Michael Jordan floated as a potential Ryder Cup vice captain next year... despite golf-loving NBA legend's friendship with leader of USA's rivals

NBA fable Michael Jordan has been floated arsenic a imaginable Ryder Cup vice skipper pursuing Keegan Bradley's assignment arsenic skipper for 2025. 

Bradley was fixed nan motion by nan PGA of America Monday to win Zach Johnson and lead Team USA successful its revenge ngo against nan Europeans astatine Bethpage Black successful New York adjacent year. 

The New Englander was a astonishment pick just 10 months aft he was near heartbroken by Johnson’s determination to snub him for a captain’s prime successful Rome.

But, aft Tiger Woods' reported rejected of nan job, nan PGA of America seemingly decided to formed a wider net, going successful a different guidance pursuing nan USA's 16.5-11.5 conclusion connected European ungraded past September. 

And nan statement has been urged to deliberation further retired of nan container erstwhile it comes to nan vice skipper picks for New York. 

PGA TOUR Radio big Jason Sobel sounded turning to collegiate play coaches to move up nan locker room. 

The proposal sparked a different thought from erstwhile caddie and ESPN writer Michael Collins.  

'I deliberation if we're going extracurricular nan box, springiness maine a assemblage coach that's not a play coach aliases springiness maine it from a different sport,' Collins said. 

'Like backmost successful nan time would it person been cool to person Phil Jackson successful nan room. Would it beryllium cool to person [Michael] Jordan?'

He went connected to admit that he would besides person nary objections to erstwhile Alabama shot coach Nick Saban joining Bradley's squad arsenic he's 'all into golf.' 

'I person nary problem pinch a feline for illustration that being successful nan squad room whether successful an charismatic adjunct skipper capacity aliases unofficially,' Sobel agreed, referring to nan suggestions of nan Crimson Tide coach and NBA icon. 

'Michael Jordan I would presume - Keegan and MJ play a batch of play together - you'll spot immoderate beingness from MJ. 

'I've sewage nary rumor pinch that, I don't cognize astir giving him nan afloat captaincy but look, we're going extracurricular nan box. The container has been broken, we've crushed nan box. There is nary container anymore.'

Jordan is an avid play instrumentality and subordinate himself, moreover hitting nan people pinch Ryder Cup squad members Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele connected occasion. 

The erstwhile Chicago Bulls icon regularly attends nan Ryder cup but he made a typical quality astatine Le Golf National successful 2018.

The Wednesday earlier nan tourney successful Paris he paid a sojourn to nan distant team's locker room, pulling connected his ain experiences of winning connected nan roadworthy to substance their campaign.

'Michael was talking astir really he would ever play connected nan roadworthy against reliable opponents aliases crowds that were ever against him,' Brooks Koepka said, via The New York Post. 'It's conscionable funny proceeding a different athlete's constituent of position aliases nan measurement they would spell astir it, and past you tin benignant of return what you want from there.

'He talked astir really he didn't perceive nan crowd. I took it arsenic he couldn't hold to unopen them up, and nan 2nd he would spell disconnected … nan quieter they are [and] you're benignant of laughing wrong [and] you've done what you wanted to do. I thought that was beautiful cool.'

Fowler said Jordan regaled Team USA pinch tales 'about immoderate of nan teams that were nan toughest to play, nan guys that he faced and who he thought were nan toughest, not conscionable arsenic a squad but nan individuals that he faced and really he benignant of went astir location games versus distant games.'

However, he was seemingly Europe's concealed limb during nan past tourney astatine Marco Simone.   

European skipper Luke Donald and Jordan are friends and neighbors successful nan aforesaid secluded area of Jupiter, Florida - location is 1 location betwixt nan golfer and Jordan. They've vacationed together. Yvette, Jordan's wife, is friends pinch Diana, Donald's different half.

And Jordan reportedly celebrated Europe's triumph successful Rome over his American countrymen past year. 

Jordan hung retired pinch Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, and Donald for 3 hours, watching Ryder Cup highlights and toasting nan result. 

They besides brought up issues that sparked contention during nan competition, specified arsenic play-for-pay. It had been claimed that American golfer, Patrick Cantlay, refused to deterioration a USA chapeau complete players' deficiency of compensation.

To astir play fans, it mightiness travel arsenic a daze to find retired that Jordan raised a solid pinch members of Team Europe. 'He's very overmuch a pro-USA guy,' said Shane Lowry. 

'He sat pinch america from six to nine,' McIlroy said. 'We were talking astir nan rumor of players being paid astatine nan Ryder Cup and he told a communicative astir nan U.S. hoops team, The Dream Team, astatine nan Olympics successful '92. '''Do you deliberation I could person sewage paid to play successful nan Olympics? These group are missing nan constituent of what it means.'''

'He saw nan semipermanent worth of winning an Olympics and said he ended up doing measurement amended than if he had taken money location and then,' McIlroy further said. 'And that's beautiful overmuch really I spot it.'