NBC Journalist Reveals Why Michael Jordan Prefers to Stay Out of the Spotlight

Nearly a year after NBC first aired its Michael Jordan interview, Mike Tirico was still defending the decision to bring the basketball legend back to the network. What was supposed to be a major addition to NBC’s NBA coverage had become a talking point of its own, with questions about how much Jordan viewers would actually get to see. The story began in May 2025, when NBC announced Jordan as a “special contributor” ahead of the network’s return to NBA broadcasting. But as the 2025-26 season unfolded, his contribution took a very different shape from what some viewers had expected.