Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Michael Sykes

The 10 most notable moments (both good and bad!) from Michael Jordan’s stint as the Hornets owner

It’s been months since we found out that Michael Jordan was on the cusp of selling the Charlotte Hornets after a 13-year stint as the majority owner of the franchise.

We all played the “will he, won’t he” game as the NBA lottery came and went. The thought was maybe Victor Wembanyama would change his mind. Or maybe getting Scoot Henderson could convince him to stay.

But, apparently, there was an offer out there that Jordan just couldn’t refuse. The NBA Hall of Famer has reportedly sold the Hornets to an ownership group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Jordan bought the Hornets for $275 million back in 2010. The team was reportedly valued at $1.7 billion last year, per Forbes. So, yeah, that sounds like an offer that would be pretty difficult to refuse.

With that being said, let’s go over some of the best (and worst!) Michael Jordan moments over the years. Because there are plenty to choose from.

Drafting Kemba Walker

Kemba Walker is the best player in the history of the Charlotte Hornets (and Bobcats) franchise.

Michael Jordan and company absolutely nailed this pick. He’s the franchise’s all-time scoring leader and definitely the best player of the MJ era in Charlotte.

And Jordan actually liked watching him play.

Good pick, Mike.

Drafting LaMelo Ball

Picking LaMelo Ball in the 2020 NBA Draft was not a forgone conclusion. There were plenty of questions about what he’d be as an NBA player.

Jordan and the Hornets still did it, though. And, now, they’ve got an All-Star on their hands. The two of them apparently hit it off immediately, too.

That moment he shared with LeBron James

We’ve rarely seen or heard of Michael Jordan and LeBron James connecting. So when MJ popped up at the NBA’s 75-year celebration and shared this cool moment with James, it became a moment we’ll never forget.

Just two GOAT’s kicking it. We love to see it.

His $100 million donation to Black charities

This doesn’t really have anything to do with the Hornets in particular, but it was extremely cool to see Michael Jordan pledging $100 million over 10 years to help promote racial equality in America in the wake of George Floyd’s killing.

That work is going to be felt for decades to come.

The crying Jordan meme

Y’all knew I couldn’t leave this out, right? This might be the funniest thing Michael Jordan has ever done. And that’s a long list.

I mean, look at this y’all.

Or this one.

Schoolboy Q even made an album out of it.

This was iconic, man.

Slapping Malik Monk

Remember that time he slapped Malik Monk on the back of the head? That was pretty weird.

Sure, it seemed like a friendly sort of tap. But there’s still a workplace power dynamic going on there that makes this very strange. Imagine Mark Cuban doing this to one of his players as an owner.

I get it. It’s MJ. But that still wasn’t a good look.

Drafting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Hindsight is always 20/20, obviously. But picking Michael Kidd-Gilchrist over Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard in the 2012 NBA draft is just always going to be one of the biggest mistakes of Michael Jordan’s career.

Fun fact: MJ apparently beat MKG one-on-one.

Charlotte Bobcats rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist said Friday in Houston that 49-year-old Jordan beat him in a one-on-one game. Jordan turns 50 Sunday, while Kidd-Gilchrist is seven months away from turning 20.

“It was hard for me,” Kidd-Gilchrist said before playing in the Rising Stars Challenge rookie-sophomore game Friday night. “I lost. He’s the greatest man that ever played the game.

That’s wild.

Running the Bobcats in 2012

After the Bobcats 7-59 season, Michael Jordan was public enemy No. 1 in Charlotte.

The man was legitimately booed at a game when he was put on the jumbotron. Here’s a story from ESPN detailing it.

That’s when an image of the Bobcats owner flashed onto the massive HD screens over center court. Michael Jordan wasn’t in his customary spot at the end of the Bobcats’ bench. He was ensconced — a cynic might say hiding — in his private box high above the floor. But the scoreboard operator hadn’t gotten the memo, and as Jordan’s face appeared on the screen, what had once seemed all but inconceivable happened. From somewhere in the sparsely populated upper deck came a short but strong burst of … boos.

You can’t blame them. Jordan’s Bobcats were coming off of a 7-59 season. That’s the worst winning percentage in NBA history to this day.

Hilariously sending those kids home

Michael Jordan brought the “[expletive] them kids” meme to life that one time when a couple of LaMelo Ball fans were wandering the Hornets’ facility looking for their favorite player.

They accidentally ran into Michael Jordan and were elated about it. And then…MJ just sent them home. It was amazing. And he didn’t let them get a picture.

Hilarious.

The Mark Williams Duke joke

Michael Jordan called Mark Williams the night the Hornets drafted him in 2022. That’s what owners do, obviously.

But the thing is, Williams went to Duke. Michael Jordan obviously went to UNC. And, obviously, there’s a huge rivalry there. MJ decided to set the rivalry aside, though, and take Williams. Everyone thought he was joking. He probably was not.

MJ, man. Gotta love him.

 

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.