Hot take: Michael Jordan’s new show is HURTING the NBA

While Jason Whitlock respects and celebrates Michael Jordan, he thinks the six-time NBA champion is actually doing more harm than good to the league right now. “Jordan is the black shadow that hovers over the NBA like a dark cloud, and he’s a constant reminder of how things suck right now,” he says.Jordan, who has mostly stayed out of the public eye since his 2003 retirement, has recently re-entered the NBA as a special contributor. His new show, “MJ: Insights to Excellence” — a prerecorded miniseries of interviews where Jordan shares basketball wisdom and personal reflections with host Mike Tirico — airs weekly during certain NBA games in the 2025-2026 season.Fans and players have been soaking in Jordan’s wisdom and the tidbits of information he shares about his personal life, but Jason says this focus on the NBA’s “good ol’ days” when Jordan was the face of the league isn’t doing anything positive for the already hurting association. If anything, Jordan’s show is a reminder of how “lazy” today’s NBA players are. On Tuesday night during the postgame show following the New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks game, episode two of “MJ: Insights to Excellence” aired. Tirico asked the GOAT his thoughts on “load management” — the strategic practice of resting healthy players during games or limiting their minutes to prevent injuries, manage fatigue, and extend careers.Jordan, who was notorious for playing through injury and fatigue all 82 games of a season, pulled no punches: “[Load management] shouldn’t be needed … I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove.”“You have a duty that if [fans] are wanting to see you, and as an entertainer, I want to show,” he added.While Jordan’s work ethic and commitment to the game will forever be admirable, the fact that it remains unmatched over two decades later only highlights how far the NBA has fallen.“This is not a criticism of Michael Jordan. It’s really a criticism of Adam Silver and the executives and ownership in the NBA. They can’t come up with a solution for what’s wrong with the NBA, and so they’re allowing Michael Jordan and the media to mostly drive the discussion about what’s wrong with the NBA,” says Jason.NBC, which recently inked an 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal to broadcast NBA games, is “using the greatest player of all time to basically subtly take a dump on the NBA,” he explains.“Fearless” contributor and basketball aficionado Jay Skapinac agrees that Michael’s words are true — load management is a reflection of how soft NBA players have become — but the NBA highlighting this is only “undermining the current product.”If the NBA wants to move into a new era, where grit and passion define the league again, it needs to ditch LeBron James, who he says “is the only player that has left the game worse than the one that he inherited,” and “move forward with these new, bright, rising young stars in the NBA” instead of “focusing on the greatest player that ever existed in the sports history.”To hear more of the conversation, watch the episode above.Want more from Jason Whitlock?To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Pastry Panic! Headed to Switch 2 in Q1 2026

Publisher Nicalis and developer Megatent announced Pastry Panic! will launch for the Nintendo Switch 2 in Q1 2026. Physical edition pre-orders are now available on the Nicalis Store for $49.99. It includes the full game on the card. The game is currently available for PC via Steam. Read details on the game below: Pastry Panic! is a cooperative dessert factory cooking game. Up to four adorable bunnies team up to mix batter, bake cakes, chop fruit, shave ice, operate machinery… and whatever else the recipes call for! Hop to it and juggle tasks in a chaotic kitchen, scamper to meet your daily quotas in time and coordinate your team’s efforts to achieve pastry perfection. Just try to avoid slip-ups, and watch the clock—no bunny likes working overtime! Features: Team up in local or online multiplayer for up to four people. Over 30 playable characters to choose from. Play through over 60 challenging stages. Process ingredients with over a dozen different machines. Bake cakes and other tasty delights from lots of different recipes. Help your team navigate obstacles and the bustle of a factory floor. Earn stars based on your team’s performance each day. Coordinate and control two separate bunnies in single-player mode. Select a “theme” and play in Arcade Mode with teammates from all over the world. A life-long and avid gamer, William D’Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.Full Article – https://www.vgchartz.com/article/466144/pastry-panic-headed-to-switch-2-in-q1-2026/