NBA icon Michael Jordan says he hasn’t touched a basketball ‘in years’
Michael Jordan was nervous.
All he had to do was score a free throw, but a lot depended on that one shot.
It had nothing to do with the championship, the scoring title, or the result of any meaningful match.
It was about being Michael Jordan, the man considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time.
In his new role as a special contributor to NBC’s NBA coverage — which returned to the network Tuesday night after a 23-year absence — Mike Tirico interviewed Jordan for a segment titled “MJ: Insights to Excellence.”
In it, the six-time NBA champion, who remains the league’s all-time leader in points per game, made a somewhat startling admission.
“I haven’t caught a ball in years,” Jordan said.
Pressed by a distraught Tirico, Jordan said he was last persuaded to shoot the ball when he was renting a house during the Ryder Cup (he did not specify that it was the most recent edition of the biennial event held last month in Farmingdale, New York).
The house had a basketball court, and the homeowner wanted his grandchildren to see the legendary player play. Jordan agreed to attempt one free throw.
“When you went up to shoot your free throw, that was the most nervous I’ve been in years,” Jordan said. “The reason is because these kids heard their parents’ stories about what I did 30 years ago. So the expectations are 30 years ago, and I haven’t even touched a basketball yet.”
But this is Air Jordan we’re talking about.
He moved it, didn’t he?
right???
“Absolutely,” Jordan said. “The most satisfying event that got me through an entire week was that I was able to satisfy that child, without knowing if I could.”
Jordan retired as a player for the third and final time in 2003. Since then, he has become a highly successful businessman — he was the controlling owner of the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets from 2010 to 2023 (he still maintains minority ownership in the team) and is the controlling owner of the NASCAR Cup Series team 23XI Racing — with a net worth approaching $4 billion.
In addition to his business endeavors, Jordan told Tirico that he strives to spend as much time as possible with his family.
“You never know when you’re at the peak of your career how much time you don’t really have for family,” Jordan said. “This is what I have time to do now. I mean the most precious thing I have is time. So maybe that’s why you don’t see enough of me, because that time I try to spend with family members and things that I’ve been missing for a long time.”
However, Jordan admits that he still loves basketball and wishes he could be on the court playing at his peak.
“Honestly, I wish I could take a magic pill, put on shorts and go out and play basketball today,” Jordan said. “Because that’s what I am. This kind of competition, this kind of competition is what I live for, and I miss it. I miss that aspect of playing basketball, being able to challenge myself against what people consider great basketball.”
“But it’s better for me to sit here and talk to you, rather than hit my Achilles tendon and be in a wheelchair for a while, but it’s nice to be able to share things that can still make the game great in the future.”