Michael Jordan floated as a potential Ryder Cup vice captain next year… despite golf-loving NBA legend’s friendship with leader of USA’s rivals
NBA legend Michael Jordan has been mentioned as a potential vice-captain for the Ryder Cup after Keegan Bradley was named captain for 2025.
On Monday, Bradley was cleared by the PGA of America to succeed Zach Johnson and lead Team USA in their revenge mission against the Europeans at Bethpage Black in New York next year.
The New England player was a surprise selection just 10 months after he was heartbroken over Johnson’s decision not to consider him for a captaincy role in Rome.
But after Tiger Woods was reportedly snubbed, the US PGA apparently decided to cast its net wider and go in a different direction, after the US lost 16.5-11.5 on European soil last September.
And the organization has been urged to think outside the box when it comes to choosing the vice-captain for New York.
Michael Jordan has been mooted as a potential Ryder Cup vice-captain for Keegan Bradley
PGA TOUR radio host Jason Sobel suggested we talk to college golf coaches about the locker room.
The idea led to another idea from former caddie and ESPN writer Michael Collins.
“I think if we’re going to step outside the box, we need to get a college coach who’s not a golf coach or a coach of some other sport,” Collins said.
‘Like back in the day, it would have been cool to have Phil Jackson in the room. Would it be cool to [Michael] Jordan?’
He also admitted that he wouldn’t mind if former Alabama football coach Nick Saban joined Bradley’s team because he “absolutely loves golf.”
“I have no problem with a guy like that being in the team room, whether it’s officially as an assistant captain or unofficially,” Sobel agreed, citing suggestions from the Crimson Tide coach and NBA icon.
‘Michael Jordan, I assume – Keegan and MJ play a lot of golf together – you’ll see MJ in the game.
‘I don’t have a problem with that, I don’t know if I should give him the full captaincy, but look, we’re going outside the box. The box is broken, we’ve crushed the box. There’s no box anymore.’
Bradley was approved by the PGA of America on Monday to succeed Zach Johnson as captain
The NBA legend is an avid golf fan and has attended the biennial tournament regularly
Jordan himself is an avid golf fan and player, even occasionally hitting the course with Ryder Cup team members Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele.
The former Chicago Bulls icon is a regular at the Ryder Cup, but in 2018 he made a special appearance at Le Golf National.
On the Wednesday before the tournament in Paris, he visited the away team’s dressing room, using his own away experiences to bolster their campaign.
“Michael talked about how he always played against tough opponents or a crowd that was always against him,” Brooks Koepka said, via The New York Post. “It’s just funny to hear another athlete’s perspective or the way they approach it, and you can take from that what you want.
‘He said he couldn’t hear the crowd. I assumed he couldn’t wait to silence them, and as soon as he left… the quieter they were. [and] you laugh a little inside [and] You did what you wanted to do. I thought that was pretty cool.’
Fowler said Jordan told Team USA stories “about some of the toughest teams to play against, the guys he played against and who he found most difficult, not only as a team but the individual players he played against and how he approached home games and away games.”
The former Chicago Bulls icon made a special appearance at Le Golf National in 2018
However, during the last tournament at Marco Simone he seemed to be Europe’s secret weapon.
European captain Luke Donald and Jordan are friends and neighbors in the same remote area of Jupiter, Florida—there’s one house between the golfer and Jordan. They’ve been on vacation together. Yvette, Jordan’s wife, is friends with Diana, Donald’s significant other.
And Jordan reportedly celebrated Europe’s victory over its American compatriots in Rome last year.
Jordan spent three hours with Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Donald, watching highlights from the Ryder Cup and toasting the result.
However, the basketball GOAT is a good friend of European captain Luke Donald (left)
Jordan, pictured with Donald’s wife Diane, lives next door to the golfer in Florida
They also raised issues that have caused controversy during the competition, such as play-for-pay. It was alleged that American golfer Patrick Cantlay refused to wear a USA cap because of the lack of compensation for players.
It will come as a shock to most golf fans to hear that Jordan raised a glass with members of Team Europe. “He’s a real pro-USA guy,” Shane Lowry said.
“He was with us from six to nine,” McIlroy said. “We were talking about the issue of players getting paid at the Ryder Cup and he was telling a story about the U.S. basketball team, The Dream Team, at the ’92 Olympics. ”’Do you think I could have gotten paid to play in the Olympics? These people are missing the point of what it means.”’
“He saw the long-term value of winning the Olympics and said he ultimately did a lot better than if he had taken money on the spot,” McIlroy continued. “And that’s how I see it.”