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    NBA: Thirty years later, Michael Jordan defends himself for his controversial phrase about Republicans

    In the new episodes of the Netflix series, ‘The Last Dance’, about his career, Michael Jordan returned to the controversial phrase he had uttered about the Republicans.

    Attention spoiler. Episodes 5 and 6 of ‘The Last Dance’ will be available this Monday from 9am on Netflix. That’s a few hours after the United States continues to be passionate about the series that traces the career of Michael Jordan.

    All topics are discussed, even the most unfortunate ones. The documentary returned to a controversial phrase uttered by Jordan in 1990 during the U.S. Senate race in North Carolina between incumbent Republican Jesse Helms and African-American Democrat Harvey Gantt. Invited to take a stand, the Chicago Bulls star remained neutral, retorting: “The Regulars also buy shoes”, in reference to the sales of his sneakers.

    “I don’t think this statement needs to be corrected because I jokingly said on a bus with Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen,” Jordan said in episode 5. It’s been taken out of context. My mother asked me to do a public service announcement for Harvey Gantt, and I said, ‘Listen, Mom, I don’t talk like that about someone I don’t know. But I will send a contribution to support him.’ That is what I did.

    “I congratulate Muhammad Ali for defending his convictions,” he continues. But I never considered myself an activist. I considered myself a basketball player. I was not a politician when I was playing my sport. I was focused on my job. Was it selfish? Probably. But that was my energy. That’s where my energy was.”

    Present in the documentary, Barack Obama, presented as “a resident of Chicago” while Jordan was playing for the Bulls, said he was disappointed by “MJ’s” comments at the time. “I’ll be honest, when it was reported that Michael said, ‘Republicans also buy sneakers’ – for someone who was preparing for a career in civil law at the time and knowing what Jesse Helms was representing – I wanted to see Michael push harder on it. On the other hand, he was always trying to understand: ‘How do I manage this image that was created around me, and how am I up to it?'”

    Jordan has further developed his views on this sensitive subject. “It will never be enough for everyone, and I know it,” he concluded. I realize that. Because everyone has a preconceived idea of what I should do and what I shouldn’t do. The way I manage my life is to give examples. If it inspires you? Great, I’ll keep doing it. Otherwise? So maybe I’m not the person you should follow.”

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