The greatest basketball player — and one of the wealthiest — to ever play the game is giving back to the community who shaped him into who he is today after it was destroyed by Hurricane Florence.
Six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan is donating $2 million to assist Carolina residents affected by the powerful storm, he told The Associated Press.
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Jordan will give $1 million each to the American Red Cross and Foundation For The Carolinas’ Hurricane Florence Response Fund.
The Charlotte Hornets owner said he’s familiar with many of the places that were hit hardest, including Wilmington, Fayetteville, Myrtle Beach, New Bern and Wallace, where his father is from.
“So quite naturally it hits home, and I felt like I had to act in a sense that this is my home,” the 55-year-old said.
As part of the Hornets' effort to assist those affected by Hurricane Florence, Chairman Michael Jordan will be making a donation to the relief and recovery efforts: https://t.co/P598eC8M1O
We encourage our fans to #SwarmToServe by donating here: https://t.co/odErapSCej pic.twitter.com/CKyfHjFPfV
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) September 18, 2018
Jordan played basketball for the University of North Carolina before going pro, adding that he’s “one of the lucky ones” who was able to build an “unbelievable career” that gave him the resources to help in his home state during this time of crisis.
“It just makes it a little more special when you can actually help out an area you know very, very well,” he said.
Jordan will travel to the area to check on family and friends once the roads are safe to drive, he said.
The legendary basketball player’s altruism is even evident in the NBA team he owns. More than 100 members of the Charlotte Hornets plan to pack boxes of disaster foods for those impacted by the hurricane.
In addition, the Hornets and its NBA merchandising partner, Fanatics, are designing special t-shirts emblazoned with the words “Carolina Strong” — proceeds will go to the relief fund as well.
When you purchase this #CarolinaStrong T-shirt, 100% of the net proceeds will go to the Foundation For The Carolinas' Hurricane Florence Response Fund.
Buy Now: https://t.co/Ap2rEv25n8 pic.twitter.com/7SKwkaT6MR— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) September 18, 2018
The organization “reached out to try try to find as many partners who are willing to sacrifice and give to this cause,” Jordan said.
“This is not a short-term thing,” he noted. “This is going to be a process, but it is going to take time.”
(H/T: The Associated Press)