Basketball legend Michael Jordan committed to donating $100 million over 10 years to organizations advancing racial justice amid protests nationwide over systemic racism.
“Black lives matter. This isn’t a controversial statement,” Jordan wrote in a joint statement Friday with his Jordan Brand. He announced the years-long donation commitment to groups “dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education.”
The 57-year-old former Chicago Bulls player and current owner of the Charlotte Hornets made his pledge on the 11th day of protests after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd, who was Black, died when a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Last week, Jordan responded to Floyd’s death in a statement, saying he was “deeply saddened” and “plain angry.”
“I stand with those calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country,” Jordan wrote. “We have had enough.”
Earlier this week, rapper Kanye West joined a protest in his native Chicago and reportedly donated $2 million to Black-owned businesses there and to support the families of Floyd; Breonna Taylor, a Black woman shot dead by Louisville, Kentucky, police in March; and Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man killed in February while jogging after being followed by two white men in Georgia.
Jordan, whose net worth is estimated at over $2 billion, has previously made donations to build medical clinics in underserved communities, to schools’ athletic programs and other philanthropic efforts.
In 2016, he spoke out against police brutality after years of staying largely quiet on political issues.
“I can no longer stay silent,” Jordan said the month both Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were shot dead by police, also spurring protests.