Michael Jordan is no stranger to fines.
In the 90s, the NBA fined the Bulls superstar $5,000 a game for wearing his Air Jordan's during games because they didn't meet the leagues' footwear regulations.
And this summer, Jordan (now the Charlotte Bobcats owner) was warned by the league not to play with locked-out players in a charity golf tournament - or else pay $1 million. (Jordan ended up playing, but not with NBA players).
Now, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine, Jordan has been slapped with a $100,000 fine for comments he made about the lockout and a current NBA player.
According to Broussard, Jordan made the comments in an Aug. 19 interview with an Australian newspaper. He specifically mentioned revenue sharing and referenced Milwaukee Bucks' center Andrew Bogut (who is from Australia).
"We need a lot of financial support throughout the league as well as revenue sharing to keep this business afloat," Jordan told the Herald Sun. "We have stars like Bogut who are entitled to certain type of demands. But for us to be profitable in small markets, we have to be able to win ballgames and build a better basketball team."
The NBA warned the league just before the lockout began that owners and employees would be fined if they uttered a word about the labor dispute or any players.
Apparently they weren't kidding.
Maybe Jordan thought he had diplomatic immunity for giving the interview to an Australian paper. In any case, $100,000 is not likely to dent the Jordan empire. As of last year, Forbes estimated MJ's net worth at a cool $500 million.
Stephen Smith
Stephen Smith is a managing editor for CBSNews.com based in New York. A Washington, D.C. native, Steve was previously an editorial producer for the Washington Post, and has also worked in Los Angeles, Boston and Tokyo.
Report: Jordan fined $100K for lockout comments
By Stephen Smith
/ CBS News
Michael Jordan is no stranger to fines.
In the 90s, the NBA fined the Bulls superstar $5,000 a game for wearing his Air Jordan's during games because they didn't meet the leagues' footwear regulations.
And this summer, Jordan (now the Charlotte Bobcats owner) was warned by the league not to play with locked-out players in a charity golf tournament - or else pay $1 million. (Jordan ended up playing, but not with NBA players).
Now, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine, Jordan has been slapped with a $100,000 fine for comments he made about the lockout and a current NBA player.
According to Broussard, Jordan made the comments in an Aug. 19 interview with an Australian newspaper. He specifically mentioned revenue sharing and referenced Milwaukee Bucks' center Andrew Bogut (who is from Australia).
"We need a lot of financial support throughout the league as well as revenue sharing to keep this business afloat," Jordan told the Herald Sun. "We have stars like Bogut who are entitled to certain type of demands. But for us to be profitable in small markets, we have to be able to win ballgames and build a better basketball team."
The NBA warned the league just before the lockout began that owners and employees would be fined if they uttered a word about the labor dispute or any players.
Apparently they weren't kidding.
Maybe Jordan thought he had diplomatic immunity for giving the interview to an Australian paper. In any case, $100,000 is not likely to dent the Jordan empire. As of last year, Forbes estimated MJ's net worth at a cool $500 million.
Stephen Smith is a managing editor for CBSNews.com based in New York. A Washington, D.C. native, Steve was previously an editorial producer for the Washington Post, and has also worked in Los Angeles, Boston and Tokyo.
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