There has recently been a lot of buzz surrounding Michael Jordan and his imminent sale of the Charlotte Hornets franchise. This is after reports emerged about the GOAT being in the final stages of selling off his majority ownership of the organization after acquiring a controlling interest in the team some 13 years ago.
In spite of how great Michael Jordan was on the basketball court, there's no denying that his tenure as a team owner has left a lot to be desired. While he brought no less than six championships to the Chicago Bulls during his playing days, all MJ has to show for with the Hornets are two first-round playoffs exits in 13 seasons.
If you ask Stephen A Smith, however, the renowned ESPN broadcaster has a couple of compelling theories as to why Jordan never found much success as a team owner. According to Smith, he firmly believes that MJ was already in a losing position the moment he took the helm as the Hornets' team owner:
“Before we're ultra critical of this dude is to understand that Michael Jordan ruined a lot of careers,” Smith said. “There's a whole bunch of people that never won because of Michale Jordan. … The players weren't the only careers that he messed with. You know how many executives Michael Jordan denied an opportunity to house a championship trophy? Once Michael Jordan became an owner, how many people you think were interested in helping him do business? They were ready to abuse him at every turn because they couldn't do anything against him on the basketball court.”
I believe there is A LOT more to the story of Michael Jordan’s struggles as an owner than it may seem…MJ ruined a lot of careers…and has faced unique problems as an owner as a result.
New episode of @KnowMercyPod here: https://t.co/VtZEne5GBo pic.twitter.com/BwcLGiddbV
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) March 24, 2023
The man seems to make a valid point here. Stephen A then continued to belabor his point. According to the outspoken NBA analyst, Jordan's own personal brand also hindered him from surrounding himself with the right people in Charlotte:
“He wasn't free to just pick the best basketball candidates and the best basketball minds,” Smith continued. “He had to pick people he could personally trust. That had to take precedent and priority because the overall Jordan brand had to be protected. I believe that firmly got in the way.”
For what it's worth, MJ purchased a majority share of the Hornets for $275 million back in 2010. The team is now reportedly worth $1.5 billion. Say what you want about how much the Hornets suck on the basketball court during Jordan's tenure, but the fact of the matter is that MJ is still going to come away as the big winner once he finalizes the sale of the franchise.
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