Michael Jordan said winning his seventh ring as an NBA team owner would be more gratifying than any of the six rings he won as a player. The Charlotte Hornets majority owner spoke with ESPN Monday about his current goal, the transition from player to owner and why he decided to buy the Hornets franchise.
Jordan, always the competitor, told ESPN he is focused entirely on winning his seventh NBA championship ring, which he admitted would be more special than any of his previous six rings.
"I'm always dreaming about that seventh ring," he said. "And to get to that would be much more gratifying [than the previous six he won with the Chicago Bulls]."
Now in his fourth year as an NBA owner, Jordan oversaw a team that endured the worst season in league history to a team that returned to the playoffs last season before getting swept by Miami in the first round. He acknowledged being an owner is a different challenge than being a player, largely because there's only so much he can do as an owner.
"I played this game for a long time and I always took criticism in a way that's going to make me better as a basketball player and I could affect the game per se," said Jordan. "Here, I can't do that other than talking to my other employees or coaches or players."
As for purchasing the franchise, Jordan didn't do it for the money - he did it for the love of the game.
"The reason for getting in was because I love basketball," he said. "Bob presented an opportunity to me which I'm very thankful of and a dream of mine to own a basketball team. I understand the city of Charlotte and the state of North Carolina is basketball country. I felt like I could contribute and make a difference within this franchise from an ownership standpoint ... that was my purpose for buying."
Jordan purchased 80 percent of the franchise in 2010 from Bob Johnson for around $275 million. Now with an 89 percent share of the organization and based on the recent sales of the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers, ESPN reports Jordan's initial investment has nearly tripled.
