Nick Young made a bold statement Saturday evening after NBA labor negotiations ended with little progress. The Wizards guard was so upset he tweeted that he would no longer wear Michael Jordan shoes.
“I’m not wearing Jordans no more can’t believe what I just seen and heard from MJ,” he wrote.
Young is upset because Michael Jordan reportedly is leading a group of owners who refuse to give the players any more than 47% of basketball related income. Not only is Jordan making it extremely difficult for the sides to agree on a deal, he’s also proven to be a hypocrite now that he’s an owner rather than player.
Jordan said during the 1998-1999 lockout that NBA owners who couldn’t afford their teams should sell. When he was a player, he also fought against an offer from the owners he didn’t think was fair. “[David Stern] wouldn’t recommend that; he wouldn’t accept that deal from a business standpoint so why would he ask the players to do that?” he said at the time.
But now that he’s on the opposite side as an owner of a team losing money (the Charlotte Bobcats), Jordan doesn’t care about principles; he just wants the best deal for himself. A few players have called him a hypocrite as a result.
Pacers swingman Paul George tweeted that Jordan wants players to get no more than 37% of basketball related income.
Warriors rookie Klay Thompson responded to George by saying “You think the 1996 MJ would pull this? Straight hypocrite bro.”
George agreed with Thompson saying that Jordan was a “straight hypocrite” who “should’ve been the first one behind [the players].”
It’s amazing to see the way Jordan is derailing negotiations, though it’s not too surprising. He infamously refused to take political stands because he feared it would hurt business sales. Now that he owns an NBA team, he refuses to lose money.
Once again, the same man who has ripped Kobe Bryant, ripped LeBron James, and skipped Carmelo Anthony’s wedding, is treating today’s players like they don’t matter. What a shame Jordan. I’d say I was disappointed in you, but that would be no different from what I said two years ago.
Chest bump to Eye on Basketball, Alex Kennedy
