Newz Forum: BASKETBALL: Jordan wants to own NBA team

Basketball legend Michael Jordan wants to own his own US National Basketball Association team.

"I'm being patient, waiting for the right situation," Jordan told The New York Times. "Basketball is still my passion. If the right situation comes up, it will happen."

Jordan, who became one of the world's top sports names while leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles, has been out of the league since being fired from a front-office job with the Washington Wizards in 2003. Robert Johnson, the NBA's only African-American owner, talked to Jordan last year about a job with the Charlotte Bobcats, an expansion team.

Jordan decided against it, he said, because he wanted to be a majority owner of a team and make the final decisions. NBA commissioner David Stern has said he would welcome Jordan as a team owner.

"I'm not afraid of an existing situation," Jordan said. "I'm not afraid of an expansion situation.

"Financially it has to fit, and economically it has to be worthwhile. You have to look at how it benefits you, as well as what you can provide for that team."

Reuters