Do we like Michael Jordan?
Our score: 7 out of 10. A big-money racial justice pledge and charity gifts, and no harmful words turned up, but a long record of keeping out of politics.
Jordan paid $180 million for the Charlotte Hornets in 2010 and sold his majority stake in 2023 for a reported haul of more than $2 billion. The team made the playoffs three times in 13 years. He also takes a reported 5 per cent cut of Jordan Brand sales, so the man is not short of a quid.
His most famous political moment is the 1990 line “Republicans buy sneakers, too”, tied to the Harvey Gantt Senate race. Decades later he said it was a joke made in jest on a bus. He also said he declined to record an ad for a candidate he didn't know but sent a contribution instead. The upshot is a bloke who avoided activism, and he's said as much himself.
The harm check comes up clean. We found no anti-LGBTQ+, anti-women, anti-migrant or anti-science statements from him. A viral claim that he wanted Pride flags banned was rated false by PolitiFact, which traced it to a satire site. The only knock is the long silence, not any nasty words.
In June 2020, after George Floyd's killing, he and Jordan Brand pledged $100 million over ten years to racial equality, social justice and education groups. He said he was “deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry.” That was a real step out of the quiet he'd kept for years.
Jordan's 23XI Racing team and Front Row Motorsports sued NASCAR over its charter deals. NASCAR settled on day nine of the trial in December 2025, and the charters became permanent. Jordan said it was about making sure NASCAR supports teams, drivers and fans, and the money terms weren't disclosed.
The latest stoush is a viral clip from February's Daytona 500 celebration, in which Jordan tugs at a young boy's wet shirt. Online critics found it odd, others called it playful or taken out of context. LADbible said there was no sign of wrongdoing and reported no response from Jordan or the family. No complaint has been reported, so treat it as social media noise.