Michael Jordan gives back far more than he gets credit for.
After six NBA championships and a Hall of Fame career, Jordan is now known most for his Air Jordan brand, memes of him crying, and compilations of him expressing personal grievances that fueled his athletic prowess.
‘Did you get all the stuff?!’
What does not get as much media play is Jordan’s long history of charity toward low-income communities, disaster relief, and sick children.
In fact, even when Jordan was being mocked with the “it became personal” meme following the airing of his 2020 Netflix documentary, “The Last Dance,” he was giving millions to feed the hungry during the Christmas season.
In late November 2020, months after the documentary released, Jordan donated $2 million of profit from the movie to Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief program. He focused on the Carolinas, where he played college basketball, and Chicago, where he won his NBA championships.
This came at a time when the organization had announced that more than 50 million Americans were struggling with food bills due to COVID-19.
What may be even more notable, though, is Jordan’s history with the Make-A-Wish organization.
As the NBA reported in 2019, Jordan has been chief ambassador for Make-A-Wish since 2008, donating more than $5 million to the charity while granting hundreds of wishes over a 30-year span.
His donation totals catapulted in early 2023, when Jordan celebrated his 60th birthday by giving a whopping $10 million donation to Make-A-Wish, the biggest contribution the company had ever received.
But what is seemingly more impactful than his donations is Jordan’s willingness to reach out to young fans of his who are struggling, sick, or even similarly to him, a meme.
The latter is exactly what happened to Jeffrey from Spokane, Washington, in 2016. Jeffrey was spotted wearing Jordan’s Chicago Bulls gear at a local basketball park. Viewers were shocked at how similar he looked to the NBA legend, and the video quickly became a laughing stock online as it appeared an adult man was mimicking a professional athlete.
However, Jordan became aware of the nuanced details of the story, including that Jeffrey was developmentally disabled. He has a seizure disorder, mild retardation, and autism. His mother told reporters that Jeffrey was diagnosed at the age of 4 when he complained of painful headaches.
Just months after the meme took off, Jordan sent Jeffrey a massive haul of Air Jordan goods — and even gave him a phone call.
“Did you get all the stuff?!” Jordan is heard asking Jeffrey. After Jeffrey confirmed, Jordan followed up, “Is it enough?!”
The two laughed. “Enjoy yourself, and I’m going to be watching for you,” Jordan added.
“All right … I love you,” Jeffrey threw out to his hero.
“Love you, man,” Jordan replied.
The greatest basketball player of all time, who famously said, “Republicans buy sneakers too,” has made so many charitable donations that the NBA has an entire page dedicated to his philanthropy.
It notes $2 million of relief funds to victims of Hurricane Florence in 2018, $500,000 to stock libraries and preschools in Charlotte in 2016, and $250,000 to food banks in 2012, among many other donations.
In November 2025, Jordan continued his tradition of helping others during the holiday season, with a $10 million donation to a North Carolina medical center in honor of his mother.
The Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, will name its neuroscience institute after Deloris Jordan, according to ESPN.
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Fearless, Michael jordan, Charity, Make a wish, Food bank, Sports
