Michael Jordan to donate $100 million for racial initiatives

Michael Jordan (Google Images)

According to Chelsea Sherrod of WKTV, Michael Jordan has decided to give a substantial donation to African American-related causes. The basketball legend has agreed to give a whopping $100 million to organizations that are committed to “ensuring racial equality, social justice, and greater access to education.”

Jordan’s current net worth is $2.1 billion. While with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, Jordan earned $90 million as a player. He has also earned a whopping $1.7 billion since his NBA retirement from his various sponsors, which include, Nike, Hanes, and Gatorade.

This is not the first time that Jordan has made a significant financial donation through his foundation, but the $100 million he gave on Friday was the largest. Jordan’s prior donations have included $5 million to the Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, $5 million to Make-A-Wish Foundation, $7 million to two Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinics in Charlotte, North Carolina, $2 million to relief efforts in North Carolina after Hurricane Florence in 2018, and $1 million to the Bahamas recovery from Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

In addition to the $100 million Jordan is giving to the racial equality causes, Nike has agreed to donate $40 million as of Friday. Even though Jordan and Nike have made a significant financial commitment to black people-related causes, Jordan realizes there needs to be more done in order to make a significant difference.

“There is still more work for us to do to drive real impact for the black community,” according to Jordan Brand President Craig Williams. “We embrace the responsibility.”

There have been significant protests around the world for racial equality ever since African-American man George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis two weeks ago. Since then four police officers were arrested in the death of Floyd, 11,000 people have been arrested while protesting, and there have been 21 subsequent deaths.