Michael Jordan's 100K Fine from NBA Looks Extravagant, but Not Much to MJ

According to ESPN's Chris Broussard, Michael Jordan was fined $100,000 by the NBA because of comments he made to Australian newspaper The Herald Sun during the lockout.

Considering the timing of Jordan's comments and the subsequent news of the fine from the league, it's curious to say the very least.

The Herald Sun of Melbourne, Australia, quoted Jordan last month stating that the current operating structure of the league is "broken," and mentioned Andrew Bogut by name when discussing some of the issues as to how small-market teams struggle to remain profitable.

Jordan, at the helm of the controls for the Charlotte Bobcats, was clearly looking to stir the pot and create waves with his comments, and he did exactly that.

Since the lockout has become official, there were two rules that the parties involved knew were not meant to be broken: Don't talk about current players, and do not discuss the current state of affairs surrounding the negotiations in the pursuit of a new collective bargaining agreement.

In one fell swoop, Jordan bowled over both of them.

But here's the really odd thing: Jordan's initial comments and the timing of the fine don't exactly jive with one another.

When the lockout went into effect, the NBA threatened $1 million fines and the potential loss of draft picks to violators of the the rules, but the league chose to slap Jordan with just one-tenth of that amount.

Jordan made a shade over $90 million during his career solely from money earned through contracts, and he's worth well over that amount currently.

The NBA wants the public to know it is serious about its consequences, but this type of fine is one that is unbelievably transparent with closer examination.

It's the type of fine that looks great on paper, but in the long run is rather meaningless for both the league and Jordan.

If the NBA wanted to really make a statement, it'd be nice if the league office didn't wait weeks before issuing a consequence nor come down from $1 million to $100,000.

For Jordan, that price was well worth paying considering all of the attention that his comments have received as a result.