NBA legend Michael Jordan will appear as a special correspondent on NBCUniversal‘s coverage of the league when it begins its long-term rights deal in this fall.
Stunning the crowd at Radio City Music Hall, NBCU included the news in a major segment of its upfront presentation to advertisers. Mimicking the famous press release Jordan released when he un-retired from baseball and rejoined the NBA in the 1990s, the company flashed a mock press release on the screen saying simply, “I’m back.”
Jordan then appeared in a brief video. “Sorry I can’t be with you,” he explained. “I am excited about being a special contributor. … Looking forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC launches this fall.”
Now more than 20 years removed from his playing career, Jordan has stayed involved in pro sports as an owner, but has not been a constant presence around the NBA. He re-entered the zeitgeist in 2020 when ESPN’s docuseries on Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, The Last Dance, became a pandemic phenomenon.
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“It doesn’t get any more electrifying than that,” lead sports anchor Mike Tirico said after the video announcement, which was preceded by an orchestral version of NBA on NBC theme “Roundball Rock,” led by its composer, John Tesh.
Tirico saluted Jordan as a “symbol of the golden era of NBC’s coverage of the NBA from 1990 to 2002.”