NBA Economics 101: Michael Jordan with the worst ‘heel turn’ ever.
Word is that Michael Jordan is trying to drop a double-nickle on the players. And by double nickle, I’m talking about the BRI split. According to Howard Beck of the New York Times, Michael Jordan is leading a group of 10 to 14 owners that refuse to go over 50% on the BRI split.
I find this hilarious since Jordan was the one who thought players deserved huge chunks of money and that they never got paid anywhere near their real worth. Jordan was the one that made over $30 million for a single season of basketball. Twice! Jordan was the one that infamously told Washington Wizards owner, Abe Pollin, “If you can’t make a profit, you should sell your team.”
And here we are today, a decade and a CBA later, Jordan is on the other side of the table. He now feels what the owners felt when he successfully gouged them for millions. He now understands that basketball is a business on both ends. Not just for players but for owners too.
Michael Jordan has always been a competitor. He’s never wanted to lose. Not on the court, not in the media, not on the poker table and certainly not in his own mind. No matter what he does, he wants to declare himself the winner and he’ll be damned if anyone beats his new team.
