior to the season, Jordan sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Tirico. One of the topics the two discussed was load management, and the six-time NBA champion blasted the concept. Jordan said fans work hard to afford tickets and that players have a responsibility to fulfill as entertainers. You can read more of his comments here.
What some fans pointed out, however, is that Jordan has been engaging in some load management himself. To this point, the only thing M.J. seems to have contributed to NBC is a single interview that the network is stretching out across multiple weeks.
Opining about load management while giving NBC only one interview to use across an entire season is actually very funny https://t.co/JkqgdudtDr
— Shehan Jeyarajah (@ShehanJeyarajah) October 29, 2025
There were rumors that NBC was paying Jordan an astronomical amount of money, but it sounds like those were greatly exaggerated. It has become clear that Jordan is not going to make regular appearances with the network or be anything close to a full-time studio analyst. That has been disappointing for fans who want to hear the 62-year-old’s thoughts on more current events, such as the NBA’s massive gambling scandal.
You can call it load management, but Jordan and NBC probably would prefer to call it a part-time gig.
