Michael Jordan, before the tragic events of 1993, was a family man. Even with the troubles he had faced while doing business with his family, the love wasn’t lost. Granted Jordan began going to the golf courses a lot more to find his escape, but James Jordan and Deloris still remained two of his closest advisors.
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While Deloris was the voice of sanity, guiding him, nurturing him. James acted as the trigger MJ needed to release all his pent-up stress and fatigue. James was responsible for directing Michael towards activities that would entertain his son and keep him distracted from the never-ending pressure of the NBA.
So, when James was brutally murdered in 1993, the impact of his loss cut deep into Michael’s psyche. The trauma nearly severed his relationship with the Jordan family. But his bond with Deloris took the biggest hit. The divide that started in 1993 grew to the point where Michael apparently changed locks to Deloris’ office and even showed reluctance in parting with the $1 million he had offered to the Jordan Institute of Families.
Michael Jordan and Deloris’ bond suffered
In his book Michael Jordan: The Life, writer Roland Lazenby talked about the growing differences between Jordan and his mother following the tragic murder of James. Per Roland, by the fall of 1996, Michael and Deloris weren’t as close as they once had been.
But in public, they still maintained appearances. The same year, Jordan and Deloris visited the University of North Carolina and gifted $1 million to create Jordan Institute for Family. But unfortunately, the gift took a long time to reach the University of North Carolina. Roland wondered if the reason had been the deteriorating bond between mother and son.
If the $1 million gift’s lateness wasn’t clear enough, in 1999, Michael Jordan sent an even clearer message to Deloris. Apparently, to bar his mother’s access to the James R. Jordan Foundation, MJ changed the locks. He also attempted to cease her unchecked usage of his name.
Lazenby: “Mother and son had endured their battles in the wake of James’s death, Sis reported, to the point that Michael had changed the locks on the foundation offices to deny her access there for a time. He had even attempted to limit her use of his name in her activities, according to his older sister.”
The James R. Jordan Foundation was a brilliant initiative
Deloris founded the James R. Jordan Foundation in the wake of her husband’s death. Supported by MJ financially, Deloris began using the foundation to provide academic support for children in need. MJ’s mother intended to prove to children that education opened up many doors. Deloris has served as the president and founder of the Foundation since.
