NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
NBA legend Michael Jordan shared his thoughts on load management with players in the league on Tuesday night.
Jordan sat down with NBC’s Mike Tirico as part of the “MJ: Insights to Excellence” series, which airs during the network’s game preview. Tirico asked the former Chicago Bulls star his thoughts on the strategy.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan (23) during the 1988-89 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons at Chicago Stadium. (MPS/USA TODAY Sports)
“It shouldn’t be necessary first of all. I’ve never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove myself,” Jordan said. “It was something that I felt like the fans are there to see me play. I wanted to impress the guy at the top who was probably working to get a ticket or get money to buy the ticket.
Jordan insisted that he really cared about the nosebleed guy.
“Yeah, because I knew he was probably yelling at me and I wanted to shut him up. He called me all kinds of names, I definitely wanted to shut him up,” he said. “You have a duty. If they want to see you, and as an entertainer, I want a show. So if guys come to see me play, I don’t want to miss the opportunity. If I physically can’t do it, then I can’t do it. But physically, if I can do it and I just don’t want to do it, it’s a whole different lens.”
Jordan recalled twisting an ankle early in his career and being asked to sit down. He declined saying that in his mind he needed to be on the floor to show what he was capable of. He said he always felt the need to never let his teammates down.
Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan collapses into the arms of teammate Scottie Pippen, right, at the end of Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, June 11, 1997, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Susan Ragan, File)
MICHAEL JORDAN WISHES HE COULD TAKE ‘MAGIC PILL’ TO PLAY BASKETBALL AGAIN
He pointed to Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, which was known as the “Flu Game.”
“I had to find a way to get out there – even if I was a decoy. Once I got out there, you never know how, you never know what’s going to happen,” he said. “The next thing you know, the emotions, the situation, the need for the team, all those things catapulted me to, ‘I’ve got to get this out.’
“Back to your point about what load management is, I play basketball 2.5 hours a day, 3 hours a day, that’s your job. That’s what you get paid to do. That’s for the NBA player. What do you do the other 21 hours? To me, that’s when you have to prepare for your next work day, for your next challenge.
“Maybe I’m not one of those guys that you would probably model that … but you should think about it in retrospect of what load management really is. One is for the sense of pride for the fans who pay. The second is the sense of making sure I stay sharp – I’m not going to lose that. Third, I want our rhythm as a team to always be able to disrupt, that it can be there.”
September 27, 2025; Bethpage, New York, USA; Michael Jordan watches the first hole on the penultimate day of Ryder Cup competition at Bethpage Black on September 27, 2025. (Dennis Schneidler/Imagn Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
The NBA has tried to limit the use of load management in recent years. Contract incentives are attached to players receiving honors such as NBA MVP and All-NBA First-Team selections. Players must play at least 65 games to be eligible.
