Hot take: Michael Jordan's new show is HURTING the NBA



While Jason Whitlock respects and celebrates Michael Jordan, he thinks the six-time NBA champion is actually doing more harm than good to the league right now. “Jordan is the black shadow that hovers over the NBA like a dark cloud, and he's a constant reminder of how things suck right now,” he says.

Jordan, who has mostly stayed out of the public eye since his 2003 retirement, has recently re-entered the NBA as a special contributor. His new show, “MJ: Insights to Excellence” — a prerecorded miniseries of interviews where Jordan shares basketball wisdom and personal reflections with host Mike Tirico — airs weekly during certain NBA games in the 2025-2026 season.

Fans and players have been soaking in Jordan’s wisdom and the tidbits of information he shares about his personal life, but Jason says this focus on the NBA’s “good ol’ days” when Jordan was the face of the league isn’t doing anything positive for the already hurting association. If anything, Jordan’s show is a reminder of how “lazy” today’s NBA players are.

On Tuesday night during the postgame show following the New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks game, episode two of “MJ: Insights to Excellence” aired. Tirico asked the GOAT his thoughts on “load management” — the strategic practice of resting healthy players during games or limiting their minutes to prevent injuries, manage fatigue, and extend careers.

Jordan, who was notorious for playing through injury and fatigue all 82 games of a season, pulled no punches: “[Load management] shouldn’t be needed ... I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove.”

“You have a duty that if [fans] are wanting to see you, and as an entertainer, I want to show,” he added.

While Jordan’s work ethic and commitment to the game will forever be admirable, the fact that it remains unmatched over two decades later only highlights how far the NBA has fallen.

“This is not a criticism of Michael Jordan. It's really a criticism of Adam Silver and the executives and ownership in the NBA. They can't come up with a solution for what's wrong with the NBA, and so they're allowing Michael Jordan and the media to mostly drive the discussion about what's wrong with the NBA,” says Jason.

NBC, which recently inked an 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal to broadcast NBA games, is “using the greatest player of all time to basically subtly take a dump on the NBA,” he explains.

“Fearless" contributor and basketball aficionado Jay Skapinac agrees that Michael’s words are true — load management is a reflection of how soft NBA players have become — but the NBA highlighting this is only “undermining the current product.”

If the NBA wants to move into a new era, where grit and passion define the league again, it needs to ditch LeBron James, who he says “is the only player that has left the game worse than the one that he inherited,” and “move forward with these new, bright, rising young stars in the NBA” instead of “focusing on the greatest player that ever existed in the sports history.”

To hear more of the conversation, watch the episode above.

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Is Michael Jordan’s NBA halftime series a flop or a gold mine of insight?



Earlier this year, the NBA announced a new halftime series with Peacock streaming services: “MJ: Insights to Excellence,” featuring the one and only Michael Jordan. The news was shocking for the sports world, as Jordan has largely avoided the public spotlight since his retirement. For him to step back in front of NBA audiences again, this time ready to share his wisdom, has had basketball fans sitting on the edge of their seats.

On Tuesday, October 21, the first episode of Jordan’s new series aired during halftime of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets game. The NBA legend revealed that he hasn’t picked up a basketball in years and shared a memory of feeling “the most nervous I’ve been in years” when asked to shoot a free throw in front of kids during a stay at a rental house for the Ryder Cup.

Many were charmed by Jordan’s candor, but Jason Whitlock says his “insights” flopped.

He was expecting basketball analysis, not personal anecdotes.

“This is [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] and the Oklahoma City Thunder raising a banner, getting championship rings — the future of the NBA versus the past of the NBA in Kevin Durant, and we had time to go hear stories about Michael Jordan shooting a free throw?” he complains.

Jason doesn’t understand why the entirety of sports media is “genuflecting” to Jordan and treating him “as an idol” when all he did was share some personal stories. “Michael Jordan did nothing, and we shouldn't be celebrating it,” he says, calling himself an “iconoclast” who wants to “tear down icons.”

“Fearless” guest Jay Skapinac, host of “Skap Attack,” agrees: “I was led to believe that this was going to be Michael Jordan kind of as an NBA analyst, not regaling us with stories of what he's been doing for the last 25, 30 years outside of the NBA.”

His fear is that “MJ: Insights to Excellence” is actually just a long pre-recorded interview that the NBA is going to chop up and slow-release throughout the season.

T.J. Moe, however, completely understands the hype surrounding Jordan’s series. “When people don't speak very often, people's ears perk up when that person speaks. The first time we heard Michael Jordan say virtually anything since his retirement was ‘The Last Dance,’ and people were captivated by that. I don't think we should be surprised that people are somewhat captivated by just seeing inside of a guy's life that is a total mystery,” he counters.

But Jason’s opinion is set: Jordan’s “insights” are a distraction from the game. “NBC screwed up here.”

To hear more of the debate, watch the episode above.

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

FACT CHECK: Did Michael Jordan Reject An Offer From Disney?

A post shared on social media purports that NBA star Michael Jordan rejected a $100 million movie offer from Disney due to their political agenda. Verdict: False The claim stems from a satire site. Fact Check: Disney has been sued by an animator for allegedly using elements of his screenplay for “Moana 2” without his consent, The […]

Michael Jordan sues NASCAR but is dealt major legal blow just 2 days before his driver competes in Cup Series championship



Michael Jordan's racing team was dealt a painful blow by a United States district judge who denied his team's request for an injunction just before the culmination of the 2024 NASCAR season.

Jordan, who co-owns 23XI Racing with three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, was joined by Front Row Motorsports in a suit against NASCAR and its chairman. The lawsuit claimed NASCAR gave all Cup Series teams a last-minute offer in September; but both teams refused to sign the offer on antitrust grounds.

Judge Whitney summarized much of the claims by the racing teams as being speculative and not definitive.

As reported by the New York Post, the racing team owners claimed NASCAR's charter system limits competition by binding teams to the series, its tracks, and suppliers in an unfair manner.

The lawsuit said Chairman Jim France and NASCAR are "monopolistic bullies."

The teams wanted the court to grant an injunction that would release them from a clause in the NASCAR charter that prevents them from suing its sanctioning body. However, U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney ruled mid-day Friday that the two racing teams did not meet the burden required to be granted the injunction.

The injunction would have allowed the teams to compete as usual (as chartered teams) while still suing NASCAR. Instead, they may now have to compete as "open" teams, which does not guarantee them a spot in NASCAR races and limits their revenue. This could cause drivers and sponsors to leave the teams because they are not privy to those guarantees.

As reported by NBC Sports, the judge decided that the plaintiffs did prove they would suffer "irreparable harm if the injunction is not granted."

Judge Whitney summarized much of the claims by the racing teams as being speculative and not definitive.

"Although Plaintiffs have alleged that they will face a risk of irreparable harm, they have not sufficiently alleged present, immediate, urgent irreparable harm, but rather only speculative, possible harm," the judge wrote.

The judge also noted that the teams "alleged a possibility" that they will lose sponsorship agreements, citing that this wording is "too speculative."

The judge further wrote that the teams only "allege that their drivers may leave if Plaintiffs compete as open teams."

"Presently, this harm is too speculative to merit a preliminary injunction."

The judge went on, "Plaintiffs have not alleged that their business cannot survive without a preliminary injunction. Instead, they allege that their businesses may not survive without a preliminary injunction."

The ruling went on similarly about "potential" losses and future business losses being "merely speculative."

"As such, this speculative harm does not warrant the extraordinary relief of a preliminary injunction," he concluded.

The ruling comes just two days before the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in Phoenix on Sunday.

Four drivers are headed into the final race in a tie for first place in the Cup Series standings; one of whom is the No. 45 car driven by Tyler Reddick for Jordan's 23XI team.

23XI's other driver, No. 23 Bubba Wallace, is in 18th place. Both drive Toyotas.

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FACT CHECK: No, Michael Jordan Has Not Endorsed Donald Trump

Jordan did not endorse Trump, a spokesperson for him confirmed in an email to Check Your Fact.

'I saw it over and over': Scottie Pippen claims scorekeepers gave Michael Jordan stats he didn't actually earn



Hall of Fame basketball player Scottie Pippen said in his memoir that scorekeepers incorrectly attributed statistics to Michael Jordan, often taking away from his own statistical totals.

The 58-year-old won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls alongside Jordan in the 1990s and was a threat on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

In his memoir, titled "Unguarded," Pippen alluded to the idea that Jordan manipulated scorekeepers into wanting to doctor statistics in his favor.

"Michael was better at getting people to do whatever he wanted," Pippin reportedly wrote in an excerpt. "I saw it over and over, from the first training camp in 1987 to the last victory rally in 1998. Here's how it worked: Say I deflected the ball and tapped it over to him. I should get credit with the steal, right? Nope. More often than not, the steal went into his column on the stat sheet, and I could do nothing about it," Pippen claimed, according to Bounding into Sports.

'He was horrible to play with. It was all 1-on-1. He's shooting bad shots.'

Pippen recalled a time an official scorekeeper came into the locker room after a game and informed Jordan that he needn't worry and that they would "take care of" him.

"One night, a scorekeeper came into the locker room after the game to hand the stat sheets to Phil Jackson and the coaching staff. The sheet breaks down the points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocked shots, turnovers, and so on for everyone who played the game. I couldn't believe the look the guy gave Michael: 'See, MJ, we take care of you.' No wonder in the nine full seasons we played together, he averaged more steals than me in every year except two."

Jordan led the NBA in steals per game twice, in 1987-1988 and then again in the 1992-1993 season.

Pippen led the league once in 1994-1995.

Tension has grown between the former teammates over the years, with comments from Pippen becoming increasingly sour:

"He was horrible to play with. It was all 1-on-1. He's shooting bad shots," Pippen said in 2023 about the start of Jordan's career. "All of a sudden, we become a team and we start winning. Everybody forgot who he was. He was a player that, really, winning wasn't at the top of his category. It was scoring."

It was also no secret that Jordan's son, 33-year-old Marcus, dated Pippen's 49-year-old ex-wife Larsa for several years. The pair allegedly broke up in early 2024.

"What's wrong with this guy? I guess he has a book to sell," commentator Eric Butler told Blaze News. "What's weirder is that Pippen's ex-wife was dating Jordan's son. The whole relationship between the two is strange, right down to Pippen claiming Michael wasn't as good as everyone thinks, which is obviously not true," Butler added.

Pippen was a seven-time NBA All-Star and had his number 33 retired by the Chicago Bulls in 2005.

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Retired player suggests racist idea to 'fix' the NBA



Retired NBA player Gilbert Arenas has a solution to fix the NBA’s lack of defense — and it involves racism.

“I know what they can do. Get rid of all the Europeans,” Arenas said on his podcast, "Gils Arena."

“They have no athleticism, right? They have no speed, no jumping ability, they are a liability on defense.”

“They didn’t soften the rules for the Americans, they softened the rules to open it up international,” Arenas continued, adding, “This is not our league, this is not the American South, this is the Euro style.”

Steve Kim believes Arenas has unwittingly gone “MAGA.”

He notes that it’s basically the same thing as “the replacement theory” since “he’s blaming the immigrants.”

Whitlock agrees, seeing Arenas’ take as fairly racist and full of misinformation, but he does admit there are “tiny kernels of truth there.”

“Tiny kernels of truth in terms of the NBA wanted to extend its international reach. That was their whole big plan for ‘we’re going to overtake the NFL, we’re going to be the international game, they’re going to love us in China, they’re going to love us here,’” Whitlock explains, adding that the NBA is suffering “the consequences of globalism.”

“Now, the chickens are coming home to roost, and it’s not an American game,” he adds.

To hear more, watch the clip below.


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The untold story behind Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson & ‘The Last Dance’



The Chicago Bulls Basketball team has a long list of former players and coaches whose names have already gone down in history as some of the best there ever were: Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman, to name a few.

However, they all left the Bulls and left former college basketball coach — now a former Chicago Bulls head coach — Tim Floyd to make his own magic.

Floyd joined Jason Whitlock to discuss his time as head coach and shares a story that would have forever changed the history of the Bulls’ dynasty and the NBA.

Floyd says that he believes he was hired because they “wanted a college guy to go develop pros because the league was going to get younger.”

However, Bulls head coach was an intimidating seat to fill.

“You’re replacing a legend and a squad that had just won six titles in eight years. And the only two years they didn’t win, Michael was playing baseball,” Whitlock says.

Floyd was apprehensive about taking on the role at first and even told Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf that he wanted to wait to replace Phil Jackson.

Why?

A year before “The Last Dance,” Floyd was flown to Seattle to discuss taking Jackson’s spot with Reinsdorf after the 1995-96 season.

And he wouldn’t do it — yet.

“I think it’s too early,” Floyd said.

“This team is the Beatles,” he continued, “And I think it needs to die its own natural death.”

“So, indirectly,” Floyd jokes, “I take credit for the last two championships.”


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FACT CHECK: Did Michael Jordan Say LeBron James Is ‘The GOAT In My Eyes’?

A representative for Jordan denied the statement