Michael Jordan’s representatives have strongly denied that the NBA legend has endorsed Donald Trump ahead of this week’s presidential election.
On the eve of the highly anticipated vote, rumors flooded social media that MJ was endorsing Trump against Vice President Kamala Harris.
Many athletes from all sports have publicly endorsed their favorite candidate, including LeBron James — who endorsed Harris — and Nick Bosa, who wore a Make America Great Again hat after a recent game.
But Jordan has not endorsed either nominee. In a statement to DailyMail.com, his representatives said: ‘There is absolutely no truth to the claim that Michael Jordan endorsed the presidential election.”
The six-time NBA champion, whose star power continues decades after his retirement, is known for his private life.
Michael Jordan’s representatives have denied that the NBA icon has endorsed Donald Trump
Trump, the Republican candidate, is competing against Vice President Kamala Harris this week
He is hardly active on social media and has rarely revealed his political leanings.
Most famously, Jordan chose not to publicly endorse Democrat Harvey Gantt during a 1990 Senate race in his home state of North Carolina.
Gantt was an African American who ran against Republican Jesse Helms, described by the Equal Justice Initiative as “a pioneering leader of the segregationist movement.”
But Jordan chose not to use his platform to support Gantt, uttering the infamous line: “Republicans also buy sneakers.”
In 2020, Jordan explained the controversial comment during the hit show The Last Dance.
The six-time NBA champion, now 61 years old, has rarely revealed his political allegiances
“I don’t think that statement needs to be corrected because I said it as a joke on a bus with Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen,” he said.
‘It was thrown out of hand. My mom asked for a PSA for Harvey Gantt, and I said, “Look Mom, I’m not speaking out of pocket about someone I don’t know. But I’ll send a contribution to support him.” That’s what I did.
“I commend Muhammad Ali for standing up for what he believed in. But I never saw myself as an activist. I considered myself a basketball player. I was not a politician when I played my sport.
‘I was focused on my profession. Was that selfish? Probably. But that was my energy. That’s where my energy was.’
However, in 2018, Jordan said he “supported” James after the NBA star became embroiled in a feud with Trump, who declared, “I like Mike!”