Isiah Thomas Slams NBC For Dishonest Coverage Citing Michael Jordan’s ‘Flu’ Game: “He Didn’t Have the Flu”

This NBA season has seen the return of NBC as the league’s primary broadcasting partner alongside Amazon Prime Video and ESPN. The former decided to make their mark by bringing back the biggest name they ever covered, Michael Jordan.

The idea was that the six-time champion would be a special contributor for the network. There was speculation as to how the legend would do it, since he has generally stayed away from live broadcasts.

Eventually, it turned out to be a series of videos shot at Jordan’s residence with Mike Tirico asking him questions. The series titled ‘MJ: Insights to Excellence‘ went on to become a hit with fans.

The way ‘His Airness’ would candidly talk about load management, the GOAT debate, and several other topics left many in awe. They hailed this series as something of an eye-opener.

However, many began to notice that the entire series had been shot well before the 2025-26 season started, and that NBC was releasing clips at varying intervals.

The situation took a turn for the worse for NBC, as some began calling the network and its ‘special contributor’ out for essentially hoodwinking fans. Now, Isiah Thomas chimes in.

Only if they are going to be 100% honest… Tell the truth about the game… It’s very mythical. It ain’t real. We are still calling his game the ‘Flu Game’ and know he didn’t have the flu, but they promote it.

Isiah Thomas said

"It ain't real. We still calling [Michael Jordan's] game the 'Flu Game' and know he didn't have the flu, but they promote it."

Isiah Thomas is not a fan of how the NBA is being covered in today's media landscape.

(via @RunItBackFDTV)
pic.twitter.com/QNhfHPKM1K

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 12, 2026

This was the Hall of Famer’s response when Run It Back’s Michelle Beadle asked him about the likes of NBC and others bringing back Michael Jordan and other legends of the game to talk about it.

Michael Jordan’s NBC stint ended up angering quite a few people

Isiah Thomas was responding to Michelle Beadle’s question about former players. Unsurprisingly, ever since The Last Dance came out, he has not stopped taking shots at Michael Jordan.

Beadle also started off her question with a shot at Jordan, as she too felt that the entire MJ: Insights to Excellence series was a bit off-putting. Had NBC done several instances of this series on separate occasions, while also talking about the season as it developed, maybe the reactions would not have been so negative.

In fact, Jordan’s former best friend, Charles Barkley, also felt it was a disservice to both the fans and other media outlets. Even though he is back on speaking terms with the Chicago Bulls’ great, the Round Mound of Rebound might never change his opinion.

Fans also found it weird that NBC would agree to such a ‘staged’ series while naming the five-time league MVP as a contributor.

No wonder the network started lagging in fan interest, compared to Amazon Prime Video and ESPN, which took the lead in bringing back fans who had stopped watching the sport.

It is unclear if NBC will make changes to Michael Jordan’s role as contributor

Since the NBA Finals are in session, there is no news about the future of Michael Jordan’s role with the network. More details should be available once the league moves into the offseason.

The only aspect fans appreciated was when Caitlin Clark appeared as a special contributor. She talked about the current state of the game and was also asked questions about the games and players she covered.

It is possible that her role will keep evolving, as fans interacted with NBC a lot more when the Indiana Fever superstar was on their network.

NBC now has all the information it needs to tweak its broadcasts going forward. They still have 10 years left in their media-rights deal with the NBA, which gives them time to reclaim their spot as the best network that covers the league.

Also Read:

• 3 Things Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs Need to Do to Push NBA Finals to Game 7
• Rich Paul Labels OG Anunoby Finals MVP After Jaylen Brown’s Endorsement