Michael Jordan offered his unflinching thoughts on NBA players taking games off for ¡°load management¡± in his latest appearance on NBC¡¯s coverage of the league Tuesday night.

Jordan, appearing for the second time on the ¡°Insights to Excellence¡± segment, aired after the Bucks-Knicks broadcast, said he¡¯s not buying the need for players to rest for the sake of rest.

¡°It shouldn¡¯t be needed, first and foremost,¡± Jordan said. ¡°You know, I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove ¡ª it was something that I felt like, you know, the fans are there that watch me play. I want to impress that guy way up on top who probably worked his ass off to get a ticket or to get money to buy the ticket.¡±

Jordan played 70-plus games in nearly every season of his career. The only exceptions were his second pro season, when he suffered a broken foot and was held out longer than he wanted as a precaution, and in 1995, when he tried his hand at retirement.

At the height of his popularity, Jordan and the Bulls were a traveling circus and a virtually impossible ticket at home and on the road.

¡°You have a duty that if they¡¯re wanting to see you and as an entertainer, I want to show, right?¡± Jordan said. ¡°So if the guys are coming to watch me play, I don¡¯t want to miss that opportunity. Physically, if I can¡¯t do it, then I can¡¯t do it. But physically, if I can do it and I just don¡¯t feel like doing it, that¡¯s a whole different lens.¡±

Jordan was visibly perturbed discussing other players sitting out during the recording of the documentary ¡°The Last Dance,¡± a Netflix production that captured the final seasons of the Bulls¡¯ dynasty.

Kobe Bryant, the late Lakers star, shared a similar position on ¡°load management.¡± He played through injuries and told teammates to rest on days when the team isn¡¯t scheduled to play because ¡°it¡¯s your job to perform.¡±