Jordan Set to Control Wizards

Former Chicago Bull star Michael Jordan and Washington Wizard majority owner Abe Pollin have reached an agreement in principle that would give Jordan control of the team’s basketball operations, sources with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.

The agreement is not definitive, the sources said, as ownership equity of the Wizards needs to be resolved. One of the remaining components of a deal is the amount of equity in the franchise minority owners Ted Leonsis and Jon Ledecky would provide to Jordan, one of the sources said. Leonsis and Ledecky own 44% of the team and they have been given the right of first refusal by Pollin when he decides to sell his majority share.

Details of the agreement in principle between Pollin and Jordan were not known as of Thursday night. Pollin, Leonsis, Jordan and Jordan’s agent, David Falk, could not be reached to comment Thursday.

Sources said that the role Jordan would assume would give him authority over trading, signing and drafting players and the hiring and firing of front-office personnel, including the coaching staff.

If Jordan is hired for such a job, it is unknown what role General Manager Wes Unseld would have with the team, if any. Unseld declined to comment Thursday.

Meantime, members of the team warmly greeted news that Jordan could become the key man in the front office, saying he would command immediate respect within the organization and from players around the NBA.

Some Wizard players and league officials also said Jordan would bring increased national attention to the franchise.

“I think automatically people will look at the organization differently,” point guard Rod Strickland said. “If Michael Jordan is involved, that’s automatic. People would respect the organization more. It would just be a whole different outlook all together.

“Mike is respect. Everybody respects Mike and respects his knowledge of the game. Everybody respects his competitiveness. From that alone he’s going to turn things around.”

Wizard Coach Gar Heard and his coaching staff did not know about the team’s negotiations with Jordan until Wednesday. Heard would not comment on specifics surrounding the five-time NBA most valuable player possibly joining the organization, but said, “Any time anyone’s able to get Michael involved in the league, that’s great.”

Jordan has never held a management position in the NBA, but team officials around the league predicted Jordan’s knowledge of players, most of whom he played against as recently as the 1997-98 season, would give him an inside track in making the transition from player to management.

“One thing, Michael would know the personnel in the league better than most general managers because he’s played against most of these guys,” Philadelphia 76er General Manager Billy King said. “The fact that he understands guys’ desires and how competitive they were when he played against him gives him a huge advantage.”

* NEW JERSEY 110, CLIPPERS 105

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