"I rather get away from the game a little bit" - Michael Jordan on why he never saw himself becoming an NBA head coach originally appeared on Basketball Network .
For all he stood for in basketball, Michael Jordan never quite pictured himself being a leader from the sidelines as a coach. That was never the endgame. And for someone whose very existence on a basketball court changed the way the game was played, it almost made sense.
Jordan didn't need to pace the sidelines in a suit. He had already authored enough from the hardwood. The clarity came when he left the game the first time in 1993, again in 1998 and once more after a final run with the Washington Wizards . With each farewell, the allure of coaching didn't draw him back.
The Chicago Bulls legend has always maintained that he preferred to see the game from a distance. At the time of his second retirement, Jordan didn't call a coaching career impossible, but he wasn't going in for it.
"I can't say I would never say never, but I want to get away from basketball a little bit and look at it from afar," Jordan said . "I rather get away from the game a little bit.
"If the interest involves somewhere down the road, it's fine, I wouldn't mind that. But right now, the only coaching I can do is at home and I'm having a tough time doing that."
That version of Mike had nothing left to prove. He'd won six championships, earned five MVP awards, 10 scoring titles and had just wrapped up another three-peat with the Bulls. There was no blueprint for what came next, because he had already exceeded every expectation. But stepping into coaching didn't align with the version of the game he loved most — the one where control was physical, direct and deeply personal.
Jordan's approach was always visceral. As a player, he demanded the ball in every critical moment. Coaching, by contrast, meant handing over control to others. And in truth, the temperament that made him unstoppable on the floor may have made him combustible on the sidelines. Coaching required patience, compromise and delegation — three things not synonymous with the Jordan the world knew.
Still, he didn't stay away from the game. Far from it.
After his final NBA retirement in 2003, Jordan returned to basketball's executive circles, first stepping into the Wizards' front office. His brief tenure as president of basketball operations saw him take bold stances, including drafting high schooler Kwame Brown with the No. 1 pick in 2001.
It was a calculated risk and one that ultimately didn't pan out, but it reflected how deeply Jordan believed in molding potential.
His return to play for the Wizards from 2001 to 2003 felt less like nostalgia and more like unfinished business. And yet, when that chapter closed, the sideline still didn't beckon. Ownership gave him influence without the whistle around his neck.
By 2006, Jordan took a different route. He became a minority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats and eventually assumed majority ownership in 2010, making him the first former player to become the principal owner of an NBA franchise. That move redefined his post-playing legacy. As the majority owner, he shifted from influencing plays to influencing policy, culture and strategy .
Ownership allowed him to do what coaching couldn't: shape an organization from the top down without compromising his competitiveness. He could still demand excellence, but on his own terms.
Jordan never shied away from admitting that coaching didn't suit him. His inner fire didn't die; it simply evolved. He had a level of expectation nearly impossible to replicate and that was why he avoided the coaching route. Few players, if any, were wired like him. Coaching would have exposed that gulf.
During his time as owner, the Charlotte Hornets fluctuated in performance but remained one of the league's more stable franchises in terms of culture. Under his stewardship, the Hornets reached the playoffs three times, and in 2023, he sold a majority stake but retained a minority share. It was the kind of legacy move that spoke to his enduring presence in the league, hands-on, but never overbearing.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
