Michael Jordan Disagrees With LeBron and Dirk About Shortening NBA Season

Not too surprisingly, Charlotte Hornets team owner Michael Jordan is not rolling with the idea of slicing games off the NBA’s regular season schedule.

LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki and Erik Spoelstra have all come out publicly in supporter of a shorter season – they don’t care about the experimentation with reduced minutes in a preseason game.

MJ says his stance on the issue is based on overall revenue, and a burning desire to play the game.

Per ESPN:

“I love both of those guys, but as an owner who played the game, I loved playing,” Jordan said. “If I wasn’t playing 82 games, I still would’ve been playing somewhere else because that’s the love for the game I had. As a player, I never thought 82 games was an issue. […] But if that’s what they want to do, we as owners and players can evaluate it and talk about it. But we’d make less money as partners. Are they ready to give up money to play fewer games? That’s the question, because you can’t make the same amount of money playing fewer games.”

 

He said the league informed its clubs of its intention to play a 44-minute game but that it was not presented as something the league is seriously considering instituting in the regular season. […] “I would never shorten the game by four minutes,” Jordan said, “unless guys were having physical issues.”

 

“It’s not like football,” he said. “We don’t really have to worry about concussions and some of the physical damage that football players deal with after they retire. I can understand football players wanting to play fewer games from a physical standpoint. But basketball’s not the same. I’m not diminishing the fact that we go through a grueling season. But I wouldn’t want to shorten the game or play 15-20 fewer games.”