Ahead of the 2025-2026 NBA season, there was considerable excitement over the return of the NBA on NBC block. It was revealed early on that the network was scooping up a lot of former players to serve as broadcasters and analysts, and that included Michael Jordan. Last summer, Jordan was hired as a “special contributor,” with fans expressing enthused feelings over the hiring. However, Jordan’s role hasn’t quite been what viewers were expecting, and that’s led to backlash. Now, Mike Tirico is sharing thoughts.
There was much secrecy surrounding Jordan’s role early on. Ultimately, during NBA on NBC and Peacock’s first doubleheader of the season, fans were treated to the first installment in a segment called MJ: Insights to Excellence. As it was revealed, Insights would be made up of portions from a pre-taped interview between Jordan and Tirico, with each episode showing the pair discussing a different topic from that convo.
Michael Jordan’s segment swiftly garnered backlash from fans who took to X and other social media platforms to voice their dissatisfaction. Based on the reactions, a number of viewers were hoping to see real-time analysis from MJ as opposed to various bits from a single interview. Now, Mike Tirico has shared an update that will surely be disappointing, as he confirmed to SI Media With Jimmy Traina that Jordan has not committed to any further interviews. When addressing the blowback, Tirico shared a personal take:
Was it what everyone wanted? Probably not. Was it better than not hearing from Michael Jordan? You’re damn right it was. And if we get another shot at it, will I be more than excited to be part of it? You betcha.
The veteran broadcaster – who’s also worked at ABC and ESPN – also clarified that his interview with Jordan ran for about an hour and 45 minutes. Most notably, the six-time NBA champion was reportedly paid millions of dollars to do the sit-down interview. Tirico’s comments also come weeks after NBC Sports President Rick Cordella discussed his hope to keep working with Jordan. During his recent interview, Tirico spoke more about the Jordan segments and, while they aren’t live, he weighed in on why they’re still valuable in his eyes:
Here’s what I come away with: Every time one [of the interview segments] airs, people say, ‘This is from the same interview,’ but they also talk about what he said. Michael said this. Isn’t this interesting[?] It starts a topic of conversation. His voice still resonates. And the time he uses his voice it’s with us, then I think it’s additive to what we do as a network.
By all accounts, Mike Tirico has been enjoying the resurgence of NBA on NBC (which went off the air for the second time in 2002). Tirico previously hyped up his fellow analysts, and it would seem those positive feelings extend to his interview with Jordan, regardless of the blowback:
Are there a ton of topics you’d love to get to? Of course. But Michael wanted to talk about where he sees the game right now. And we haven’t heard a lot of that. It was interesting. It was fun. It was good perspective. My takeaway was how much he cares about the game still. He loves the game. And in some regards [he] doesn’t love the direction of the game and wanted to talk about it. It was a great forum. His longevity and connection with the NBA on NBC made it possible.
Mike Tirico confirmed that MJ: Insights to Excellence would continue to air throughout the remainder of the season. While the segment definitely hasn’t been what many people expected, Tirico does still make a fair point that despite the backlash, the interview is still generating buzz due to fans dissecting Jordan’s thoughts. Keep an eye out for more of Jordan’s interview by checking out NBA on NBC. Be sure to watch it on traditional TV, or grab a Peacock subscription to stream it.
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