Legendary Michael Jordan claimed his “probably selfish” reluctance to take political positions during his NBA career, saying he never saw himself “as an activist.”
On Sunday, in the fifth episode of the hit documentary “The Last Dance” on ESPN, Jordan referred to his often-quoted joke that he had strayed from politics because “Republicans also buy sneakers.”
Jordan said the comment, which he said was a joke, came in 1990 when he refused to support black Democratic candidate Harvey Gantt in his campaign for a North Carolina Senate seat against Republican Jesse Helms.
Helms was a controversial figure who had been accused of racism throughout his career, a staunch opponent of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 who also opposed the establishment of Martin Luther King Day as a national holiday in the United States.
“I don’t think that statement needs to be corrected because I jokingly said it on a bus with Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen,” Jordan said.
“It was taken out of context. My mother asked me to make a public statement in support of Harvey Gantt, and I said, ‘Look, Mom, I am not speaking on behalf of anyone I don’t know. But I will send a contribution to support him. And that was what I did. “
Jordan added that he never saw himself as an activist athlete in the line of former world heavyweight champion Mohamed Ali.
“I commend Mohamed Ali for standing up for what he believed in,” Jordan recalled, “but I never considered myself an activist. I considered myself a basketball player.”
Jordan admitted that his apolitical stance could be seen as selfish in some quarters.
“I was not a politician when I was playing my sport. I was focused on my trade,” Jordan said. “Was that selfish? Probably. But that was my energy. There was my energy.”
In the same documentary, former US President Barack Obama said he believed Jordan could have talked more.
“I’ll be honest, when it was reported that Michael said, ‘Republicans also buy sneakers,’ for someone who was preparing for a civil rights career at the time and knowing what Jesse Helms stood for, would have wanted to see Michael at a stronger attitude. “
Jordan, now 57, insisted he had no regrets and said he had tried to set an example with his achievements as an athlete.
“It will never be enough for everyone, and I know it,” added Jordan. “Because everyone has a preconceived notion of what to do and what not to do. The way I go about my life is by setting examples. If it inspires you? Great, I’ll keep doing it. If not, then maybe I’m not. the person you should follow. “
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