Michael Jordan’s representatives on Monday swept aside rumors circulating on the networks according to which the basketball legend had supported Donald Trump against Kamala Harris, on the eve of the presidential election in the United States.
Joe Biden will soon know the name of his successor. American citizens will vote – those who have not yet done so – this Tuesday, November 5, to elect the new President of the United States. And the vote looks uncertain at a time when Donald Trump (78 years old) and Kamala Harris (60 years old) are neck and neck in the race for the White House.
While awaiting the final result, the Republican leader and his Democratic rival can count on the support of many personalities. But Michael Jordan is not one of them. His representatives firmly denied rumors circulating on the networks according to which the basketball legend had given his support to Donald Trump, who already occupied the Oval Office from January 2017 to January 2021.
Michael Jordan does not support Kamala Harris though
“There is absolutely no truth to the claim that Michael Jordan supported the presidential election,” his entourage told the Daily Mail. A way of clarifying that the former Chicago Bulls star does not officially support current Vice-President Kamal Harris, unlike most NBA players and coaches.
Not very active on the networks, Michael Jordan has always been very discreet about his political convictions. During a Senate election that took place in 1990 in North Carolina, his home state, the six-time NBA champion chose not to publicly support Democrat Harvey Gantt, an African-American who was running against Republican Jesse Helms, presented as one of the main leaders of the segregationist movement. The owner of the “Air Jordan” brand then declared: “Republicans buy sneakers too.”
A controversial comment that the basketball player-businessman returned to in 2020 in the documentary “The Last Dance” retracing his career: “I said that jokingly on a bus with Horace Grant and Scottie Pipen (his former partners at the Chicago Bulls) (…) I congratulate Mohammed Ali (the former boxing legend known for his social commitment) for defending his beliefs. But I never considered myself an activist. I saw myself as a basketball player. Wasn’t a politician when I was playing my sport. I was focusing on my job. Was it selfish? But that’s where my energy was.”
He defended LeBron James against Donald Trump in 2018
In 2018, MJ still defended LeBron James when “the King” was severely tackled by Donald Trump. The then President of the United States made fun of LeBron James on the networks, after the broadcast of an interview where the Lakers captain accused him of using sport to divide Americans. “I support LJ (LeBron James). He does an extraordinary job for his community,” Michael Jordan responded in a statement sent to NBC.
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