Charlotte Hornets majority owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan issued a statement in response to George Floyd's death and the outpouring of protests against racial injustices this week.
Jordan — through his manager Estee Portnoy — said he is “deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry” with the events that have transpired. Jordan also said “We have had enough.”
Statement From Michael Jordan pic.twitter.com/lnXYMhtvo3
— Estee Portnoy (@esteep) May 31, 2020
The Hornets boss also made sure to point out the need to show unity and demand change from public officials, or else vote for officials who would help bring about such change.
Perhaps, some will see Jordan's words as hypocritical. The ESPN docu-series about Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, entitled “The Last Dance,” dove into Jordan's refusal to openly endorse Harvey Gantt — a black man running for U.S. Senate in 1990.
Gantt was running against Republican incumbent Jesse Helms, who advocated for segregation and spoke out against the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday. As he stated in the doc, MJ refused to endorse Gantt because of his lack of familiarity with the candidate, though he did send him a financial contribution.
Then again, Michael Jordan has had 30 years to fully process the influence he holds, especially after the criticism he received in the aftermath of said election (which Gantt lost).
This week marked a dark time in American life, but current and former players and coaches around the NBA have been part of the unity Jordan spoke about in attempting to change the system.
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