Whenever cigar smoke wafts through the door and floats over the cubicles where various Charlotte Bobcats employees work, it means the boss is in. Michael Jordan’s office sits close to an exit, and from there he can easily step outside to a balcony and gaze down to where the Charlotte Bobcats, the team he recently purchased for $275 million, practice on the floor of the Time Warner Cable Arena.

In some ways, the smoke was a perfect metaphor for Jordan, who, until recently, had not been all that visible in the four years he has been a member of the Bobcats’ hierarchy. Take, for instance, the team photos that hang on the corridor walls outside Jordan’s office. From year to year, the cast of faces changes, with one constant: Jordan’s is nowhere to be seen.

Although he is the most iconic and marketable player in N.B.A. history, Jordan, 47, essentially stayed away from the spotlight since arriving in Charlotte in 2006 as a minority owner and the managing member of basketball operations. He was not asked to be in the forefront, and he did not want to be.

But he did field phone calls at all hours from his chosen general manager, Rod Higgins. Sometimes, Jordan made judgments about team personnel but left it to others to publicly explain them. He was here for Bobcats games more than most people realized, but he often pinned himself to the back of his suite, out of sight of the cameras and the fans.

Gradually, there was a shift. Jordan moved from his suite to the seats, paying $1,500 a game for two courtside chairs. Then, last month, his visibility soared when he became the first former N.B.A. player to buy a majority interest in an N.B.A. franchise...