The Important Reason Michael Jordan Asked Eric Church To Invest in the Charlotte Hornets

Dominating the charts with hit songs like “How ‘Bout You”, “Two Pink Lines”, and “Guys Like Me”, Eric Church wasted no time carving out his spot in country music. Releasing seven studio albums throughout his career, his last, Heart & Soul, hit shelves back in 2021. Although it has been three years since he released new music, the country helmed the Outsiders Revival Tour just last year. And outside of the recording studio, it appears that Church decided to start a partnership with NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Getting a call from an icon like Jordan can be a thrilling experience given his list of accomplishments while on the court. But for Church, it was just another day since the two have become close friends over the years. They attended more than a few Charlotte Hornets games together and rubbed shoulders in Nashville. So when Jordan looked to sell a majority ownership in the Hornets, he called Church due to him being from North Carolina.

Discussing how the deal happened with How Leaders Lead with David Novak, the country singer said, “First of all, it’s a frightening call when MJ calls you. I’d never thought about a pro team, and frankly was terrified when he said, ‘I want you to do this.’ I was like, ‘Oh s**t,’ you know? What does this mean?’ But after talking to MJ, and talking about – he’s a North Carolina kid, we’re both Tar Heels, and he talked about how important it was to have local ownership.”

[RELATED: 3 Musicians Who Had Beef With Eric Church]

Eric Church Shares His Love For North Carolina

Needing some time to think it over, Church ultimately agreed, explaining, “I thought about it, and then I stretched a little bit from what I could do, I think we all do that sometimes financially. But I thought, you know, I like this. I like that it’s back to my touchstone, back to the cornerstone of what North Carolina means to me.”

Recalling how special North Carolina is to him, Church added, “When I was young, the Charlotte Coliseum at the time before they built the new arena was rocking when the hornets were there, you know. And I got two young boys, and it’s been fun to take them to games and do some of that. So it was just an opportunity that came that I wouldn’t have got to look at if it wouldn’t have been for MJ and the relationship that we had.”

(Shutterstock)