Michael Jordan was a lot of things off the court but one thing he refused to do was indulge in politics. He preferred to live his life without the trials and tribulations of constantly voicing his opinion on what was right and wrong for the country, sometimes to his own detriment. The general public knew of his hatred towards the political side of the world and when he was interviewed, his love for cigars that led to him having a near $1,000,000 budget for them, was used to sway him down that path along with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s nonchalance about smoking them.
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Jordan’s avoidance of the world of politics was understandable but confusing at the same time. On one hand, he’s merely a citizen of the country just like everybody else and so why should he be tasked with the responsibility of voicing his beliefs to the rest of the world. He trying to earn a living just like the ‘average Joe’.
On the other hand, he has a massive platform and he could do quite a lot of good by advocating for the right candidates. Despite his influence, MJ never even brought it into the realm of possibility for himself.
Michael Jordan was ‘coerced’ into considering politics by using Arnold Schwarzenegger as an example
Michael Jordan was first interviewed by Cigar Aficionado back in 2005 where he was asked about his disdain for politics. He would then get told that politicians nowadays are very open about the fact that they smoke cigars, with even the President indulging in it, although secretly.
“I don’t tell people how many I smoke a day, either. Arnold Schwarzenegger, I believe we can describe him as a successful actor. Huge cigar guy. Now he’s the governor of California,” said the man interviewing MJ.
Jordan, in response, gave a resounding ‘no’, saying, “No! No! No! Not interested.”
Marvin R. Shanken, the man interviewing the Bulls legend would go on to try to convince him of the idea because he knows just how much Jordan loves to smoke cigars. Unfortunately for him, his conviction on the matter remained unshaken.
MJ was once called out by Craig Hodges
Craig Hodges was a sharpshooting guard for the Chicago Bulls who felt very strongly that the 1991 NBA Finals should be boycotted. This was around the time that Rodney King was mercilessly beaten by LAPD officers and to stand in solidarity with him, Hodges suggested to both Michael and Magic that Game 1 be suspended.
Hodges’ plea would go in vain however as Michael seemed to have no interest in prolonging the Finals and wanted to keep what happens outside of basketball, away from basketball.
