Michael Jordan married Yvette Prieto before 500 guests on Saturday. (Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan married model Yvette Prieto in Palm Beach on Saturday, reports the Miami Herald.  

It is Jordan’s second marriage. Jordan, currently the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, was married for 17 years before divorcing in 2006 and the couple have three grown children together.

More from the Miami Herald:

Jordan, 50, and Prieto, 35, were married before about 500 guests at the Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, a massive Gothic revival building in the heart of the ritzy island.

Among the dozens of relatives, friends and business associates of Jordan’s were other aging basketball stars, including former New York Knicks big man Patrick Ewing and former Chicago Bulls Scottie Pippen, Ron Harper and Toni Kukoc as well as NBA TV announcer Ahmad Rashad.

GALLERY: SI’s 100 Best Photos of Jordan

Michael Jordan asked a Georgia court on Monday to dismiss a paternity suit against him. (Kent Smith/Getty Images)

The Charlotte Bobcats were in Portland Monday night to visit the Trail Blazers, but earlier in the day team owner Michael Jordan was busy with a Georgia court over a paternity suit against him.

According to a report from the Associated Press, Jordan asked the judge to dismiss the case, which is scheduled to go to court March 12, on the grounds that the paternity of the teen was “conclusively established” during 2oo3 divorce proceedings between the woman alleging Jordan is the father and her ex-husband. Jordan called it a “shameless, bad faith attempt to abuse the legal system.”

The mother, Pamela Y. Smith, wants Jordan to take a paternity test because she believes he is the father of her 16-year-old, Taj. She also wants him to pay child support and some health care costs not covered by her insurance. Smith, 48, also requested that her son’s last name be changed from Reynolds — the boy’s father, as identified in the divorce proceedings, is Glenville G. Reynolds — to Jordan and wants the Georgia Department of Vital Records to issue her son a new birth certificate to reflect the name change.

According to Smith’s publicist, April Love, Jordan had met Smith in Chicago in the late 1980s. Love said that the former NBA star should do the right thing and submit to a paternity test:

“Pamela had no choice but to support her son and his desire to forge a relationship with his father,” Smith’s publicist, April Love, said in a statement Friday. “That’s why she is now speaking out and prompting Michael to do the right thing.”

Taj posted a video to YouTube on Christmas 2012 urging Jordan “to come out of the dark and stop being secretive about it because he knows I’m his son.”

Michael Jordan’s longetime trainer said that even at 50 years old, Jordan would be the best player on the Bobcats, the team he currently owns. (Kent Smith/Getty Images)

Michael Jordan’s upcoming 50th birthday has brought the basketball legend back into the spotlight and even fueled speculation that he could attempt a comeback.

If Jordan chooses to go that route, longtime trainer Tim Grover is prepared to help. Grover has done extensive research to put together a program for Jordan to follow should he attempt a return to the NBA, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, and believes that Jordan “is still the best player on the Charlotte Bobcats.”

The soon-to-be 50-year-old beat 19-year-old No. 2 draft pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in a game of one-on-one last month, according to CSNHouston.com’s Dave Zangaro.

Jordan’s duties as owner of the Bobcats are the main obstacles preventing him from planning a comeback, Grover told Yahoo! Sports. But Grover also said that if he ever gets the call, he will “be ready for him.”

Fifty pages inside a binder sit on Grover’s desk inside his suburban Chicago home now, information and studies and research and innovations into regenerating the muscle fibers and anti-aging advances and nutrition. From his trips to Europe and Asia and the Far East, Grover has incorporated a small library of intelligence – backed with the most intimate knowledge of Jordan’s body and mind and drive – to create a program that awaits the comeback of all comebacks at 50 years old.

In his last comeback attempt at 38-40-years-old, Jordan averaged more than 20 points per game over two seasons with the Washington Wizards. Grover believes that the Hall of Famer could pull off a similar feat a decade later.

“His skill level was so superior to everyone else, his understanding of the commitment to the task so different, I absolutely believe [Jordan] playing again at 50 is obtainable,” Grover said. “Of course, things have been diminished away from the game so long, but even with what’s diminished by age, by not playing, I still think he’s superior to a lot of the players out there now.”

Jordan has been working out more frequently in hopes of shedding pounds to reach his former playing weight of 218, as detailed in Wright Thompson’s ESPN.com feature.

Michael Jordan says Kobe Bryant’s five NBA titles elevate him above LeBron James. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

Michael Jordan picks Kobe Bryant over LeBron James as the NBA’s best player in an upcoming NBA TV special, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Jordan points to Bryant’s five NBA titles as opposed to James’ one championship in the program that will run Monday night.

  “If you had to pick between the two, that would be a tough choice,” Jordan, who won six while playing for the Bulls, told program host Ahmad Rashard, “but five beats one every time I look at it.”

“And not that he won’t get five,” Jordan said of James. “He may get more than that, but five is bigger than one.”

James responded that he doesn’t play for “other people’s approval.”

   “That doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “If you take Kobe one and then I go second . . . it doesn’t matter. I don’t really get too involved about what guys say about me, or if you take Kobe or if you take LeBron.

“As long as I’m on the floor and I try to make plays for my teammates, I don’t do what I do for other people’s approval.”

Bobcats shooting guard, Gerald Henderson, is expected to miss two to four weeks with a left foot sprain, reported the team’s VP of Communications via Twitter:

Update: @bobcats guard Gerald Henderson @GhJr09 could miss approx. 2-4 weeks with left mid-foot sprain suffered at Dallas (Nov. 3).—
B.J. Evans (@BobcatsBballPR) November 06, 2012

Henderson, 24, injured the foot during the third quarter of the Bobcats’ 126-99 loss to the Mavs on Saturday. He did not practice on Monday.

Henderson was taken 12th overall by the Bobcats during the 2009 draft after his junior year at Duke. He has improved each year and averaged 15.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last season. Bobcats owner Michael Jordan once said Henderson had All-Star potential, and he told the Charlotte Observer that this will be a key year for Henderson, who becomes at restricted free agent at the end of the season, to show it.

“He’s a captain this year… To be a captain is a responsibility of leading by example. Don’t talk about it, do it. Be there every day in some capacity. If your shot’s not there, then rebound or play defense,” Jordan said. ”These are the things I’m expecting to see from Gerald. He’s shown the signs. Now can he take the next step? I’m pretty sure this is the year he’s going to sit in my office and ask for a raise. These are the things I need to see. I don’t like to overpay for things I don’t see.”

Michael Jordan tried to bring James Harden to Oklahoma City. (Davi Cannon, Getty Images)

Bobcats owner Michael Jordan has admitted that he tried to attract James Harden to Charlotte before the swingman signed an extension with the Houston Rockets.

In an interview with the Charlotte Observer, Jordan noted that the Bobcats may not be the most ideal destination for free agents given their small-market stature, but that didn’t stop him from trying to get the Oklahoma City Thunder’s sixth man.

Q: James Harden was just traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Houston Rockets. Were the Bobcats ever in the mix to acquire him?

A: “We made a couple phone calls. That’s all I can say.’’

Q: Do you still believe a major free agent would come to the Bobcats?

A: “If the (collective bargaining agreement) operates the way it’s supposed to, there will be very few teams with the right cap space (to pursue major free agents). Hopefully we can start picking them off that way, by maintaining our flexibility. Maybe we can provide them with the financial reward most players are starting to look for. Hoping the CBA will work that way for small-market teams – some parity.’’

Phil Jackson said that LeBron James has the potential and the “physical attributes” to be better than Michael Jordan by the end of his career. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

The outspoken Charles Barkley saying that LeBron James has the potential to be better than Michael Jordan by the end of his career is one thing. On Monday, Jordan’s Hall-of-Fame former coach echoed Barkley’s statements.

In a wide-ranging interview with ESPN Chicago, former Bulls and Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that James has “all the physical attributes” to match Jordan. He said that much of the comparison when all is said and done would depend on whether James can remain healthy for the rest of his career.

Here’s what Jackson told hosts Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman, via Sports Radio Interviews:

“He’s got all the physical attributes.  I think we all question the prepping that went into LeBron.  His defense was shaky when he was a younger player and finding his way through that direction.  He is a player that can play four positions. Except for perhaps the center spot, which he hasn’t given a shot at yet, he can play those other four positions quite well.

“This is unique; Michael could play three and was very good at all three of those, but as a power player that LeBron can become, I think he has an opportunity to explore and advance some of the status that he has already gained.  Winning six championships is an elusive thing out there and they haven’t won two yet.  [...]

“I have a hard time judging that best player, but I do think that Michael had more moves in the post and he had more of a, perhaps, shooting touch with his back to the basket and all these kind of things that were part of his game.  LeBron has this train out of control when he gets the ball in transition that he can go coast to coast without anyone getting in his way and if they do, he’s going to over run them.  And he’s got the power with the body and he’s developed a left hand that’s extremely good.  There’s a lot of things that you are seeing in the development of this player that leads towards that, but the ideal and the whole reason behind this is what kind of championships are you gonna get from a player like this? Can he match what Michael has done?”

Last week, Barkley gushed about the 27-year-old James, who won his first championship with the Heat last season.

“I do think he can be better than Michael,” Barkley said. “I thought I would never compare somebody to Michael Jordan. But this guy, LeBron James, he does everything well. Michael did everything well. LeBron James is just bigger, stronger, faster. That’s the only difference.”

Charles Barkley said LeBron James could be better than Michael Jordan on NBA TV’s “Open Court.” (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Charles Barkley said LeBron James could be better than Michael Jordan and that James is “just bigger, stronger, faster,” according to an NBC Sports report via AP. The Hall of Famer and TNT NBA analyst made his comments on the first episode of NBA TV’s “Open Court” show which will debut on Tuesday night. The series consists of a roundtable discussion between NBA TV and TNT commentators including Shaq, Reggie Miller, Kenny Smith, Steve Smith and Ernie Johnson.

James and Jordan are the only two players to win the NBA title, regular-season MVP, NBA Finals MVP and Olympic gold in the same year. (James did so this past season; Jordan accomplished the feat twice, in 1992 and 1996.)

Michael Jordan will present Nike co-founder Phil Knight at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and Magic Johnson together under one roof again?

They are just a few of the presenters who have been chosen by this years class of inductees into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

The official list of presenters was announced Tuesday evening by the Hall, and posted to NBA.com. 

The ceremony will take place September 7 in Springfield, Mass.

Jordan and longtime Georgetown head coach John Thompson will present Phil Knight, co-founder and chairman of Nike Inc.

Barkley and Johnson will join Cheryl Miller to present her brother, Reggie, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving and Barkley will present Ralph Sampson.

It was also announced Tuesday that Bob Cousy will introduce the late Don Barksdale. Chris Mullen, Bob Lanier and Satch Sanders will present Don Nelson.

The Hall of Fame expects 50 of its members to be in attendance in September, either as participants or as guests.

Heat guard Dwyane Wade said it would be tough for LeBron James to surpass Michael Jordan. (Jordan Johnson/Getty Images)

LeBron James has a gold medal, an NBA championship and three NBA MVP awards.  Of course, Hall of Famer Michael Jordan has more in every one of those categories. At least one of James’ teammates doesn’t know if he can surpass Jordan.

“I don’t know if (James) has the ability to surpass (Jordan) or not,” Dwyane Wade told ESPNChicago.com. “That’s yet to be seen. My version as LeBron being on par with Michael is this: They’re both on the golf course. Michael’s on the 18th hole. LeBron is somewhere on like the fourth hole. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s on par to get to the 18th hole.”

Wade recently said that James was “on that level” as it pertained to Jordan. James and Jordan both won their first championships at age 27.

“He’s now playing with that confidence, that swagger that you need, and he’s right in the smack of his prime,” Wade said.  ”We’ve all seen it from all the best players in this game, all the future Hall of Famers, that age, 27, 28, 29 that’s like the best years and then after that if you stay healthy, then you have even more great years like a Michael Jordan, like a Kobe (Bryant) has had, when they reach their 30s.”

John Salley said Michael Jordan is not the greatest ever. (AFP/Getty Images)

Former Detroit Piston bad boy John Salley said that despite years of match ups against the Chicago Bulls in the 1980s and early 90s, Michael Jordan is not the greatest player that he’s played against.

Salley made the comments while on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio:

“I love Michael. I’m a Michael Jordan fan, like everyone else. I just don’t think he’s the greatest player ever. I think the greatest player I ever played against was Magic Johnson. Next was Larry Bird. Then Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The hardest guy I ever had to guard? Hakeem Olajuwon. …. The greatest player I ever played with? I played with Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen …. Isiah Thomas is the greatest player I’ve ever played with.”

Salley was drafted 11th overall by the Pistons in the 1986 NBA Draft. He played against Jordan and the Bulls in four playoffs over his six years with the Pistons, beating Chicago in the Eastern Conference Finals from 1988 – 1990. The Bulls beat the Pistons in the 1991 conference finals.

By comparison, Salley and the Pistons lost to Magic Johnson and the Lakers in the 1988 NBA Finals but beat Los Angeles the following season in an NBA Finals rematch.

It borders on basketball heresy to make the suggestion, but perhaps the comment carries more weight coming from Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, a longtime assistant on world championship and Olympics teams for USA Basketball.

In an interview on Colin Cowherd’s radio show on Tuesday, Boeheim lavished praise on James, particularly his ability to defense all five positions. Asked how good James is, Boeheim invoked the hallowed initials MJ.

“I’ve always thought Michael Jordan was the best player that I’ve ever seen,” Boeheim said, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard. “I always have and and I didn’t think it was close. I’m not so sure any more. And I love Michael Jordan. I’m not so sure anymore. This guy is 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, and he’s getting better. He works on his game. His shooting is getting better. He’s a phenomenal, phenomenal basketball player. I love this game, I love the history of this game. I know we’ve had great, great players through the years. He’s like Magic Johnson with Michael Jordan-type skills as well.”

Michael Jordan stands to lose $1.5 million from a gym investment. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Michael Jordan stands to lose $1.5 million from an investment in a Chicago-based gym that could soon be entering foreclosure, according to a report from ESPNChicago.com.

Tim Grover, owner of Attack Athletics Gym, filed for Chapter XI bankruptcy but a judge rejected the motion in July. Now, Grover is appealing the ruling so that his gym doesn’t go into foreclosure.

Jordan, coming off a physical series against the Detroit Pistons early in his career, was Grover’s first professional client. “He said he’d try it out for a month, and it ended up being 15 years,” Grover told ESPNChicago.com in 2009.

Located on Chicago’s West Side, the 65,000 square-foot-facility, replete with four basketball courts and a 10,000 square-foot weight room, has been a popular offseason training site for the likes of Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Tracy McGrady. Michael Finley, who is listed as a creditor for guaranteeing a $2 million loan, has also trained at the gym.

“It’s a first-class organization here with Tim Grover, first with Hoops and now with ATTACK Athletics,” Wade told ESPNChicago.com in 2009. “It’s a first-class thing we run. I say ‘we’ because I feel so much a part of it because I’ve been coming here since my rookie year.”

President Barack Obama has Michael Jordan, Carmelo Anthony and other basketball stars committed to a fundraising event. (Saul Loeb/Getty Images)

Barack Obama is about to get a boost in his fundraising efforts from a number of big names in the basketball world.

According to a report Tuesday afternoon from CBS.com, citing a campaign e-mail, the president will hold an “Obama Classic” basketball game as a fundraiser. Among those scheduled to participate are Michael Jordan, Carmelo Anthony, Kyrie Irving, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Sheryl Swoops.

The date and location of the game has not been confirmed.

For three dollars, a supporter can enter for the chance to win tickets to the game and a free flight and a night at a hotel.

Obama recently showed his support for the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team. Vice-president Joe Biden and first lady Michelle Obama were with him in attendance for the team’s exhibition win against Brazil in Washington D.C. in July.

Kobe Bryant thinks this year’s U.S. team would pull it out against the Dream Team. Jordan could only laugh. (Jeff Haynes/Getty Images)

Kobe Bryant said Wednesday he believed this year’s United States national basketball team could beat the 1992 Dream Team.

Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley could only laugh.

The five-time NBA MVP Jordan told The Associated Press on Thursday that he “absolutely laughed” when he heard Bryant’s comments.

Jordan says there was “no comparison” which team was better, adding that Byrant comparing the two teams “is not one of the smarter things he ever could have done.”

As expected, Barkley responded to the Bryant’s comments promptly by going on with Mike Missanelli on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia.

“I just started laughing,” Barkley said. “How old is Kobe Bryant, 36? He’s 34? And he’s calling us old? At the time, we were only like 28, 29. … Michael Jordan and me were the same age. We were both 29.”

Barkley went on to say he believed only LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Bryant would make the Dream Team.

Blazers president Larry Miller has resigned and will return to his job at Nike. (Jennifer Pottheiser/NBA)

Portland Trail Blazers president Larry Miller has resigned and will return to his job with Nike, The Oregonian’s Jason Quick reported Saturday.

“It felt like it is the right time, and the right thing for me,’’ Miller told the Oregon paper.

Minutes after Quick reported the news via Twitter, the Blazers put out a release confirming Miller’s exit.

The 61-year-old Miller still had two years remaining on his Blazers contract. He told Blazers owner Paul Allen on Friday that he planned to resign. At Nike, Miller will become president of the Jordan brand, the old position he held from 1999 through 2006, when he joined the Blazers.

“The timing is right,” said Miller, according to the Blazers’ official release. “We have an excellent general manager in place in Neil Olshey, so I feel the team is on solid ground and headed in the right direction. Off the court, business is great. The Rose Garden is packed every night and the passion of Trail Blazers fans has never been better.”

Under Miller’s watch, the Blazers began their current streak of 192 consecutive sellouts at the Rose Garden, which dates back to December 2007. Portland also had a streak of three consecutive playoff appearances from 2009-11. The Blazers said that the search for Miller’s replacement will begin immediately.

“It is sad to see Larry leaving the Blazers and I want to thank him for his leadership and contributions to the franchise,” Allen said in the team’s release. “Larry helped manage a period of significant growth and I wish him all the best as he takes on this opportunity.”

The Bobcats are shopping the No. 2 pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, but the team reportedly wants bidders to take on the $26 million contract for Tyrus Thomas as well. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Rumors have swirled in recent days of Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcats looking to trade the team’s No. 2 pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft for proven talent and/or multiple first round-picks.

But Michael Lee of The Washington Post reports that the kicker to the Bobcats trading away that highly-coveted pick could be getting a team to also take on the contract for Tyrus Thomas, the team’s forward who is owed more than $26 million over the next three years:

According to multiple sources, the Bobcats are trying to convince teams interested in the second pick to also take back disappointing power forward Tyrus Thomas. [W]hen asked if teams would be willing to touch Thomas, one Western Conference executive said, “I don’t think so.”

Thomas had his best season statistically in 2008-09 with the Chicago Bulls, averaging 10.8 points 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.2 steals in nearly 28 minutes per game. But he’s coming off one of his worst seasons in the league, averaging 5.6 points and 3. 7 rebounds in 18 minutes per game for the Bobcats last season.

After coming off the worst seasons in NBA history, the Bobcats are definitely showing they’re interested in making moves this off-season. On June 26, the team traded Corey Maggette to the Detroit Pistons for Ben Gordon and a lottery-protected first round draft pick.

The Charlotte Bobcats unveiled new uniforms on June 19, with the most striking update being the name change to “Cats” for their home jerseys. (Kent Smith/Getty Images)

The Charlotte Bobcats unveiled new uniforms on June 19, with the most striking update being a name change to Cats on the home jersey, according to photos released on the team website.

The name change is perhaps a move to give the franchise a new identity under current owner Michael Jordan, who succeeded original owner Bob Johnson in March 2010.

The team finished with the worst winning percentage in NBA history last season under Jordan, following a nationally televised loss to the New York Knicks in which it dipped to .106. On the season, the Bobcats finished 7-59 which included a 23-game losing streak, a franchise record.

The other noticeable difference is the use of dark blue accented by Carolina blue, the same color used on the jerseys of the neighboring North Carolina Tarheels, where Jordan starred in college. The road jerseys will still read “Bobcats,” but the home jerseys will feature “Cats” and neither version will include as much orange as previously used.

The Charlotte Bobcats have hired St. John’s assistant coach Mike Dunlap to be their next head coach, The Charlotte Observer‘s Rick Bonnell reported Monday night.

CHARLOTTE OBSERVER EXCLUSIVE: St. John’s assistant Mike Dunlap has been has accepted the head coach of the Charlotte #Bobcats. (cont.)

— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) June 19, 2012

The hire was confirmed by The Associated Press, which cited a person familiar with the decision within the organization. Dunlap replaces Paul Silas, who coached the Bobcats to an all-time NBA worst season.

Dunlap was among a long list of candidates considered for the Bobcats job. ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard reported on May 8 that Dunlap was interviewing for the position. But he’s a highly unexpected choice. SI.com’s Sam Amick reported last Thursday that Bobcats owner Michael Jordan had narrowed his choices to Pacers assistant Brian Shaw or Lakers assistant Quin Snyder. That came after Jerry Sloan told SI.com that he had taken himself out of consideration for the job.

Though Dunlap was not one of the three finalists, a source told SI’s Amick last week that Jordan was thinking about re-opening his search to include more candidates. On Monday, Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc Spears reported that Shaw and Snyder were both out of the picture as well.

That gave way to news of Dunlap’s hire to take over the Bobcats, a team that finished the 2011-12 season with a .106 (7-59) winning percentage. They have the No. 2 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Dunlap took on a larger role this year with St. John’s, as Red Storm head coach Steve Lavin was absent from the bench while recovering from successful prostate cancer surgery. The New York Post‘s Lenn Robbins detailed in February how many of the head-coaching duties fell to Dunlap in Lavin’s absence.

But when it comes to calling timeouts, or making subs or deciding which late-game play to run — all those in game decisions — are Dunlap’s.

Before St. John’s, Dunlap coached at the University of Oregon and University of Arizona. He was also an assistant with the Denver Nuggets under head coach George Karl.

Now that former Utah Jazz coach has taken his name out of the running for the Charlotte Bobcats head-coaching position, according to SI.com’s Sam Amick, only two candidates remain: Pacers assistant Brian Shaw and Lakers assistant Quin Snyder.

But Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register writes that Shaw is thought to prefer the Orlando Magic opening, which would leave the Bobcats job to Snyder.

Ding writes:

Snyder, 45, doesn’t have the NBA experience of Shaw, who was passed over as Phil Jackson’s replacement when Brown was hired as Lakers head coach. But Snyder has an outstanding grasp of the NBA pick-and-roll game and connected very well with Lakers star Kobe Bryant in just one year together.

Snyder, a former Missouri head coach who rebuilt his career in the D-League after NCAA violations in Columbia, was in Charlotte for a second interview on Wednesday, this time with owner Michael Jordan. Snyder’s Duke pedigree doesn’t seem to be an issue with North Carolina alum Jordan.

Amick tweets the following, however:

I'm told that Brian Shaw has not pulled himself out of the running for the Charlotte job, FWIW. Stay tuned. No final decision expected today—
Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 15, 2012

The greatest team ever assembled. Dream Team Member Karl Malone said he would pick Michael Jordan over Scottie Pippen to start a team. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBA/Getty Images)

The most asked question in NBA circles around draft time is if you had a franchise what player would you want to start a team with.

Former Utah Jazz great Karl Malone was asked that very question on “The Dan Patrick Show” but was asked what Dream Team member he would choose. Of course, he said Jazz teammate John Stockton.  The other choice is sure to get some people talking.

“I would have to start my team with Scottie Pippen,” Malone said, according to CSNChicago.com. “This is why I would take Scottie: Do you remember the time that Michael retired? I watched Scottie Pippen when the Chicago Bulls weren’t really good and Scottie led that team in every statistical category, and I just remembered that.”

Other Dream Teamers David Robinson and Charles Barkley said they didn’t care who was on the team.

A Dream Team documentary will premiere Wednesday night on NBA TV.

Kevin Durant’s mom, Wanda Pratt, thinks her son could go down as the best player in NBA history. (Layne Murdoch/Getty Images)

Kevin Durant’s mother, Wanda Pratt, didn’t hesitate when asked whether she thinks her son could challenge Michael Jordan as the greatest player in NBA history. “Of course I do,” she said in an appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Wednesday morning.

The question of whether a 23-year-old in his first NBA Finals could go down as the game’s best player is of course premature –  some would say absurd — but Pratt quickly backed her son on that and other questions posed to her.

Durant and his mom are famously close. Pratt lived with Durant during his rookie year, and he was fine with it. “She can make me a better person and make the transition easier,” he said at the time, “so why not?”

On Wednesday, Pratt was also asked to make a predication on what Oklahoma City, which won Game 1 over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, will do in the NBA Finals. She kept her response simple: “Win.”

When pressed on how many games the Thunder would need, she would only answer, “As many as they need to (win).”

Durant and teammate Russell Westbrook have received attention for their post-game attire. Durant, toting his backpack, sports a look that has been called “geek chic” and “nerd swag.” His mother approves, telling him: ”Finally, I wanted you to dress like this from the beginning.”

As for Westbrook, who has worn some unusual shirts to his press conferences, ”The shirts, I think they work for him.”

Patrick Ewing is no longer in the running to be the new head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. (Fernando Medina/Getty Images)

Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan called Patrick Ewing to let him know that he is no longer being considered for the team’s head coaching job, reports Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski.

Ewing, an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic for the past five years, had interviewed for the Bobcats’ position earlier this month. Wojnarowski reports that Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan, former Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan and Warriors assistant Mike Malone are among the remaining candidates for the job.

The Bobcats finished this season with the lowest winning percentage in league history. Charlotte went only 7-59.

The attractiveness of the coaching position would grow if Charlotte can win the NBA Draft Lottery tonight. The Bobcats have a 25 percent chance of winning, thanks to their league-worst record. The presumed first pick, Kentucky star Anthony Davis, would go a long way toward helping the team move in the right direction.

The Charlotte Bobcats will interview Brian Shaw, who has been an assistant with Kobe Bryant’s Lakers and the Indiana Pacers, for their vacant head-coaching position. (Noah Graham/Getty Images)

Coming off the worst season in NBA history, the Charlotte Bobcats have already interviewed more potential next head coaches (eight) than the organization had wins last season (seven).

The Bobcats plan to add two more highly touted assistant names to that coaching search, according to a report from ESPN’s Chris Broussard. The Bobcats have lined up meetings with Pacers assistant Brian Shaw and Lakers assistant Quin Snyder, Broussard reports.

Shaw was an assistant with Phil Jackson’s Lakers for seven seasons and is widely considered a favorite to land a head-coaching job sometime soon. Shaw was a candidate for the Lakers job after Jackson departed last season, but Los Angeles ultimately chose Mike Brown.

Snyder was the head coach at the University of Missouri from 1999-2006, where he led the Tigers to four NCAA tournament berths in his first four seasons but didn’t reach the Big Dance after that. Snyder was an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2010-11 season before moving onto Brown’s staff this year.

The Bobcats finished just 7-59 this season for the worst winning percentage in NBA history at .106. They lost 22 games by 20 points or more. So Michael Jordan’s organization has gone far and wide thus far to find a good fit as its next head coach.

The Bobcats have already interviewed eight candidates for the position — Jerry Sloan, Patrick Ewing, Nate McMillan, Dave Joerger, Mike Malone, Nate Tibbetts, Mike Dunlap and Stephen Silas. Stephen Silas is the son of Paul Silas, who the Bobcats fired after the season.

The NBA Draft lottery is this week, and the Bobcats have the best chance of any team to land the No. 1 pick, pegged extensively as Kentucky forward Anthony Davis.

Jerry Sloan said on Tuesday that he is in talks with Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan to coach the team next season. (Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE/Getty Images)

Jerry Sloan said Wednesday that he has spoken with Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan about coaching the team. The two sides could meet as early as next week, Sloan confirmed to Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune:

Asked if he had talked to any team about a job opening, Sloan mentioned Jordan and the Bobcats, who finished 7-59 during the lockout-shortened season and then fired coach Paul Silas.

According to Sloan, undertaking such a massive rebuilding job would not prevent him from considering Charlotte.

“Obviously, you probably wouldn’t win [a championship] right off the bat,’ he said. ‘But sometimes it’s not all about starting on top.”

Sloan also said that he would be interested in coaching the Orlando Magic, who fired their head coach, Stan Van Gundy, and parted ways with General Manager, Otis Smith, on Monday.

Sloan spoke with The Tribune from his farm outside McLeansboro, Ill. and “made it clear that he would like to return to coaching after being away from basketball for 15 months.”

As the longest tenured coach of any professional team, Sloan announced his resignation from the Utah Jazz in February 2011 after 23 seasons.

The Charlotte Bobcats will have one last chance at home against the New York Knicks to avoid the title of becoming the worst team in league history, according to the Associated Press.

“If we get a win it will be the best thing that has happened to us all season,” Bobcats coach Paul  Silas told the AP.

Currently, Charlotte’s record stands at  7-58 (.106), and a loss tonight would surpass the 39-year-old record held by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, who ended their season 9-73 (.110) in a full regular season.

WIth a win tonight, not only would the Bobcats avoid the title, but it would also save Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest NBA player, from being called the worst owner in league history.  Ironically, a loss tonight  would mark the Bobcats’ 23rd consecutive loss, the same number Jordan wore with the Bulls.

This has been a downright miserable season for Michael Jordan, the NBA living legend who now owns the laughingstock Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats are threatening for the worst winning percentage of all time, and that being the case, Jordan spoke to the Charlotte Observer to defend himself against the critics who have spoken out this season.

“It’s absolutely wrong that I don’t want guys to challenge me,” Jordan said. “The people who say that aren’t in the room. The idea that people can’t do that is just wrong. [Vice chairman Curtis Polk] has worked with me for over 20 years, and he’s never had a problem telling me no. [President of basketball operations Rod Higgins] has no problem telling me no. [President Fred Whitfield] has no problem telling me no. And [GM Rich Cho] is about as direct and candid a person as you’ll ever meet.”

Jordan’s Bobcats are an NBA-worst 7-57 — if they don’t find a way to win one of their last two games this season, they’ll finish with the worst record in history. Sixteen years ago, Jordan led the best team of all time, the 1995-96 Bulls; now he might be running the worst.

In addition to allegations that he’s let his ego get out of control, Jordan also addressed complaints that the Bobcats have “tanked” this season to win the draft lottery. Despite trading away his veteran talent and fielding an undermanned, inexperienced team for most of this season, Jordan insists that he’s tried to win.

“This was going to be a trying year; we knew that,” Jordan said. “But did we want to chase the most Ping-Pong balls? No way.”

Michael Jordan said Sunday that he is 100 percent committed to the Charlotte Bobcats and that he doesn’t plan to sell the franchise, according to the Associated Press.

“I was disturbed to hear the false report that I intend to sell my majority interest in the Charlotte Bobcats,” Jordan said in a statement. “I am 100 percent committed to building the Bobcats into a contender and have no plans to sell the team.”

The Bobcats have struggled all season and are losers in 12 of their last 14.

After six years in the owner’s box running the Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan is hinting that he wants out.

“I told [GM Rich Cho] to make us better,” Jordan said recently, according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. “If that doesn’t work and I can’t make a profit in the next three to four years, then I’m selling.”

Jordan bought a minority stake in the Bobcats on June 15, 2006. In the six seasons since, the team has made the playoffs just once, in 2010, and was emphatically swept in the first round. This year’s ‘Cats are 7-42, by far the worst record in the NBA.

The Bobcats lost $20 million last season, and they’re expecting more of the same this year.

Jordan sought majority ownership of the Bobcats in February 2010 and was approved on March 17. Just two years in, he’s already looking for a buyer to bail him out of half his stake in the team.

Traditionally Charles Barkley has been one of Michael Jordan’s biggest supporters, however as a guest yesterday on ESPN 1000’s “The Waddle & Silvy Show,” Barkley said that Jordan has not done a good job as the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.

“I love Michael, but he just has not done a good job,” Barkley said. “Even though he is one of my great friends, I can’t get on here and tell you he’s done a great job. He has not done a great job, plain and simple.”

“I think the biggest problem has been I don’t know if he has hired enough people around him who he will listen to,” Barkley said. “One thing about being famous is the people around you, you pay all their bills so they very rarely disagree with you because they want you to pick up the check. They want to fly around on your private jet so they never disagree with you. I don’t think Michael has hired enough people around him who will disagree.”

The Bobcats currently have the worst record in the NBA at 4-29, and the team has won just one of their previous 20 games. Since Jordan has become the owner of the club in 2006, the team has made one playoff appearance.

During a brief stint as part owner of the Washington Wizards, Jordan drafted Kwame Brown with the No. 1 overall pick in 2001, which is often considered as one of the worst selections in draft history. He then came out of retirement to play for the Wizards, but did not rejoin the team’s front office after a two-year stint on the court.

NBA legend Michael Jordan has listed his Highland Park mansion for sale for $29 million, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The compound measures over 56,000 square feet.  Some of the features include nine bedrooms, 15 full baths, three-bedroom guesthouse, indoor-outdoor entertaining and pool area, tennis court, putting green, full-size indoor basketball court, and a 15-car garage.

Listed as the highest priced home in Chicago, Jordan’s mansion has been home to the family ever since he was married with his former wife, Juanita.  According to public records, property taxes on the home were $165,224 in 2010.

In 2000, Jordan became the first player to have ownership in a team when he became part owner of the Washington Wizards.  In 2003, Jordan officially retired from basketball after a brief stint as a player for the Wizards.  Currently, the six-time NBA champion is the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.

NBA legend Michael Jordan is suing a Chinese sports- and footwear company for unauthorized use of his name, according to the Associated Press.

Jordan said in a statement that his decision to sue Qiaodan Sports Company Limited “is not about money, it’s about principle and protecting my name.”

The statement also said that Jordan saw it as ”deeply disappointing to see a company build a business off my Chinese name without my permission, use the number 23 and even attempt to use the names of my children.”

Michael Jordan told author Roland Lazenby that he believes only Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant is deserving of gaining comparisons to him, according to Lazenby’s Twitter-feed.

I never said Kobe was better than MJ. MJ just told me Kobe's the only one to have done the work, to deserve comparison.—
Roland Lazenby (@lazenby) January 15, 2012

Lazenby, who is currently working on a book about the Chicago Bulls legend, also tweeted that Jordan is Kobe’s ultimate competition and that Jordan enjoys watching Bryant.

Bryant still is one NBA Championship short of Jordan’s mark of six.

Charlotte Bobcats owner and legendary basketball player Michael Jordan is now engaged to his longtime girlfriend Yvette Prieto, according to WCNC Charlotte.

The two reportedly decided to get married over the Christmas holiday, a spokesperson for Jordan confirmed to WCNC on Thursday.

Jordan, 48, was married for 17 years to Juanita Vanroy before a costly divorce in 2006. The two have three children together.

Metta World Peace, formerly known as Ron Artest, has challenged Michael Jordan to a game of one-on-one with the result of the NBA lockout at stake, the Los Angeles Times reports.

“Come on Jordan!! Bring it. One on one. I win lockout over. I’ll beat u with my eyes closed and a in and out burger in my right hand!!” World Peace tweeted to Jordan.

World Peace is one of several players who believe Jordan has turned his back on the players with his hard-line stance on lockout negotiations.  The former Bulls’ star was believed to have led a faction of owners who did not want to offer the players a 50-50 split in basketball related income.

The six-time NBA champion and current Charlotte Bobcats owner did not respond to the tweet.