The current lockout situation in the NBA is heating up. While the regular season should already be in full gear the NBA is still amidst a deadlock between players and owners. Recently NBA commissioner David Stern made an offer of a 50-50 split of basketball-related income between teams and players. After a Tuesday meeting the president of the NBA players association (NBPA) Derek Fisher turned the offer down. So we might be in for a long, long time without NBA basketball...
One person and his (changed) role in the current talks is particularly interesting: Michael Jordan, owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. He once was a fierce competitor in the last NBA labor dispute in 1998/99, he has completely changed and is now in favor of a solution handing a larger share to team owners. Now that Jordan is a team owner himself, he made a u-turn and advocates a 53%-47% split (or even better) in favor of owners. Jordan has turned into a hardline owner and is far from being the same person who once advised Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin to sell his team if he was not making profits. NBPA executive director Billy Hunter gave him the same advice now.
Jordan's stance on NBA labor talks tells a lot about his feeling towards the game of basketball. He is still applauded as the best player in NBA history. He was an icon for millions of kids and basketball fans all over the world. But now he has turned into an owner who has only one objective: to maximize his profits. Well, without his players Jordan won't make any profits. Even a third comeback would not attract much of an audience now that he is well over 45...
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