Jordan opens up about criticism he received for lack of political activity.
Today, many black athletes are outspoken about political issues or movements such as “Black Lives Matter” or kneeling during the National Anthem. In the NBA, numerous players have come out countless times to express their opinions on politics or other social issues. In contrast, Michael Jordan — arguably the greatest player in game history — displayed a colorblind perspective on all these issues during his professional career.

Jordan did not view himself as an advocate or representative of any societal issue whether related to politics, race, poverty, or the assault of black individuals by the police — and he faced criticism for this stance. After retiring from the NBA, has the former Chicago Bulls guard reflected on his lack of involvement? Sure. Does he regret not speaking up?

“Sure. My father always taught us,” he said during an interview with GQ Magazine. “You don’t put yourself in a situation if you’re not prepared for that situation. My whole life has always been about being the best basketball player I could be. I had absolute tunnel vision—everything was channeled toward that. So I thought it was kind of unfair that people asked me to do something that I wasn’t accustomed to doing just because of my profession.”

Not a voice
Jordan’s silence at the peak of his career was glaring. During the 1992 Los Angeles riots, triggered by a multitude of issues, including the acquittal of the police officers who assaulted Rodney King, No.23, who was already an icon, remained silent. He was famously criticized by former NBA player Craig Hodges.

“When they came to Michael after the L.A. deal went down and asked him what he thought, his reply was that he wasn’t really up on what was going on,” Hodges said. “I can understand that, but at the same time, that’s a bailout situation because you are bailing out when some heat is coming on you. We can’t bail anymore.”

While criticisms were rampant, Jordan always maintained that he wasn’t always fixated on issues off the court.

“I felt comfortable dealing with the kids, doing the Make-a-Wish stuff, Special Olympics,” Jordan continued. “But then it became, “Okay, why won’t you speak out politically?” Well, I’d only be setting myself up for someone to scrutinize my opinions, which were limited, because I never channeled much energy into it.”

December 2, 2023; Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban walks off the court after the Mavericks loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the American Airlines Center
Post-retirement, Jordan has been more active and vocal on these issues. He has supported Barack Obama and spoken against Donald Trump’s attempts to censor sports stars. In 2018, when LeBron James was being attacked by Trump, Jordan was asked how he felt — he simply responded, “I support L.J. He’s doing an amazing job for his community.”

In the long run, Jordan leveraged his relationships with corporate America to become a billionaire and the first Black majority owner of an NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets. He isn’t on the level of James from the standpoint of empowering communities with his voice, nor will he ever be. However, MJ hasn’t wavered in his stance and feels it is in his best interest to remain neutral.