- Comment has followed superstar throughout his life
- Jordan addresses issue during ESPN’s The Last Dance
Michael Jordan has discussed the quote that has come to define what many see as his willingness to put profit over principles.
During a 1990 Senate race in his home state of North Carolina, Jordan refused to endorse Democrat Harvey Gantt, an African American who was running against the incumbent Republican Jesse Helms, a notorious racist. Jordan, who at the time had already won the first of his five NBA MVP awards, explained away his refusal to take a stance by saying “Republicans buy sneakers, too”.
Related: Michael Jordan’s furious desire to conquer all still burns decades later
