His Airness is back—again.
More than 30 years after Michael Jordan announced his return as an NBA player with the famous two-word statement, “I’m back,” the former superstar and NBC Sports used a similar structure to unveil his involvement with the network as a “special contributor.”
Jordan will be part of NBC Sports’s NBA coverage as it regains live rights to the league this fall after a 23-year absence. The network made the announcement Monday morning at an upfront presentation to advertisers in New York.
NBC Sports did not detail exactly how much Jordan will be involved on air, but the role and the designation as a “special contributor” would appear to be less extensive than the most obvious parallel: Fox Sports’s weekly use of NFL icon Tom Brady as its No. 1 game analyst.
The retaining of Jordan, however, dips heavily into 1990s nostalgia, a heyday for NBC Sports’s prior NBA coverage and on the network on which the Jordan-led Bulls won each of their six NBA titles. Among several post-playing basketball endeavors, Jordan most recently was the Hornets owner, but he sold the franchise in 2023.
“Sorry I can’t be with you,” Jordan said in a brief, taped statement at the upfront. “The NBA on NBC was a meaningful part of my career, and I’m excited about being a special contributor to the project. I’m looking forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC launches this fall.”
The Jordan announcement adds to NBC Sports’s presentation at the upfront of its extensive NBA plans on Peacock.
