In the first few days of his second presidential term, Donald
Trump signed a number of executive orders that will have an impact
on the healthcare industry, some issuing new policies and some
rescinding policies set forth by prior administrations. This has
had a devastating impact on the American people.
While the country is on pins and needles awaiting the next bomb
(both literally and figuratively) to drop from the Trump
administration, Michael Jordan has figured out a way to actively
combat one of the casualties (U.S. Health Care) of Trump’s plan for
mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and extended tax cuts
for the upper echelon of the American population.
“Republicans are considering a rollback of the federal social
safety net, particularly Medicaid, which has nearly 80 million
enrollees in all 50 states. The budget plan proposes an $880bn
reduction in funding for the insurance over the next 10 years, an
amount that experts warn would hollow out the program and have
ripple effects across the entire American healthcare system.”
From an
article in the MaynardNexsen titled “President Trump’s Latest
Executive Orders Impacting Healthcare” it reads “President
Trump rescinded former President Joe Biden’s order that extended
the enrollment periods for Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) plans
in most states, and granted additional funding for third parties
aiding enrollment in ACA insurance. While ACA enrollment nearly
doubled under the Biden administration to about 24 million people,
those gains are attributed primarily to government subsidies that
lowered the cost of ACA premiums. The effect this rescission will
have on enrollment trends is one thing to watch in the coming
years”
While all this is happening in real-time, Michael Jordan
opened his fourth health clinic in North Carolina on February 19 in
Wilmington. This new clinic, established in collaboration with
Novant Health, focuses on providing care to uninsured and
underinsured patients.
MJ has spoken publicly exhibiting a tremendous amount of
sincerity and passion about how important these clinics are and how
many people they will help. He has addressed the growing issue of
healthcare disparities and affirmed his dedication to providing
healthcare to all people regardless of their income or economic
status in particular in his hometown of North Carolina.
Many people are pleasantly surprised to see this side of MJ,
but it goes along with what I witnessed as his teammate for the
Washington Wizards.
I recall one time in particular when I was sitting in the
training room getting treatment and he was getting his knee
drained, which fans didn’t know at the time he had to often do in
order to continue playing. MJ asked me about a book (Soul On Ice by
Eldridge Cleaver) he saw me reading on the plane and we engaged in
a deep conversation about race, politics, the community, and much
more.
Sitting in earshot was his bodyguard, George, who chimed in and
said jokingly, “Yeah Michael doesn’t like to tell anybody the
things he does, so people don’t think he does anything”
He then proceeded to tell me a story of when MJ was all set to
have this big event at an exclusive golf resort in Georgia back in
the day, and he found out that they were still keeping an old
tradition of not allowing Black People to join the club, but of
course, they would let MJ participate. Well, long story short,
right before the event, MJ informed the organizers that he was
going to cancel everything if they didn’t change their policy and
of course, they capitulated to his demands.
I remember responding saying, “That’s a great story that
people need to hear. Why wouldn’t you tell people that ?” And MJ
looked at me and said, “No, I don’t do it for that.” I remember
looking at George and him saying, “See, he doesn’t want to tell
anybody anything”
I tell this story for this reason. Playing with MJ for two
years with the Wizards, I saw him do a lot of things quietly that
nobody knew about. And from time to time I would whisper to him,
“You’re not gonna tell anyone about this either huh?” And he would
just smile and shake his head. In fact, he didn’t even tell anyone
that he donated his entire salary to the victims of 9-11. I
remember being in the locker room when he was watching the coverage
on TV and made the decision. Nobody found out until later that he
did that.
Now, for years I have been on panels and programs talking
about activism and athletes and they would always bring up MJ as
the antithesis to the activist athlete and his infamous statement
“Republicans Buy Shoes Too”. They would always paint MJ as the
athlete who doesn’t care about the community or really anything
outside of himself and I would always push back on that because
that’s just not what I saw when I was his teammate. Now, did he
lend his voice to causes or speak out on political issues that
directly impact the Black Community? No, he didn’t. But did he do
nothing behind the scenes and have no interest or care for the
community? I can’t say that because that’s not what I
saw.
People don’t know about MJ’s community impact platform, known
as the Black Community Commitment (BCC), which is a 10-year, $100
million initiative focused on creating equitable futures for Black
Americans through education, economic justice, narrative change,
and social justice.
They also don’t know about him funding nonprofit institutional
grantees and grassroots organizations across the country through
his Open Call Community Grants program. They don’t know about
his Jordan Brand Wings Scholars Program which has sent hundreds of
kids to college on full scholarships. But like George told me in
the training room, he doesn’t tell anyone so people assume he does
nothing in the community.
Now, going back to MJ’s 4th healthcare clinic. There is
indeed currently a national healthcare crisis in the United
States. In 2025, an estimated 27.1 million Americans of all
ages are projected to be uninsured, representing an uninsured rate
of 8.2%, according to data from the National Health Interview
Survey. MJ’s efforts have helped thousands of uninsured Americans
actually receive care.
Furthermore, as many Americans have found out the hard way,
being insured does not guarantee full coverage. There is a large
percentage of working-class Americans who are currently drowning in
medical expenses, faced with increased costs of medications (thanks
to the Trump administration), and higher co-pays all while having
limited access to essential treatments.
An article by Vishwesha Kumar of Fadeaway World, described
Jordan’s Health Clinic as, “After witnessing the positive
impact of these centers, Jordan donated $10 million to Novant
Health to expand the project, leading to additional clinics being
built in Wilmington. His efforts have helped thousands of patients
receive their first-ever primary care visits, reinforcing his
dedication to improving healthcare access.
The new Wilmington facility spans 7,300 square feet and includes
12 patient rooms, offering comprehensive medical services to
uninsured and underinsured individuals. In addition to primary care
physicians, the clinic will have a community health worker to
connect patients with essential local resources. The facility will
be open on weekdays, aiming to serve as a lifeline for many who
struggle to access consistent coverage.”
Micheal Jordan doesn’t have to do any of this. He could ride off
into the sunset and not care about what anyone thinks about him. He
doesn’t need any additional notoriety. He already has all the fame
a man could possibly have. He doesn’t need pats on the back or nods
of approval from anyone. He does this because he genuinely
cares.
“Michael Jordan gives back but you didn't know it. Like LeBron
does, but it's just seldom they show it.”~Nas
