Michael Jordan’s representatives have strongly denied that the NBA legend endorsed Donald Trump ahead of this week’s presidential election.
On the eve of the long-awaited vote, rumors flooded social media that MJ was endorsing Trump in his battle against Vice President Kamala Harris.
Many athletes across sports have publicly supported their preferred candidate, including LeBron James, who endorsed Harris, and Nick Bosa, who wore a Make America Great Again hat after a recent game.
But Jordan has stayed away from endorsing either candidate. In a statement to DailyMail.com, his representatives said: ‘“There is absolutely no truth to the claim that Michael Jordan gave his endorsement in the presidential election.”
The six-time NBA champion, whose star power endures decades after his retirement, is notoriously private.
Michael Jordan’s representatives have denied that the NBA icon endorsed Donald Trump
Trump, the Republican candidate, is fighting Vice President Kamala Harris in this week’s election.
He is barely active on social media and has rarely revealed his political allegiances.
Most famously, during a 1990 Senate race in his home state of North Carolina, Jordan chose not to publicly endorse Democrat Harvey Gantt.
Gantt was an African American running against Republican Jesse Helms, described by the Equal Justice Initiative as “a critical leader of the segregationist movement.”
But Jordan decided not to use his platform to support Gantt and uttered the infamous phrase: “Republicans also buy sneakers.
In 2020, on the hit show The Last Dance, Jordan explained the controversial comment.
The six-time NBA champion, now 61, has rarely revealed his political allegiances.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to correct that statement because I said it jokingly on a bus with Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen,” he said.
It was an improvised decision. My mother asked to do a public service announcement for Harvey Gantt, and I said, “Look, Mom, I’m not talking out of pocket about someone I don’t know. But I’ll send a contribution to support him.” Which is what I did.
“I congratulate Muhammad Ali for standing up for what he believed in. But I never considered myself an activist. I considered myself a basketball player. I wasn’t political when I played my sport.
‘I was focused on my craft. Was that selfish? Probably. But that was my energy. “That’s where my energy was.”
However, in 2018, Jordan said he “supported” James after the NBA star became embroiled in a dispute with Trump, who declared, “I like Mike!”