Michael Jordan’s Exit: Thirteen Years as Owner of the Hornets – Sports and Economic Analysis

2023-06-17 14:05:00

Thirteen years following his arrival at the head of the Hornets, Michael Jordan is preparing to sell his shares in the North Carolina franchise. The perfect opportunity to take stock. So, His Airness as owner, what does it give?

This is a real event that is currently taking place in Charlotte. Michael Jordan, the majority owner of the franchise is leaving. His mandate will therefore have lasted thirteen years and he will not necessarily have made an impression in the good sense of the term. Back in some figures on MJ the boss of the Hornets.

Sports results

The first big black spot on Jordan’s balance sheet in Charlotte. In 13 years, the Hornets have only reached the Playoffs… twice. They’ve never even won a series, having been beaten twice by the Heat in the first round. Regular ranking level is not incredible either with at best a sixth place in 2015-16. The time when Kemba Walker was still the leader of the team. Going the other way, the franchise really hit rock bottom by realizing the worst record in the history of the League in 2011-12 with 7 wins for 59 losses (season shortened by lockout).

Obviously, MJ is not the only culprit but it is he who appoints the boss of the sportsman, who chooses the coach, the players etc. And we cannot say that the Hornets leaders have always been particularly inspired.

At the Draft for example. The franchise was able to have 11 lottery picks over the 13 seasons, we are talking regarding a choice in the first 15 of the vintage. Of those 11 picks, only Kemba Walker and LaMelo Ball really confirmed hopes. For the rest, there are those who were clearly drafted too high (Cody Zeller, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist), those who did not leave an unforgettable memory (Noah Vonley, Frank Kaminsky), the correct ones (Malik Monk, PJ Washington ), and choices that fans will clearly regret. We are talking, for example, regarding the fact of letting go of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in 2018 or even this trade last summer which caused a Jalen Duren to lose once morest not much. In short, a rather negative balance.

Free Agency level, the franchise has not shown great appeal either. A few names thrown around like that: a Tony Parker at the end of his career, Gordon Hayward weighed down by injuries, Al Jefferson, Lance Stephenson, Terry Rozier or even Kelly Oubre Jr. not so long ago. Brief, no real stars bringing their talents back to North Carolina. The management has tried a few shots as with Nicolas Batum or later Dwight Howard but each time the results have been mixed.

In terms of coaches, the franchise has been rather stable, with only 4 different coaches over the period. For comparison, the Knicks or the Lakers have had 8 coaches over the past thirteen years. Despite everything, the return of Steve Clifford last summer showed that the team had a terrible time attracting a coach worthy of the name for their project.

Economic results

If there’s one thing we can’t fault, it’s the business part. In 13 years, Michael Jordan has seen his franchise gain in value. While he had bought his shares for the tidy sum of 275 million in 2010, it is with a check 3 billion that he is regarding to leave the Spectrum Center. Suffice to say that he led his boat rather well on that side.

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