Last night, the 2025-2026 NBA regular season kicked off with a fun double header, featuring the Oklahoma City Thunder winning a 125-124 double overtime thriller against the Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Lakers succumbing to the Golden State Warriors with a final score of 119-109.
The start of the season was special. It’s the first time in decades, the NBA was back on NBC, and the celebration was felt throughout the entire broadcast.
From the music to the announcements and presentation, the pomp and circumstance felt good as an old-school NBA fan. And one of the more special moments occurred during halftime of the OKC-Houston tilt, when the greatest hooper to ever hoop, Michael Jordan, appeared in his first special segment, MJ: Insights to Excellence.
“We have an obligation to pay it forward. That’s part of what this is all about.”
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) October 22, 2025
Watch Michael Jordan’s first conversation with Mike Tirico in the first edition of MJ: Insights To Excellence. pic.twitter.com/7tfzGm6SpM
While this initial segment was rather short—just over three minutes—and lacked the X’s and O’s breakdowns we might expect from the six-time NBA champion, it did provide a look into what exactly MJ will be doing in these moments overall.
Sitting across from acclaimed broadcaster Mike Tirico, MJ discussed the importance of legacy and responsibility that comes with being a player dedicated to the game, even beyond his retirement. He explained that involvement with NBC is largely about being able to “pay it forward” as a mentor and not necessarily as a member of a commentary or analysis team.
It still remains to be seen how his segment will fit within the broader discourse. Will he undermine the new styles of play like other former players in the commentary community? Or will he embrace the emphasis on three-pointers and fast-paced action that the modern game puts forth these days?
While he’s stayed close to the game as a former owner and GM of the Charlotte Hornets (formerly Bobcats), he tells Tirico that he hasn’t picked up a basketball “in years.”
After being pressed to remember the last time he shot, Jordan shares a fun anecdote where he purchased an Airbnb, and the owner and his grandchildren requested he shoot one free throw just for shits and giggles.
Surprisingly, MJ confessed, it was “the most nervous” he’d been in years because, as always, he’s an entertainer who wants any onlookers to get their money’s worth. But when he put up the shot, muscle memory kicked in, of course, and he drained the shot like it was 1996 all over again.
No one should be surprised, however, that MJ’s love for the game has him fantasizing about a “magic pill” that would de-age him and let him “put on shorts, and go out and play the game of basketball today.”
For now, MJ will just have to settle for his week-by-week segments. Next week, he’ll share his thoughts on load management and why he believes playing all 82 games of the NBA regular season is more advantageous than taking time off.
We’ll see how the NBA community reacts then.
Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com
