Michael Jordan was put on the path of being the greatest NBA player ever by the people that surrounded him. The biggest influence on his career from day one has been his mother, Deloris Jordan. Magic Johnson recently spoke about Deloris on the Jennifer Hudson show, calling her a ‘powerful quiet presence’ behind MJ.
(Starts at 2:00)
Jennifer Hudson: “My dream is to meet his mother.”
Magic Johnson: “First class. She’s just a powerful quiet presence. She has that presence that is powerful but also sweet. Just a great person. She’s a blessing to others too. The foundation work and everything that Michael was able to do, she created it, built it, ran it, did a wonderful job.”
Deloris Jordan has never taken center-stage during her son’s incredible career but she did guide him in the right direction from day one. The biggest influence she had over Jordan’s career was convincing him to meet with Nike instead of signing with Adidas in 1984, something that set his family and generations to come with billion-dollar wealth with Nike.
Veteran comedian Chris Tucker has explained the story in detail, and we also saw it in the recent Matt Damon movie ‘Air’, where Deloris is played by Viola Davis,
“His mama. His mama made him go to all the different shoe companies, you know the meeting and stuff. With Converse and Adidas. He didn’t wanna go to Nike because they were like third-rated. You know in ’84, it was Adidas, Puma, or Converse. It wasn’t Nike. Nike was a jogging shoe. So Michael’s mom said, ‘You’re going to all these meetings. You got to see what they got to offer’ and they were a third-rate in basketball, but of course, it was big in jogging. But they got the percentage of the shoe and I know she loved me. So this movie is about Dad, mom, relationship and business.”
Outside of the Nike influence, there are plenty of stories about how Deloris kept her son on the right track. This includes a story where she convinced MJ to keep his focus on basketball after he was cut from his junior varsity team. There are stories of her disciplining a young Jordan too, but always being fair. It’s clear that without her influence, Jordan might not have been able to scale the heights we know he has.
Who Is Michael Jordan’s Mother?
Deloris Jordan was born in September 1941 in North Carolina as Deloris Peoples, with her name changing when she got married to a schoolmate on the basketball team, James Raymond Jordan. They got married in 1957, with Michael being born as their third child in 1963.
She is much more than just the mother of Michael Jordan, as Magic alluded to as well. She has established multiple charities and served as the President and Founder of the James R. Jordan Foundation for almost two decades. The Foundation seeks to provide economic upliftment to youth in poverty by empowering them. This is achieved by creating networks of support for families and communities, motivating youth, and ensuring high-quality academic opportunities for youth in under-served communities
She also established the Kenya Women and Children’s Wellness Centre in Kenya while also being honored with the Clinton Global Initiative Award in 2005. She is a true philanthropist who has used her platform to do a lot of good in society. At age 83, she continues to give back to the community through various programs.
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