In his latest sit-down with NBC’s Mike Tirico, the basketball legend delivered a sharp critique of today’s NBA stars, questioning whether the love of the game still runs as deep as it did in his own era. The comments aired after the Celtics beat the Knicks on Tuesday night, and let’s just say Jordan didn’t sugarcoat a thing.
Asked if he sees the same hunger for greatness in the current crop of players that he had during his career, Jordan’s response was blunt: “It’s hard to be hungry when you have.” That’s the six-time NBA champion calling out a generation that signs multi-million-dollar deals before they ever take a dribble in the league. And while that kind of money is life-changing, Jordan made it clear that for him, basketball always came first.
He elaborated by drawing a line in the sand between branding and ball. “Everybody has to have a logo now,” he said, alluding to how the focus has shifted from performance to personal marketing. But when Tirico pointed out that Jordan himself built a billion-dollar empire with Air Jordan, MJ fired back: that brand was built off what he did on the court, not before. The work came first. The legacy followed.
One of the more revealing parts of the interview came when Jordan talked about how much the game has changed. He brought up a clause from his playing days that let him hoop whenever and wherever he wanted, even outside the NBA, without risking his contract. Pickup game on the side of the road? Jordan was in.
If he got hurt, so be it—his deal was guaranteed. That’s how much he loved playing. Contrast that with today’s tightly managed contracts and carefully controlled training sessions, and you can see why he thinks something’s been lost.
“I would never let someone take the opportunity for me to play the game away from me,” he said. That raw desire, that drive to play for the pure love of the sport? He’s not sure it’s there in the same way anymore.
And he didn’t stop there. Jordan urged today’s stars to keep basketball at the center of it all, to remember what they’ll really be remembered for. Not the commercials, not the sponsorships, not the followers or the merchandise—just the game.
Even with business ventures that made him a billionaire, he said the game always came first. And he believes if he were playing in today’s league, that mindset wouldn’t change. That’s the core message: put in the work, stay true to the game, and let the rest come as it may.
Michael Jordan:
“I’m pretty sure I’m part of the reason why everybody tries to get a logo…But the thing is, that brand was established based on what I did on the basketball court. I didn’t put the brand before I put the work.”
(h/t @fsh733)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 3, 2025
Meanwhile, Jordan’s also fighting battles off the court—most notably in a high-profile antitrust lawsuit involving his NASCAR team, 23XI Racing. Jordan was photographed in court this week, facing off with NASCAR executives over alleged monopolistic practices. A judge has already ruled that NASCAR does, in fact, hold a monopoly over the market—a big win for Jordan’s side—but now it’s in the hands of a jury.
Still, even in court, even in retirement, Jordan’s presence commands attention. Whether he’s critiquing modern NBA culture or standing up to an entire racing organization, one thing hasn’t changed: Michael Jordan is going to compete, and he’s going to speak his mind.
