Michael Jordan to the rescue, Charlotte Hornets owner takes an active role this morning to facilitate talks between owners and players
The Milwaukee Bucks took an extraordinary decision to not play their NBA playoff game against Orlando Magic last night. This led to NBA playoff games getting postponed as the players wanted to make a statement against the ongoing police brutality. In a statement released by the league, the NBA will resume on Friday or Saturday. Michael Jordan is said to play an important role in the discussion between players and owners.
NBA legend Michael Jordan speaks to Chris Paul to get a better understanding of what the players want
ESPN has revealed that Charlotte Hornets owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan has played an important role in bringing the players and owners together. Michael Jordan, regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, reached out to National Basketball Players Association president Chris Paul.
As an owner, Michael Jordan met Paul to get a better understanding of what the players hoped to achieve going forward and to offer assistance as they make their case to the NBA board of governors.
Michael Jordan also spoke to Houston Rockets point guard and former MVP Russell Westbrook about the social justice issues which prompted the players to boycott the NBA playoff games.
"Michael is the perfect person to be in this role," said a league official who has been privy to discussions on what should happen next. "He's been a high-profile player who has won championships. He's also the owner of a small-market team. He has great credibility both with the players and the owners."
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It was reported that the majority of players had voted to cancel the NBA season in the wake of Jacob Blake shooting incident. The cost of not playing would have been tremendous for all involved.
There was about $1 billion in national TV money riding on the playoffs. With nearly one round complete, it’s not known how much the league would have had to pay back to TV channels but the cost would be substantial. Michael Jordan's involvement softened the players' stance.
The league has confirmed that the NBA be resuming from Friday.
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