The Six-Time NBA Champion Says His New Role Is to “Pass On Messages of Success and Dedication” to the Sport
Even if he hasn’t touched a basketball in years, Michael Jordan says the love never faded. During halftime of the NBA’s opening night broadcast, the Chicago Bulls legend sat down with Mike Tirico for the debut of MJ: Insights to Excellence—a reflective conversation that reminded fans why his name still carries the weight of greatness.
“I love it like you wouldn’t believe,” Jordan told Tirico. “I wish I could take a magic pill, put on shorts, and go play again. That type of competition is what I live for, and I miss it. But it’s better for me to be here talking to you than popping an Achilles and ending up in a wheelchair.”
Nervous Over a Free Throw
Jordan, now 62, laughed as he revealed that he hasn’t picked up a basketball “in years.” Even so, he recalled one moment that took him right back to the pressure of the court—a friendly free-throw challenge during the Ryder Cup.
“The owner of the house I rented had a basketball court,” Jordan said. “He asked me to shoot one free throw for his grandkids. That was the most nervous I’ve been in years.”
He made the shot, but the nerves came from the weight of legacy—children watching him not as a man in his sixties, but as the living myth their parents told stories about.
Passing the Torch
While his playing days are long over, Jordan says he still feels “an obligation to the game of basketball.” It’s no longer about points or trophies—it’s about mentorship.
“Not financially,” he clarified. “As a basketball player, I want to pass on messages of success and dedication to the game.”
For a man whose competitiveness defined an era, the fire clearly hasn’t dimmed—he’s just found a new way to keep it burning.
