NBA legend Jordan ready to host game as an owner

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Buzz Peterson knew Michael Jordan as well as anyone when they were in college.

Roommates and teammates at North Carolina, they spent countless days competing on the basketball court in practice and endless hours talking hoops. Their nights often included shooting pool and tossing cards in their dorm room. There often were arcade games at the Pump House in downtown Chapel Hill.

But Peterson never saw this coming: His roommate becoming an NBA owner and hosting the league’s AllStar game in his home state of North Carolina. “Staring across the dorm room at him back then, no, I never would have thought this would happen,” Peterson said.

Jordan didn’t either, he said Tuesday in a news conference previewing Sunday’s All-Star game. “Growing back up as a kid here in North Carolina, the first thing is play basketball. Then things just evolved from there.”

While maybe unexpected, Peterson said he isn’t shocked by what Jordan has achieved. “Michael has always been very sharp,” said Peterson, now an assistant general manager for Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets. “He gathers information and opinions and then makes decisions. And once he makes the decision to go after something, he goes all out. He is absolutely driven to be successful in whatever he chooses.”

The All-Star game will be played on Jordan’s 56th birthday. “It’s a constant reminder that I am getting old,” he joked. “The All-Star game is always around my birthday and I wish it could be postponed a week.”

The only thing seemingly that has eluded Jordan is ultimate success as an executive and team owner. His Hornets have yet to win a playoff series since he took over as majority owner nine years ago, and they remain mired in NBA mediocrity while struggling to compete in a small market. But Jordan wants to change any negative perceptions of the Hornets or of Charlotte. It’s one reason he aggressively pursued the All-Star game, hoping the showcase will help attract marquee players in the future. He said Kemba Walker being an AllStar game starter also helps.

“It’s an illustration of the type of players we are trying to draft and grow from within,” Jordan said. “So from a Hornets standpoint, that is on display this week. We have a lot of work to do and choices to be made to get to that (championship) level, but it starts with the presentation of what the city is all about — for other people to see and understand that this may be a small market but it is a unique city to be in, and that the fan base tremendously comes out and supports the game.”

Jordan is known to embrace a challenge. On the court, after not being able to make his school’s varsity team as a sophomore, he went on to become a twotime All-American, NCAA champ and national college player of the year in 1984. He’s a two-time Olympic gold medalist and won three straight NBA titles — and after a stint in minor league baseball, returned to the league and won three more. Off the court, Jordan marketed his on-court success into a fortune.

“He has always had incredible determination — always,” said Fred Lynch, Jordan’s former junior varsity basketball coach at Wilmington’s Laney High School.