Jordan Key to NBA Lockout
July 18th, 2011
The 22nd annual American Century Championship Celebrity Golf Tournament at South Lake Tahoe, Nevada was under close watch by NBA officials this weekend. Michael Jordan, majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats was present and faced a $1 million dollar fine if he came in contact with NBA players who were participating in the event. Some current NBA players in the event were Ray Allen, Jason Kidd and Jimmer Fredette. Jordan was at risk of being fined for the possibility of tampering with labor negotiations.
While this is total bad PR for the NBA, it also brings up another point about the power Jordan might have in this NBA lockout.
Michael Jordan is the first person to ever be on both sides of an NBA lockout. He was a player during the 1998 lockout and now he sits on the other side as the first player turned owner. The most powerful player voices in a lockout are those of the stars. They are the money makers and face of the league. Their enormous salaries are also the ones causing distention in the boardroom.
In 1998, Jordan was the face of the league and when he stepped into negotiations as a player in 1998, owners suddenly became more agreeable and concessions seemed to be made. As a max-paid player and sport icon he had the power to do this.
Fast forward to the present and he has that same power as a former max-paid player and an owner of the Charlotte Bobcats one the league’s struggling team.
Jordan knows what locked out players are feeling right now and he knows the economic struggles of the owners.
While Michael Jordan is not known to be a very vocal owner, he needs to be to find his voice and step up in the clutch during the lockout like he did in so many NBA Finals matchups.
Jordan’s voice could be the key to ending the NBA’s labor strifes. Or at least coming closer to a resolution.
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