Ahead of this week’s presidential election, Michael Jordan’s aides have vehemently disputed that the NBA icon had endorsed Donald Trump.
Rumours circulated on social media on the eve of the highly anticipated vote that MJ was supporting Trump in his campaign against vice president Kamala Harris.
Numerous sportsmen have openly backed their favourite candidate, such as Nick Bosa, who wore a Make America Great Again hat following a recent game, and LeBron James, who endorsed Harris.
Jordan, however, has refrained from supporting any candidate. “There is absolutely no truth to the claim that Michael Jordan hasn’t made an endorsement in the presidential election,” his reps claimed in a statement to DailyMail.com.
The six-time NBA champion is infamously quiet, and his fame lasts for decades after he retired.
He has rarely disclosed his political affiliations and is hardly active on social media.
Most notably, Jordan chose not to openly support Democrat Harvey Gantt in a 1990 Senate contest in his native North Carolina.
According to the Equal Justice Initiative, Gantt was ‘a seminal leader of the segregationist movement’ and was competing against Republican Jesse Helms.
Jordan, however, declined to use his position to support Gantt, saying: ‘Republicans purchase trainers, too.’
Jordan clarified the contentious remark on the popular show The Last Dance back in 2020.
“I said that in jest on a bus with Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen, so I don’t think it needs to be corrected,” he added.
The cuff was thrown off. I told my mother, “Look, Mom, I’m not speaking out of pocket about someone that I don’t know,” when she asked me to do a public service announcement for Harvey Gantt. However, I’ll send him a donation to help.” which I did.
“I do applaud Muhammad Ali for defending his convictions.” However, I never considered myself an activist. In my mind, I was a basketball player. When I was playing my sport, I wasn’t a politician.
I was concentrating on my work. Was that self-centred? Most likely. But I had that kind of enthusiasm. That was where I was most energetic.
However, Jordan claimed to have “supported” James in 2018 following the NBA player’s altercation with Trump, who said, “I like Mike!”
