When it comes to NBA players who actively use their platform to spread change, the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Jaylen Brown come to mind. People often associate Michael Jordan strictly with his basketball talents, but he is also vocal about social justice issues. In 2016, Jordan made a huge donation of $2 million to help ease the tension between African Americans and law enforcement. He reflected on his own history involving violence as a major factor in his actions.
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Jordan knows far too well the feeling of being a byproduct of violence. His father, James, was murdered following a botched carjacking in 1993. He was only 56 years old at the time of his passing. The Bulls legend doesn’t want more people to experience the pain he had to endure.
Over time, police brutality against African Americans became a huge talking point in the U.S. Jordan felt extremely disturbed by what was transpiring in society. However, he didn’t want to contribute to a battle against the police.
MJ donated $1 million to the Institute for Community-Police Relations and an additional $1 million to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He detailed his reasoning in a news statement.
“As a proud American, a father who lost his own dad in a senseless act of violence, and a black man, I have been deeply troubled by the deaths of African Americans at the hands of law enforcement and angered by the cowardly and hateful targeting and killing of police officers,” Jordan said.
Jordan highlighted the role police officers have in society and urged people not to take their willingness to put their lives on the line to protect the community for granted.
The entire situation is very dear to Jordan’s heart, especially because of his father’s passing.
The death of Jordan’s father had a deep impact on his life
MJ was extremely close to his father, which made his loss much more difficult to cope with, and his passing sent Jordan’s mental and emotional well-being into a spiral.
Michael’s father had the privilege of experiencing Jordan’s first three-peat. After his dad’s death, MJ retired from basketball to pursue a career in baseball to honor the man who raised him. The untimely death put many things into perspective.
“It made me realize how short life is, how quickly things can end, how innocently,” Jordan said when announcing his retirement.
Jordan spent over a year chasing a career in the MLB. He eventually returned to the NBA near the end of the 1994-95 season. Then, history speaks for itself, as MJ led Chicago to a second three-peat from 1996 to 1998, certainly making his father proud in the process.
