Is Michael Jordan Now A Tactical Advantage At The Negotiating Table With The Players’ Union?

michael jordan
Getty Image

Labor negotiations are ongoing between the NBA’s owners and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). We’ll save you all the nuanced, detailed portions of the discussions to go to an interesting development that has come about, during talks leading up to the summer of 2017 when either side can opt out of the current contract bargaining agreement (CBA). According to Adrian Wojnarowski, one of the most powerful voices that has emerged in these talks belongs to Michael Jordan.

That’s right, Jordan — who is unfairly viewed by some as an aloof former player who doesn’t really care about running a team — is reportedly “a strong voice championing the small markets on the owners’ powerful labor-relations committee.” According to Wojnarowski, Jordan is more relevant now than he ever has been during his tenure as an owner.

In multiple meetings with union officials and players in New York, Jordan is a serious voice in these ongoing discussions, league sources told The Vertical. Jordan’s appointment onto that powerful ownership committee has been secret until now, but his sudden standing strengthens what’s been a sometimes jagged journey into the ownership community.

Jordan’s emergence on the labor-relations committee – as well as the NBA’s competition committee – has strengthened his legitimacy as a league owner. Of course, consensus on a labor deal is a long way away, but those on the sides of the league and union all agree on this: Michael Jordan is a formidable factor in this process.

You probably think that this is happening because he’s Michael Jordan, and the name “Michael Jordan” has more pull than any other name in the history of professional basketball.

michael jordan bulls
Getty Image

But according to Wojnarowski, Jordan has gotten to the point where he’s legitimately an important part of negotiations because of his business acumen. Wojnarowski cites the way the Hornets have grown as a team on the court and a good business with regards to its front office.

Getting into the nitty gritty of Jordan’s impact is kind of tough because none of us are actually sitting down and watching him work during talks. But logically, you’d think that Jordan is one of the most important owners in the league due to his name, the success of Jordan Brand, and the fact that a number of players are on said brand.

To think that NBA commissioner Adam Silver didn’t want Jordan’s cache at the negotiating table with a union executive committee that includes Chris Paul, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony is naïve, of course. Perhaps there’s a tactical edge to having the greatest player in history sitting across from the players. Jordan changes the tone in the room, but make no mistake, owners will tell you: Jordan earned his way onto the committee.

“[Jordan] did it the old fashioned way,” one high-ranking official with strong ownership ties told The Vertical. “He observed. He listened. He wanted to understand the process. He wanted to serve. The players don’t see him as a player – they see him as an owner.

What role will Jordan play in these labor negotiations? No one knows for sure, but here’s to hoping that the G.O.A.T. is half as good in negotiations as he was on the basketball court.

×