After winning his lawsuit against Dominick's grocery chain, Michael Jordan is back in the news this week, but this time he's actually taking a rare L.
Yesterday, the NBA fined the Los Angeles Clippers $250,000 for breaking the league's anti-circumvention rules while courting DeAndre Jordan over the summer. The Clippers reportedly offered Jordan a Lexus endorsement that would have been worth $200,000 a year, which violates an NBA policy that states teams cannot offer compensation to a player outside of what's defined in their contract.
So, what does this have to do with Michael Jordan? With the anti-circumvention regulations making headlines, the NBA decided to flex its authority even further and announce that this policy extends to sneaker deals. According to ESPN's Darren Rovell, Jordan won't be able to decide which players get an Air Jordan endorsement.
This is due to Jordan's ownership of the Charlotte Hornets, as the NBA feels that it would create a conflict of interest by enticing players to sign for the wrong reasons — and honestly, the NBA's probably right.
