CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Michael Jordan vows to help Charlotte experience what winning is about, telling reporters and season ticket holders it's a "dream come true" to own the Bobcats.
Thursday's whirlwind of media interviews comes a day after the rest of the NBA's owners approved his $275 million purchase from Bob Johnson. Jordan is the first former player to own an NBA team, and the second black majority owner. Johnson was the first.
Jordan had been a part owner of the Bobcats with the final say on all basketball decisions since 2006. But he hired a general manager and was rarely heard from or seen in Charlotte.
That's changed since he agreed just before midnight on Feb. 26 to buy the team outright. Jordan, who has attended all but one home game since striking the all-cash deal, says he'll spend more time in Charlotte to build the franchise, but will also maintain a home in Chicago.
"I am with this team, thick and thin," Jordan said. "My No. 1 priority is the Charlotte Bobcats, without a doubt."
Dressed in a brown suit and gold tie, the six-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer said he hears the criticism of his past personnel decisions in stints with the Bobcats and the Washington Wizards, but he'll be relentless in "finding ways to win."
It's a return home for Jordan, who grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, before leading North Carolina to the 1982 national championship. (AP)