Amid negotiations concerning the future of the NBA season, Michael Jordan was reportedly the "voice of reason" between owners and players, ESPN reports.
The Charlotte Hornets owner is said to have reached out to NBPA president Chris Paul as well as Russell Westbrook, to get a sense of "what the players hoped to achieve going forward and to offer assistance as they make their case to the NBA's board of governors," per ESPN.
"Michael is the perfect person to be in this role," a league official told ESPN. "He's been a high-profile player who has won championships. He's also the owner of a small-market team. He has great credibility both with the players and the owners."
According to a source who was present during Thursday's virtual meeting with owners, Jordan said "Right now, listening is better than talking," Jordan was also reportedly one of the several owners who were in agreement about wanting to continue the season, believing that the games would be one of the most visible platforms players could use to get their message across. According to ESPN, the owners plan to reconvene later on Thursday to talk about more action items that they can administer now, while simultaneously allowing for the players to continue competing for a championship.
On Wednesday, every NBA team that was scheduled to play had their games postponed as players boycotted in wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. The Milwaukee Bucks were the first team to take a stand and say that they would not play, and every other team that had a game that day followed suit, eventually leading to every playoff game being postponed into Friday.
It is still unclear whether play will resume on Friday, but what is clear is that the players plan to use their platform to demand change.
