In a league where legacies are endlessly debated, one thing remains constant: Michael Jordan’s shadow looms large over everything basketball. But as a team owner, particularly with the Charlotte Hornets, Jordan has taken more heat than praise. Now, one former Hornets player is stepping in to challenge that narrative.
Raymond Felton, the former fifth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft and a North Carolina Tar Heel like Jordan, offered a passionate defense of His Airness during a recent appearance on Podcast P with Paul George. And it wasn’t just a throwaway comment, it was a personal, pointed message for Hornets fans and Jordan’s critics.
“A lot of people give him dirt about being an owner,” Felton said. “But a lot of people don’t understand, man, it’s not easy… sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
Felton, who played his first five seasons in Charlotte, recalled moments where Jordan would lace up and trash talk him in practice, still fueled by the same fire that won six championships with the Bulls. But that same intensity didn’t guarantee success from the front office. And Felton believes that’s exactly where public perception fails Jordan.
Jordan purchased a majority stake in the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) in 2010. At the time of his exit in 2023, the franchise was valued at a stunning $3 billion. Still, on the court, the results were underwhelming: a 467-638 record (.422 win percentage), only three playoff appearances, and zero series wins.
That record, Felton admits, doesn’t scream greatness. But the expectations for Jordan have always been, unfairly, otherworldly.
“Obviously he ain’t going to live up to being anything else in life outside of being the man who he is in a game of basketball. He’s the GOAT… so anything he do ain’t going to live up to that.”
Raymond Felton Charlotte Hornets Michael Jordan ownership NBA criticism defense
Nov 29, 1997; Landover, MD, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan (23) in action against the Washington Wizards at the USAirways Arena
Porter Binks-USA TODAY via Imagn Content Services, LLC
That’s the burden of being the best to ever do it. Every move, every draft pick, every signing, scrutinized under the lens of a flawless playing career. And for Felton, that’s where the public misses the bigger picture: Jordan’s ownership tenure, while imperfect, was a high-risk, high-reward endeavor in a small market, not a reflection of diminished passion or basketball IQ.
With Jordan now re-entering the NBA in a new capacity as part of NBC’s coverage next season, a fresh chapter begins. A chapter not defined by team records, but by perspective. And if his voice resonates the way his fadeaway did, fans may finally appreciate his mind as much as they did his game.
As for Felton? His message is simple.
“People always got a lot of negativity to say… but they don’t understand how hard it is.”