Michael Jordan lined up for shock new career venture with USA Ryder Cup team as golf bosses think ‘outside the box’
NBA legend Michael Jordan could be heading for a major role, in a totally different sport.
Jordan has been mentioned as a potential Ryder Cup vice-captain following the surprise appointment of Keegan Bradley for the 2025 match.
Bradley and Jordan have established a close friendship over the years.
The United States will be desperate to win the trophy back from Europe following their sobering defeat in Rome last year.
And Bradley is the man who has been given the task of leading the team.
Now it has been suggested that with the US apparently "thinking outside the box" they could defy convention and take help from a basketball great.
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Former caddie and ESPN writer Michael Collins has floated the idea.
"I think if we're going outside the box, give me a college coach that's not a golf coach or give me it from a different sport," Collins said.
"Like back in the day would it have been cool to have Phil Jackson in the room. Would it be cool to have [Michael] Jordan?"
Jordan is a golf fanatic, who has played with a number of the best players over the years. He has also attended a number of Ryder Cups.
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“Yeah, the first time I met (Jordan) was at Medinah, and I’ve always said, there’s no one who loves golf more than MJ, he plays 36 holes almost every day,” Bradley said a few years ago.
“He loves the Ryder Cup, which is such a cool thing. He goes every time, doesn’t matter if it's home or away.”
At the 2018 match in Paris, Jordan paid a visit to the away team's locker room, speaking to the American players ahead of the contest.
"Michael was talking about how he would always play on the road against tough opponents or crowds that were always against him," Brooks Koepka said at the time.
"It's just funny hearing a different athlete's point of view or the way they would go about it, and then you can kind of take what you want from there.
"He talked about how he didn't hear the crowd. I took it as he couldn't wait to shut them up, and the second he would go off, the quieter they are.
"And you're kind of laughing inside. You've done what you wanted to do. I thought that was pretty cool."
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It was widely reported that Tiger Woods was the frontrunner to be Ryder Cup captain for next year, but he turned down the job.
It remains to be seen whether the 15-time major winner will now take the job for the 2027 contest in Ireland.
Bradley played in the Ryder Cups of 2012 and 2014 - both American defeats at Medinah and Gleneagles - and was left heartbroken when Zach Johnson didn't select him for Rome last year.
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But he could now create more positive memories at Bethpage Black, where the Americans will likely start as favorites.
Europe's 2012 win at Medinah - famously christened a "miracle" - is the only time an away team has been successful in the last two decades.