Charlotte, N.C. ? Michael Jordan doesn’t want to be one of Bob’s Cats.

Charlotte Bobcats owner Robert Johnson officially ended his summer-long courtship of Jordan Friday, clearing the way for Ed Tapscott to begin building the NBA’s newest expansion 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.”

Jordan couldn’t do that in Charlotte, where Johnson had promised him any role he wanted — except majority owner.

Johnson, the billionaire founder of BET, paid $300 million for that right late last year and already has placed his own stamp on the team — naming it after himself and allowing his teenage son to pick orange as the dominant team color.

Jordan tried to buy a majority interest in the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this summer, but Sen. Herb Kohl decided not to sell.

The Bobcats, who begin play in 2004-05, then patiently waited for Jordan’s next move. Johnson eventually decided he needed an answer by early September. Now that there’s a resolution, Tapscott — Johnson’s first hire — will begin interviewing general manager candidates.

“Bob has greenlighted me and the rest of the staff to start building the organization,” Tapscott said. “We have an aggressive but reasonable time frame and would like to have a general manager in place within the next month to six weeks.”