If there’s a big story in sports media, like Michael Jordan joining the NBA on NBC, don’t expect Stephen A. Smith to be too far behind.
Michael Jordan is back. And Stephen A. Smith is kinda sorta taking a little bit of the credit. Smith recently appeared on the PBD Podcast, where he was asked about Jordan being part of the NBA on NBC next season. And while Smith might not be getting a finder’s fee for the partnership, the NBC deal comes after he encouraged Jordan to talk more basketball in public.
“I’m actually proud of him for doing it because with the Jordan Brand and him being worth over $2 billion, he don’t need this. So his mentality is, ‘Oh please, I’m not wasting my time with that.’ Because he never wants to be interviewed and all of this stuff,” Smith claimed. “And I said, ‘Come on, man. Let me tell you something, stop acting like you have nothing to say about basketball now that you’re retired. You talk about basketball all the damn time!’”
Smith has previously referenced his relationship with Jordan. And he’s even noted times when Jordan texted him to chime in on a conversation from First Take. It seems very plausible that Smith would have privately encouraged Jordan to join him for an episode of First Take.
Ultimately, Jordan’s media interests landed him at NBC, where the question now is whether he’s capable of speaking candidly while on air. But fear not, NBC. Just like Smith encouraged Jordan to do more media, he’s similarly ready to encourage him not to be shy.
“He’s candid,” Smith insisted of Jordan. “And I don’t think that he’s gonna be shy about saying what he sees at all. As a matter of fact, if he is, he’s gonna have to deal with me cause I’m gonna be in his ear telling him, ‘Oh we getting shy now? That’s what we doing?’ That ain’t the MJ I know.”
Jordan may have been able to perform under pressure when he was dominating the NBA as a player. But he’s in Stephen A. Smith’s arena now, and the expectations have just been raised.
No one knows precisely what Jordan will be doing in his “special contributor” role with NBC or how he’ll sound as an analyst. There has been an overwhelming expectation that Jordan’s appearances on the network will be minimal. If that’s the plan, Jordan and NBC might want to reconsider quickly, or else Smith will be in their ears.