Rumors

When Michael Jordan sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, the NBA no longer had any African American majority franchise owners. But with the announcement of former MLB star Alex Rodriguez becoming a co-owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, he says Black and Hispanic ownership is now a part of the NBA. “I’m hoping that the trend continues,” Rodriguez said to Andscape following an introductory news conference at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 11. “But as far as being someone with Black and Brown skin, I’m representing a lot of good people out there. Give credit to [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver, who championed this transaction. I’m grateful for that.”

Andscape

LeBron James: When you talk about inspiration, there was nobody more inspiring to me than Michael Jordan. For me, I think our games would have complemented each other well. MJ was a flat-out scorer. He had a scorers mentality if I had to pick him. But I know I can't pick him because I know how social media works. You're gonna be like, "Oh, you want to play with Michael Jordan, too? You get to play with everybody else. God damn it." I didn't ask the question. I'm only answering it, guys. I didn't ask the question. But MJ was inspiration. Penny Hardaway was inspiration to me. Grant Hill was inspiration to me growing up. Like that point forward Scottie Pippen, that point forward. Guys like Penny, like Grant Hill, like Scottie, those guys kind of inspired me because I kind of wanted to be that point forward. I can see the headline already. LeBron wants to play with Michael Jordan. Like, I see it already. That's weird. Don't be weird. Don't be weird. Don't be weird. I was going to say Kobe Bryant, but I actually played with Kobe in the Olympics, so rest his soul. Great Kobe. Great Kobe.

YouTube

Eurohoops: Michael Jordan hosted an exclusive Jordan Brand dinner in Athens, Greece, with many celebrities invited, including Luka Dončić and Rui Hachimura. ( Via Greek Boys)

Twitter

Bluder saw both sides. “There can be jealousy from the other players that they’re not getting involved in it,” she said. After reading through sections in Jackson’s book that touched on this, Bluder reminded Clark of what Jordan went through. “Caitlin,” she said, “you have to do the brunt of this. So did Michael. The great ones do.” And she reminded Clark to “make sure that you’re not talking about yourself. Make sure you’re talking about a teammate. If you can’t bring a teammate along physically, you can bring a teammate along by the way you speak about them.”

New York Times

Another reason why the 36-year-old is generating buzz is due to his presence on social media. Durant has always been extremely active on X, formerly known as Twitter, and has been going at it with fans lately due to the GOAT debate between LeBron James and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. One user on X pulled a clip from Durant's guest appearance on James' podcast with Steve Nash, Mind the Game. Durant took a comedic jab at Jordan, saying, "Some people say, 'I want to go play baseball,' and then want to come back, and some want to play 22 straight."

Sports Illustrated

Kevin Durant: Mj retired 3 times. It’s okay to call that out my brother, I got 1 million dollars worth of Mj shoes in my house hahaha. It’s okay, he retired 3 times and still the goat. Ima applaud that just like Ima applaud playing 22 years at an ELITE level. I like basketball tho, you love individuals more

x.com

Kevin Durant: Absolutely nothing. Some people need to reset so they can lock back in. I appreciate Mike prioritizing his well being before anything else

x.com

Kevin Durant: U look at it as sneak dissin but I just told the truth.

x.com

Ron Harper: I’m gonna start a real show of BULLSHIT… I f he stop 3 times he won more then you all!!!!!!

x.com

The Highland Park, Illinois, home formerly owned by Michael Jordan could serve as the perfect getaway for fans of luxury, privacy and, of course, basketball. The home, which sold for $9.5 million in December, became available for rental on Airbnb this month. According to NBC News, the home is now owned by John Cooper, a real estate investor.

ESPN

In an extensive interview with The Athletic, Bailey showed himself to be like almost any other 18-year-old. He’s energetic. His mind races through multiple thoughts at once. He can’t wipe the sly grin off his face. And popcorn … he loves popcorn with Gatorade as a post-workout snack. But, if you talk to him about basketball, his knowledge extends well beyond his years. He’ll tell you about Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and their work ethic. He’ll tell you about those two working maniacally on their games. He’ll tell you about the pain they went through to be great. “Of course, you have to be aware of the business side of basketball,” Bailey said. “But I didn’t ask for all of this to come with it. I just want to hoop. I want to keep the main thing the main thing and stay focused. During pre-draft, I was surrounded by family and love. I’m big on family and loyalty. They were there for me even before I was Ace Bailey.”

New York Times

“LeBron’s gotten a little hate for a long time for a lot of different things,” Van Gundy said after Samson noted James has been criticized for taking his full player option with the Los Angeles Lakers. “Whether it was his decision to come to Miami that he announced on TV, whether it was bumping into Eric Spoelstra. Whatever it is, LeBron’s gotten a lot of hate for a guy who’s had the best career of any NBA player, ever. And we can argue who the best player has been in the NBA, but it’s hard to argue that anyone’s had a better career. “The most amazing thing to me is, this guy has been a national figure since he’s been in eighth grade, what’s the biggest off-court controversy you’ve got on this guy? This guy has done nothing except represent the game of basketball and the league well. And yet, there’s this hate for him,” Van Gundy continued. “I have never understood the negativity around him. I think a lot of it was there’s so many people out there who just revered Michael Jordan and the fact that people would question, ‘Is LeBron as good?’ led to a hatred of LeBron instead of an appreciation of what he’s done. And I think that’s unfortunate.”

Awful Announcing

Who is your basketball GOAT? Lance Stephenson: Michael Jordan is number one. T-Mac is the reason I wore number one — had all his sneakers. My school was Adidas-sponsored, so I repped T-Mac. Also, Oscar Robertson. I feel like my game is like his — pass, shoot, attack — all-around player.

YouTube

A Chicago-area mansion once owned by all-time NBA great Michael Jordan is now listed on Airbnb, offering high-end travelers the chance to vacation like a six-time champion. Champions Point is a seven-bedroom, 17.5-bath estate on 7.39 acres that can accommodate 12 guests, according to the Airbnb listing and property owner John Cooper.

NBC