Michael Jordan’s return to the NBA spotlight was supposed to be one of NBC’s biggest draws, but his highly anticipated role quickly turned into a source of frustration for fans. Jordan made only limited appearances during the 2025-26 season.
Now, multiple reports claim he may not be returning for the new season. And needless to say, the latest development has reignited criticism of NBC’s handling of the basketball legend.
Michael Jordan’s NBC Future Triggers Savage Reactions From NBA Fans
Jordan joined NBC ahead of last NBA season as a special on-air contributor, giving the network a major coup. NBC promoted the partnership with a press release that included a quote from Jordan, who said he was “excited” to serve as a special contributor.
However, Jordan’s actual involvement turned out to be far more limited than many expected. His contributions consisted of just five prerecorded segments, all taken from a single interview with Mike Tirico.
Popular analyst Charles Barkley previously called the situation a “bad look for NBC.” Now, a report from Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, which claims Jordan “is not expected to return” to the network, has only intensified the criticism.
While McCarthy left open the possibility that Jordan “could change his mind,” he indicated that such an outcome appears unlikely, triggering reactions from fans.
“Michael Jordan did one interview for NBC, and they stretched it out for the entire season. Diabolical!!!” one said.
Michael Jordan did one interview for NBC and they stretched it out for the entire season. Diabolical!!! https://t.co/bT0D5oAi4r
— Johnny 🤙 (@llcooljohnny91) August 27, 2026
“Michael Jordan leaving his NBC gig after hyping the whole world up about it and doing 1 (one) pretaped interview last September,” a person said.
Michael Jordan leaving his NBC gig after hyping the whole world up about it and doing 1 (one) pretaped interview last September https://t.co/ml2w4JRqEv pic.twitter.com/skQAmrkqOm
— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) August 26, 2026
“You mean his ONE interview that went on for like 40 minutes that got released seconds at a time on NBC. Ya we keep it movin hahah,” a fan said.
“NBC cut one Michael Jordan interview into small segments like DJ Vlad and he said thank you for this paycheck I’ll spend it on craps table,” an NBA influencer added.
Jordan has not been a regular presence in NBA television coverage in any capacity since retiring and has largely focused on business ventures and other interests outside broadcasting.
That made NBC’s announcement particularly significant, as the network appeared to have secured one of the biggest names in basketball history for its return to NBA coverage.
However, Jordan was seen more often on Fox’s NASCAR coverage than on NBC’s NBA broadcasts throughout the season. There were also reports that NBC could conduct two or three more interviews with him during the season, but those additional appearances never materialized.
Fans continued to express their disappointment over how little Jordan actually appeared.
“Wouldn’t even consider him part of the coverage in the first place, what a let down that was,” a fan said.
Wouldn’t even consider him part of the coverage in the first place lmao, what a let down that was
— Sean (@SeanTaIksSports) August 26, 2026
“Return? He didn’t show up the first time,” one added.
Meanwhile, Jordan continues to attract attention away from the basketball court. A Ferrari formerly owned by the NBA legend is set to be auctioned in September after disappearing from public view for more than two decades, only to be rediscovered earlier this year.
