- Programming and content dedicated to “His Airness” across ESPN and ACCN studio shows
- ACCN to air four classic North Carolina men’s basketball games
ESPN and ACC Network (ACCN) will celebrate one of the greatest basketball players of all-time – Michael Jordan – on Friday, Feb. 3 (2/3/23), playing off the iconic jersey No. The 23 that Jordan wore throughout his Hall of Fame basketball career – both in college at the University of North Carolina and in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls.
On Michael Jordan Day, ESPN will feature content and highlights of “His Airness” across multiple studio shows, while ACCN will exclusively air four North Carolina men’s basketball games from the 1981, ’83 and ’84 seasons spotlighting the legendary Tar Heel.
ESPN studio shows offering MJ content and highlights including the 7 am ET, noon and 6 pm editions of SportsCenter, Get Up (8am), FirstTake (10 am) and NBA Today (2pm). Additionally, ACCN will have Jordan-related content, interviews and guests during ACC PM (4 pm) and Bald Men on Campus (9pm).
Classic North Carolina Games on ACCN
10 am | Kansas vs. North Carolina (Nov. 28, 1981)
In his first game of his college career, Jordan scored 12 points as the Tar Heels topped Kansas, 74-67, in Charlotte, NC
Noon | North Carolina vs Wake Forest (Jan. 27, 1983)
Jordan led the Tar Heels with 17 points, while Matt Doherty made two free throws with three seconds left to lift North Carolina past Wake Forest, 80-78.
2 p.m. | Virginia at North Carolina (Jan. 18, 1984)
Jordan scored 23 points as the Tar Heels held off the Cavaliers, 69-66. North Carolina led by as many as 21 before Virginia mounted a comeback to cut the lead to one point with under five minutes left to play.
11 p.m. | Duke at North Carolina (March 3, 1984)
In his final home game at North Carolina, Jordan scored 25 points, and added four rebounds and three assists to lead the Tar Heels past rival Duke, 96-83, in double overtime.
Arguably the greatest player in the game of basketball, Jordan helped the Tar Heels to the 1982 NCAA Championship and ACC Tournament title, as well as three straight appearances in the NCAA tournament. While at North Carolina, he earned national player of the year honors (1984), was a two-time consensus first-team all-American (1983, 84), ACC Player of the Year (1984) and a two-time first team all-ACC selection (1983, 84) before achieving one of the most decorated careers in NBA history. During his storied 15-year NBA career, Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Championships, earned six NBA Finals MVP awards, five NBA Most Valuable Player honors and 14 NBA All-Star selections, and won the NBA scoring title 10 times.
Additional Michael Jordan content on ESPN:
- In February 2013, Wright Thompson profiled Michael Jordan on his 50th birthday for ESPN The Magazine with the longform piece “Michael Jordan Has Not Left The Building.” In 2020, Thompson penned a follow up, “A History of Flight,” on the origins of Jordan.
- In 2020, ESPN and Netflix released the 10-part documentary “The Last Dance” about Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ quest for a sixth NBA Championship in 1998. The entire series, as well as additional content, is available via streaming on ESPN+. to watch.
Michael Jordan Day Across ESPN Platforms
| date | Time (ET) | Games/Programs | platforms |
| Fri, Feb. 3 | 7am | SportsCenter | ESPN |
| 8am | Get Up | ESPN | |
| 10am | FirstTake | ESPN | |
| 10am | Kansas vs. North Carolina
Nov. 28, 1981 |
ACCN | |
| Noon | SportsCenter | ESPN | |
| Noon | North Carolina vs Wake Forest
Jan. 27, 1983 |
ACCN | |
| 2 p.m | North Carolina vs Virginia
Jan. 18, 1984 |
ACCN | |
| 3 p.m | NBA Today | ESPN | |
| 4 p.m | ACC PM | ACCN | |
| 6 p.m | SportsCenter | ESPN | |
| 9 p.m | Bald Men on Campus | ACCN | |
| 11 p.m | North Carolina vs Duke
March 3, 1984 |
ACCN |
About ACC Network
Owned and operated by ESPN in partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference, ACC Network (ACCN) and its digital platform ACCNX is a 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports that launched on August 22, 2019. ACCN televisions more than 500 regular-season and tournament games from across the conference’s 27 sponsored sports plus a complement of news and information shows and original programming. Together, ACCN and its digital platform, ACCNX, combine to feature more than 1,500 ACC events each year. ESPN has been televising ACC content since 1979 and has exclusive rights to every conference-controlled game across all sports and championships.
Carriage agreements are in place with the following video providers: Comcast’s Xfinity, Cox, DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, DISH Network, Frontier, fuboTV, Hulu+ Live TV, Mediacom, Optimum, Sling TV, Spectrum TV, Suddenlink, Verizon Fios, YouTube TV, members of the NCTC, NRTC and Vivicast, among others. All ACCN games will also be available on the ESPN App for authenticated subscribers.
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