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Basketball fans were left fearing the worst following NBA legend Michael Jordan's latest appearance on NBC's coverage of the new season.
The 62-year-old, who made his debut as a special contributor to NBC Sports' return to NBA broadcasting last week, saw his second installment of 'MJ: Insights to Excellence' with play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico air Tuesday night.
Yet the latest episode of the series, which aired in between a doubleheader on the network, sparked concerns for the basketball icon's health.
Many fans expressed their fears after claiming that the six-time NBA champion's eyes appeared to be worryingly yellow.
His appearance had social media users questioning if Jordan was suffering from jaundice wrought by alcohol abuse or if he was plagued by another medical issue.
'I need to know why Michael Jordan eyes so yellow,' one concerned user posted on Tuesday night.
Michael Jordan shares his thoughts on load management on the second installment of MJ: Insights to Excellence.
“I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove...the fans are there to watch me play." pic.twitter.com/h7g6krplDQ
The color of Michael Jordan's eyes during his latest TV appearance sparked fears on Tuesday
Meanwhile, another questioned: 'Does Michael Jordan have a medical condition that makes his eyes look like that?'
'Jordan eyes red as hell. Send him to the Mayo Clinic,' a third shared, referring to the nation's top-ranked hospital.
Other worried fans described the Chicago Bulls legend's eyes as 'insane' and 'bloodshot' as they sounded the alarm over his health.
'Wassup (sic) with michael jordan eyes,' one questioned, as another added: 'MJ got no white left in his eyes man, they just red and yellow.'
It was not the first time that Jordan has sparked fears with his appearance as the color of his eyes also caught fans' attention during a soccer game in September 2024.
Jordan had been at the Stade Louis-II with his wife Yvette Prieto to watch Monaco beat Barcelona in the Champions League and photos of him, specifically his eyes, swiftly went viral following the game.
Again, users speculated that he could be suffering from jaundice or elevated melanin pigment on the surface of the eye.
However, despite doctors revealing those theories are not unfounded, an insider confirmed at the time that MJ is not battling an illness or in poor health despite concern over his yellow eyes.
His appearance had social media users questioning if Jordan was suffering from an illness
Jordan is pictured with his wife Yvette at his tequila brand launch in September 2019
The source told DailyMail.com: 'Mike is OK. He goes to the doctor, he is just getting older and the recent pics are in no way or should be a reason for concern.
'There is nothing wrong with him. Like everyone, we should get a little more exercise and Mike enjoys the life he has made for himself, but there isn't any hidden illness that he is dealing with.'
Jordan was said to be 'embarrassed' by the viral reaction to his appearance in Monaco.
The insider continued: 'He has heard fans concerns and he appreciates the concern but also is a little embarrassed that people are seeing him in this way.
'He doesn't want to be remembered by people as looking sick and down and out, the next time we see him, it will be dramatically different and he will look much better, he will bounce back.'
Jordan, considered by many the greatest basketball player of all time, has been retired for over two decades after calling time on his iconic career.
Fans also noticed Jordan's yellow eyes in the hit docuseries The Last Dance, which chronicled the legendary Chicago Bulls team he inspired to six NBA titles.
The Bulls great was interviewed for the Netflix show and appeared regularly with the yellow tint to his eyes, sparking fans to claim that he was suffering from jaundice - or perhaps even something more serious.
Jordan sparked health fears with a worrying photo at Stade Louis-II in Monaco
Jordan was said to be 'embarrassed' by the viral reaction to his appearance in Monaco
Jordan does not regularly comment on his penchant for alcohol and smoking, but did once reveal: 'A lot of times I'll dream I'm a bad alcoholic and I can't stop drinking and embarrassing myself. And I'm going to lose everything. I wake up from that dream in a sweat.'
He has also spoken about the drink and drug culture that surrounded him while playing in the NBA.
During The Last Dance, he revealed: 'I had one event, preseason, I think we were in Peoria. It was in a hotel, so I'm trying to find my teammates. So I start knocking on doors. I get to this one door, and I knock on the door, and I can hear someone says, "shh, someone's outside." And then you hear this deep voice, someone says, "who is it?" I said "MJ."
'... So they open up the door. I walk in, and practically the whole team was in there. And it was like, things I've never seen in my life as a young kid. You got your lines [of cocaine] over here, you got your weed smokers over here, you got your women over here.
'So the first thing I said, "Look man, I'm out." Because all I could think about was if they come and raid this place, right about now, I'm just as guilty as everybody else that's in this room. And from that point on, I was more or less on my own.'
