NBA Commissioner Adam Silver during an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” said he “honestly didn’t think” Basketball HOFer Michael Jordan was going to join NBC Sports as a special contributor for its coverage of the NBA. Silver said it took them “decades to convince” Jordan to do ESPN Films and Netflix’s “The Last Dance” docuseries. Silver said he thinks Jordan has “incredibly fond memories of NBC.” He said, “Some of the very same people are there, people like John Miller, who he had a relationship from all those years ago. Mark Lazarus was still there, just switched over to the other side of the operation. … He had those relationships.” Silver said NBC told him “what their idea was for him in that role, and I think that they’re still working through that.” Silver: “It means he’s got to stay current with the game. … [Jordan] wants the game to be played the right way. … He still got a huge business around the game with the Jordan Brand. But I think more importantly, he watches a lot of basketball and he knows it’s what defines him still.” He added fans are “going to enjoy hearing” Jordan’s takes on the modern league (“The Dan Patrick Show,” 6/11).
HIGH EXPECTATIONS: NBC Sports President of Acquisitions & Partnerships Jon Miller said if Jordan is “the Michael Jordan that I know and you know,” he is “going to be great” as a special contributor. Miller said if NBC “puts him in a box and makes him say certain things,” Jordan will “be just all right.” Miller: “I can tell you this much that there are no handcuffs, there are no guardrails. Michael will say what Michael wants to say, and we will all listen and really enjoy it.” Meanwhile, Miller said the modeling of acquisitions “is different than the way it used to be.” Miller: “You take your production cost, and sales would tell you what they think they could sell it for. If you got some affiliate contribution, you’d include that in and then you’d go negotiate a rights fee, and if you could make money ... you would go and do it. Those days are long gone. ... Now you judge a property by how it affects your distribution on Peacock.” On NBC’s NFL partnership, Miller said there are “a lot of different parts” that go into it. Miller: “I remember Don Ohlmeyer 30 years ago basically saying that rights fees could not continue to go up, and yet they continue to go up. ... We’re starting to see the air come out of the balloon a little bit on mid tier-properties, [but] the NFL will always drive enormous value because it is so important” (“The Wisdom Circle,” 6/4).
