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American basketball superstar Michael Jordan, owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets, listens at a press conference for the 2015 NBA Basketball Herren USA China Games in Shenzhen city, south China s Guangdong province, 11 October 2015. The Charlotte Hornets made several key acquisitions this offseason, including trading for Nic Batum and drafting Frank Kaminsky. But if Michael Jordan, the team s principal owner, is asked the biggest move they made this offseason was Jeremy Lin. From the Xinhua News Agency, quoting MJ during his time in China for the NBA Global Games 2015 recently: Jordan made specific mention of Jeremy Lin, who joined in the Hornets from the LA Lakers this summer. Jordan saw it a successful deal, We just got Jeremy Lin, who I think is going to be our biggest acquisition. His penetration, his shooting capability, his point guard savvy, he can really pass the basketball, his energy about the game of basketball something, Jordan said. Michael Jordan calls Jeremy Lin Charlotte s biggest acquisition.
via Imago
American basketball superstar Michael Jordan, owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets, listens at a press conference for the 2015 NBA Basketball Herren USA China Games in Shenzhen city, south China s Guangdong province, 11 October 2015. The Charlotte Hornets made several key acquisitions this offseason, including trading for Nic Batum and drafting Frank Kaminsky. But if Michael Jordan, the team s principal owner, is asked the biggest move they made this offseason was Jeremy Lin. From the Xinhua News Agency, quoting MJ during his time in China for the NBA Global Games 2015 recently: Jordan made specific mention of Jeremy Lin, who joined in the Hornets from the LA Lakers this summer. Jordan saw it a successful deal, We just got Jeremy Lin, who I think is going to be our biggest acquisition. His penetration, his shooting capability, his point guard savvy, he can really pass the basketball, his energy about the game of basketball something, Jordan said. Michael Jordan calls Jeremy Lin Charlotte s biggest acquisition.
The trailer of Ben Affleck starrer ‘Air’ was released just a few days ago and the movie arguably looks promising. The film is based on the iconic Michael Jordan-Nike deal and is all set to release on April 5, 2023. Other than Affleck and Damon, the movie also features Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker, Marlon Wayans, Viola Davis, and several others. Ahead of the release date, Affleck shared a few lesser-known facts about the movie and Jordan’s engagement. The actor who also served as the director spilled the beans during the media interview at the All-Star game.
No one had anticipated that the deal between Michael Jordan and Nike would have a career-altering effect on both parties. However, the unlikely deal between the not-so-successful shoe brand at the time and a rookie MJ went on to bring the amount of success that benefits them to this date.
Michael Jordan wanted Viola Davis to be a part of the Ben Affleck-starrer
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It is no secret that Hollywood actress Viola Davis plays the role of Michael Jordan’s mother in the upcoming movie. What many might not be aware of is that Jordan had specifically asked the filmmakers to cast Davis for the part. According to Robert Littal of Black Sports Online, actor/director Ben Affleck shared that Jordan only had one request to make during the development of the movie, i.e, for Davis to portray Deloris Jordan.
Ben Affleck says the only real request that Michael Jordan had was that Viola Davis plays his mom pic.twitter.com/QKb6gLxub1
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) February 17, 2023
The movie is largely inspired by Jordan and Nike’s relentless pursuit to get the Bulls legend on board. However, it seems like the MJ deliberately kept his distance from the production and the crew. This might have something to do with the release of MJ’s 2020 documentary, The Last Dance. The 10-part docuseries had created a huge rift between MJ and Scottie Pippen due to the way they were portrayed.
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Therefore, one might understand Jordan’s hesitation to be an active participant in the whole development of the film. No such thing has been confirmed by the filmmakers or Jordan himself. Therefore, one can only assume it to be the probable cause.
Scottie Pippen lashes out at MJ
The Last Dance docuseries mainly revolved around Michael Jordan’s career and the Chicago Bulls 1997-98 season. Other than MJ, the documentary also featured Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson, and several others. While the series was positively received by fans and critics, the final product shockingly left Pippen fuming. The 7x NBA All-Star was not happy that MJ portrayed them as ‘props’ and went as far as to call him ‘condescending’.
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WATCH THIS STORY: When Did Michael Jordan Retire For The Second Time?
He said, “How dare Michael to treat us that way after everything we did for him and his precious brand. To make things worse, Michael received $10 million for his role in the doc while my teammates and I didn?t earn a dime.”
