Shaquille O’Neal Says Michael Jordan Has G19 Classification: “Higher Than The President Of The United States”

Michael Jordan will be joining NBC as a special contributor for the 2025-26 season, and Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t want anyone to call him a hater, regardless of what he says. In a recent interview with Ashley Nevel, O’Neal was asked if he thought Jordan would praise today’s players, and he had a clear message for them.

“First of all, if anybody says Michael Jordan is hating, you’re an idiot,” O’Neal said. “This man is the only man on earth with G19 classification. G19, higher than the president of the United States classification. Of course, there’s a president, but this guy is a guy that can go behind the doors and get s*** done.

“So, if Jordan says, “I don’t think this guy is good.” You’re not that f***ing good,” O’Neal stated. “I don’t care how many points you’re averaging. If Jordan says you should do this, you should do it. A lot of times, instead of being into your feelings, just listen to what the greatest player who’s ever played the game has to say.

“I would love to be playing right now in the drill,” O’Neal continued. “Like ‘Shaq tries to go to the middle, maybe he should use finesse game.’ You know what I’m going to do when I hear that s***? I’m going to go home and practice all my finesse s***.

“And then the next game, I’m going to be trying to show Mike that, ‘Hey Mr. Jordan, I have finesse in my game, too,'” O’Neal added. “So, for anybody to say that Mike is hating after he makes a good comment or a bad comment, it don’t even sound right. But I know people would love to hear from him.”

People certainly want to hear what Jordan has to say about today’s game and the players. He is still widely regarded as the greatest player in NBA history, having won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, a DPOY, and 10 scoring titles.

Jordan hasn’t said much about the NBA in recent years, and it will be great to get his opinion on some of the biggest talking points next season. Here’s what Jordan had to say about joining NBC.

“I am so excited to see the NBA back on NBC. The NBA on NBC was a meaningful part of my career, and I’m excited about being a special contributor to the project. I’m looking forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC launches this October.”

It’s still unclear how big of a role the Chicago Bulls icon is going to play at NBC. It has been reported that Jordan won’t do live segments and will appear in taped ones that will air during pregame shows or halftime shows. That would be a bit disappointing, but something is better than nothing.

Jordan isn’t the only big name joining NBC’s broadcast for 2025-26, with the network also bringing in Carmelo Anthony, Reggie Miller, Vince Carter, and Jamal Crawford.