Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he tried to convince Michael Jordan to join the Mavericks instead of the Washington Wizards when he made his second return from retirement.
Cuban spoke on ESPN’s “Now or Never” about the Michael Jordan documentary “The Last Dance,” mentioning Jerry Krause’s role as the Chicago Bulls’ general manager during the Jordan years.
Cuban said he would have made a run for Jordan when the Chicago Bulls legend retired from the game the first time, and whenever problems between Jordan and Krause popped up.
And the Mavericks owner said he already made a run for Jordan.
He said he met Jordan after Cuban took over the Mavericks ownership. When he went to meet him, he saw the paperwork for Jordan to join the Wizards.
“Dude, don’t sign it,” Cuban said. “I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll give you partnership.”
“We’ll win,” he said.
Cuban said Jordan couldn’t change his mind since he committed to the Wizards. But he did try to sign him to the Mavs.
Of course, the story isn’t exactly perfect. According to Dan Feldman of Yahoo Sports, Cuban bought the team in January 2000. The Wizards hired Jordan as president and sold him part ownership in January 2000. Jordan signed to play in September 2001, though.
The Mavericks had a solid team at the time, though with Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Michael Finley. Jordan could have fit the lineup.
But as part of team ownership?
“If Cuban tried to hire Jordan for the front office, there would have been even more room for peril,” Feldman wrote. “Jordan’s personnel record, including with the Hornets, is pretty poor. At least he was still a good player during his second comeback.”