Michael Jordan Is Donating $100 Million to Black Lives Matter but This Is Why He Refused to Get Political Until Now
Michael Jordan is one of the greatest athletes of all time; that is an undisputed fact. During his time in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he won countless MVP titles and won the Championship six times during the 1990s with the Chicago Bulls.
Despite his mega-fame, Jordan is notoriously private about his personal life and world views. In fact, he has been criticized in the past for remaining silent about issues within the Black community. In the 1990s, fans were horrified when the NBA star refused to endorse or speak for North Carolina Senate candidate Harvey Gantt, a Black candidate who could have represented a change for people in his community. He could have been the state’s first Black senator since the Reconstruction era. Instead, Jordan, in an off-the-cuff remark on a tour bus quipped, “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”
Gantt ultimately lost the race, and Jordan, who is worth upwards of $2.1 billion has remained silent about political issues until now.
Michael Jordan has spoken out in support of Black Lives Matter
In 1993, Michael Jordan lost his beloved father, James R. Jordan, Sr. to a senseless act of violence. Speaking about the horrific time in the recent ESPN docuseries, The Last Dance, it’s clear that Jordan is still haunted by the ordeal. Now, amid the death of George Floyd, along with countless others and the recent uprising and protests in this country, the NBA legend is speaking out fo the first time.
“Black lives matter,” Jordan said in a statement.”This is not a controversial statement. “We are you. We are a family. We are a community. The Jordan Brand is us, the black community. Jordan Brand is more than one man. It has always been a family. We represent a proud family that has overcome obstacles, fought against discrimination in communities worldwide, and that works every day to erase the stain of racism and the damage of injustice. The will, the work, the excellence the world has come to know is the result of one generation after another, pouring their dreams into the next.”
Michel Jordan has pledged $100 million to organizations dedicated to racial equality.
It appears that the NBA star is doing much more than speaking out. He is using his voice, his brand, and his money in a very public way to fund organizations dedicated to anti-racism.
“I don’t have the answers, but our collective voices show strength and the inability to be divided by others,” Jordan said. “We must listen to each other, show compassion and empathy, and never turn our backs on senseless brutality. We need to continue peaceful expressions against injustice and demand accountability.”
This is why Michael Jordan refused to get political in the past
In The Last Dance, which aired last month, Jordan finally spoke about why he refused to get political during the height of his career.
“I never thought of myself as an activist. I thought of myself as a basketball player,” he said. “I wasn’t a politician. I was playing my sport. I was focused on my craft. “Was that selfish? Probably. But that was my energy.”
It looks like Jordan’s energy has shifted drastically.
