CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Jordan grew up playing high school basketball in Wilmington, North Carolina. So when the former NBA star watched the destruction caused by Hurricane Florence to his hometown and surrounding area, he acted quickly to help.
The six-time NBA champion and Charlotte Hornets owner donated $2 million on Tuesday to assist residents of the Carolinas — $1 million each to the American Red Cross and the Foundation For The Carolinas’ Hurricane Florence Response Fund.
“It just hits home,” Jordan told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I know all of those places: Wilmington, Fayetteville, Myrtle Beach, New Bern, and Wallace, which is where my 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 Jordan said he still has an aunt, cousins and several buddies who live in coastal North Carolina. He also has a nephew who attends UNC Wilmington, which has remains closed while recovering from the damage.
“It makes you think about the path that you have taken, and where your life has taken you. And I just feel like, well, maybe if I can help in some sort of way all of the people, and all of the places, that have helped me along the road.” - Michael Jordan
He watched television with extra concern last week when the hurricane pounded the area, causing 34 known deaths — including 26 in North Carolina — and leaving behind damaged homes, power outages and extensive flooding.
Jordan spent the days after trying to get in touch with family and friends to make sure they were safe. He was relieved upon learning they were uninjured.
“At the end of the day, it makes you think about the path that you have taken, and where your life has taken you,” Jordan said. “And I just feel like, well, maybe if I can help in some sort of way all of the people, and all of the places, that have helped me along the road.”
