CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Michael Jordan turned down an offer to join the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday, spurning close friend Bob Johnson's invitation in favor of pursuing his own team. ``The possibility of having the greatest icon in the history of the game as a member of our organization was one that we pursued to its fullest,'' Johnson said Friday. ``But Michael ultimately decided that his goal is to be a majority owner of an NBA franchise, and we wish him the best in that pursuit.'' A telephone message left a representative for Jordan was not immediately returned. Johnson, the billionaire founder of BET, began courting Jordan the minute the Washington Wizards parted ways with him in early May. Johnson offered Jordan any job he wanted with the team that begins play in 2004-05. But as time went by, it became clear that Jordan was not interested in joining a startup franchise. He was thought to be interested in taking over majority ownership of the Milwaukee Bucks up until Sen. Herb Kohl changed his mind and decided not to sell his team. So that gave Johnson another shot at Jordan. But the only thing Johnson wasn't willing to give up was majority ownership of the team he paid $300 million for late last year. As the courtship dragged through the summer, and several deadlines Johnson had previously created for a decision passed, it became clear that a decision would have to be made quickly or the team would risk falling behind. The decision finally came Friday, with Jordan opting out of returning to his native state of North Carolina, where he led the Tar Heels to a national championship as a college player and where his mother still resides. Running the day-to-day operations now falls back to Ed Tapscott, Johnson's first hire and a former front office executive with the New York Knicks. Tapscott is expected to begin interviewing general manager candidates immediately as the Bobcats try to catch up in their development after waiting so long to see if Jordan wanted to build the team.
