NBA announcer Mike Tirico addresses the truth behind Michael Jordan's, limited NBC role

NBC’s return to NBA coverage last season offered longtime basketball fans a dose of nostalgia.

The venerable broadcast network regained the league’s rights as part of an 11-year media deal, reviving the iconic theme song that accompanied NBA broadcasts from 1990 to 2002.

Disney-owned ESPN and Amazon Prime Video also joined the deal, which marked the NBA’s move away from longtime broadcast partner TNT.

As NBC prepared to launch its 2025-26 NBA coverage, the network announced that former Chicago Bulls superstar and six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan had been named a "special contributor." Some interpreted the announcement as a signal that Jordan would become a regular presence on the studio desk.

Instead, his role amounted to a single sit-down interview with lead play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico, which NBC split into several segments and aired throughout the season.

MICHAEL WILBON REVEALS JORDAN'S TRUE FEELINGS ABOUT LEBRON MIKE BREEN SAYS FANS 'DESERVE TO BE THROWN A BONE' AS NBA CUTS ALL LOCAL BROADCASTS FROM THE PLAYOFFS Jordan is not expected to reprise his role when the 2026-27 NBA season tips off next Tuesday.

Nearly a year after NBC’s announcement, questions about Jordan's limited involvement continue to linger.

Tirico argued that continued interest in the interview validated NBC’s decision to let Jordan’s limited role speak for itself.

"I love the fact that we did one interview —and you can say what you want about it airing once or being spread out over our series of pregame shows during the year— it’s a year later and people are still talking about it," Tirico said Tuesday in New York City during an onstage interview at the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit.

"And people are still asking about it.

Which, to me, is all the reason that it was completely worth it." Instead of addressing the NBA’s daily headlines or weighing in on current players, Jordan’s interview focused on broader topics, including load management and his enduring love for basketball.

That approach may have disappointed viewers hoping to hear the basketball icon discuss players such as LeBron James or major storylines such as the controversy involving Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers.

Tirico, however, maintains that the segments provided an authentic view of Jordan’s personality.

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