THE man who famously said, “Republicans buy sneakers, too” has broken his silence in the wake of massive protests calling for justice for George Floyd’s death.
Michael Jordan, who has mostly shied away from political commentary throughout his career, released a statement today via his spokesperson Estee Portnoy, the Charlotte Hornets social media pages, and his Jumpman brand.
“I am deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry,” the legendary player began his statement. “I see and feel everyone’s pain, outrage and frustration. I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country. We have had enough.”
Admitting that he didn’t have the answers, the GOAT asked for “our collective voices” to continue “peaceful expressions against injustice”, to pressure the authorities to amend the laws. “[O]r else,” he continued, “we need to use our vote to create systemic change.”
This is not the first time Jordan has waded into politics. In 2016, he wrote that he can no longer stay silent, and that he has been “deeply troubled by the deaths of African-Americas at the hands of law enforcement and angered by the cowardly and hateful targeting and killing of police officers.”
However, for the most part, he has kept his opinions to himself. During The Last Dance documentary Jordan doubled down on his neutral, silent stance. While he said that the “Republicans buy sneakers, too” comment had been taken out of context, he declared in an interview on episode 5: “I never thought of myself as an activist. I thought of myself as a basketball player.”
Current basketball players have not been as reticent.
This morning (Manila time), a strong message was posted on Instagram by LeBron James, Jordan Clarkson, Javale McGee, and Anthony Davis: “If YOU ain’t wit US, WE ain’t wit Y’ALL!”
Yesterday, players like Jaylen Brown and Jordan Clarkson joined protest marches.
One of Michael Jordan’s major sponsors, Nike, released a powerful "Don't Do It" ad late last week, asking fans to stand up against racism.
As of posting, every other major sneaker brand has followed suit, whether through retweeting Nike’s post (like adidas, Converse, and Brooks Running), or coming up with statements of their own (like Merrell, Under Armour, Puma, Hoka One One, Reebok, and Fila).
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