The Associated Press caught up with the G.O.A.T. (who’s also on the cover of a special SLAM issue on newsstands now): “Michael Jordan has had little time to consider the significance of being the first ex-player to buy an NBA team and just the second black majority owner. The realities of what he’s taken on with the Charlotte Bobcats, on and off the court, have given him little time to reflect in what he calls his “shot of a lifetime. ‘Once we’ve gotten to the point where we’ve turned this around and it’s proved to be successful, then it’ll be far more gratifying than just being a stat,’ Jordan told The Associated Press on Friday. ‘Someone who is the first to do it and doesn’t succeed, that to me is not intriguing.’ The Hall of Famer has experienced many of the unpleasant responsibilities of NBA ownership in the past seven months. He took on $150 million in debt with more on the way, lost starting point guard Raymond Felton in free agency, traded center Tyson Chandler essentially so Jordan wouldn’t pay a dollar-for-dollar luxury tax on payroll and had a couple months of uncertainty while coach Larry Brown wavered on if he’d return. Yet the six-time NBA champion is happy he pulled the trigger just minutes before his exclusive window to buy the team from Bob Johnson expired at midnight on Feb. 26. Johnson was set to tell the team to a group headed by former Houston Rockets executive George Postolos. ‘It almost didn’t happen. He actually gave me one last shot,’ Jordan said of Johnson, the first black majority owner in the NBA. ‘He gave me one last opportunity and we jumped on it as fast as we could.’ … ‘I think we’re going to be a better off team than we were last year,’ Jordan said. ‘We’re together, we’re coming off some success from last year. Granted, Raymond’s not here. But when you think about, Tyson came off the bench. At the minimum, we should make the playoffs.'”
To read more of Jordan, check the AP story.
