Michael Jordan’s representatives firmly denied rumors that the NBA legend had endorsed Donald Trump ahead of the presidential election. As the vote approached, social media was abuzz with false claims that Jordan supported Trump in his race against Vice President Kamala Harris.
Meanwhile, athletes from various sports have openly backed their preferred candidates, with LeBron James endorsing Harris and Nick Bosa recently sporting a Make America Great Again hat, as reported by Daily Mail.
But Jordan said on Monday that he had not endorsed either presidential nominee. In a statement to DailyMail.com, his representatives clarified, “There is absolutely no truth to the claim that Michael Jordan has made an endorsement in the presidential election.”
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The six-time NBA champion, known for his enduring star power and private nature, has chosen to remain neutral. Jordan is known for his limited presence on social media and his reluctance to disclose his political views.
During the 1990 Senate race in North Carolina, Jordan famously chose not to publicly support Democrat Harvey Gantt, an African-American candidate running against Republican Jesse Helms, a prominent figure in the segregationist movement.
His decision not to endorse Gantt was encapsulated in his infamous remark: “Republicans buy sneakers, too.” In the 2020 documentary series The Last Dance, Jordan addressed this controversial comment.
“It was thrown off the cuff. My mother asked to do a PSA for Harvey Gantt, and I said, ‘Look, Mom, I’m not speaking out of pocket about someone that I don’t know. But I will send a contribution to support him.’ Which is what I did.
“I do commend Muhammad Ali for standing up for what he believed in. But I never thought of myself as an activist. I thought of myself as a basketball player. I wasn’t a politician when I was playing my sport.
“I was focused on my craft. Was that selfish? Probably. But that was my energy. That’s where my energy was.”
In 2018, Jordan expressed his support for James following a public dispute between James and then-President Trump. Trump had made a statement favoring Jordan by saying, “I like Mike!”
