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Has Michael Jordan upped his support of his alma mater?
When Mack Brown was griping about the lack of NIL money his football program had, I asked him whether the UNC alumnus who happens to be the best basketball player of all time can help.
Brown said he had asked Jordan several times – which Webster defines as more than twice but not many – and he didn’t want to support NIL for several reasons. Brown didn’t elaborate.
Jordan has named the Carolina school of social work and its institute of families plus other seven-figure gifts. And his Nike / Jumpman brand has three years left on its current contract to supply athletic teams with millions of dollars in shoes, all kinds of apparel and rights to the Jumpman logo on football and basketball jerseys, plus giving millions in cash to the athletic department. But no NIL.
Now that Inside Carolina has reported Hubert Davis’ program has raised $14 million for the upcoming season’s players, one wonders whether MJ has become a part of that. If he opened the piggy bank to any sport, it would be basketball.
Jordan is a documented billionaire, which is the question I like to ask people. How much is a billion dollars? Multiply $1 million by 1,000. That is a billion dollars. So, there is likely plenty of money to help Tar Heel hoops get back on top.
But Google’s AI response says that isn’t close to what the T. Boone Pickens family has given to Oklahoma State or Stephen Ross has donated to the Michigan Wolverines or Jordan’s first boss, Nike founder and owner Phil Knight, bestows on his beloved Oregon Ducks.
If college athletics doesn’t get into some kind of fiscal control, the money necessary to keep signing up the best players is going to keep growing. At some point, it stands to reason that Jordan would find a way to become one of those famous benefactors, as well.
Jordan grew up an N.C. State fan who, according to him, hated the Tar Heels until his family met Dean Smith and that was that. We all ponder how the late Smith would have dealt with NIL or basically paying players salaries. Chances are Smith would have found a way he was comfortable getting the resources to keep winning games.
What would it take for Jordan to make the ultimate gift to Carolina that would return the Tar Heels to “best basketball program” status, a lofty moniker they once held or shared with a few others.
It won’t happen as it does now – schools with the most money will continue to grow their wealth and keep ahead of the next level. UNC Development has raised billions of dollars in recent years, but its richest alumni and fans are not as single-minded as the Alabamas and Ohio States, where championships keep more money flowing.
There must be a driver. Maybe Michael gets behind the wheel.
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Featured image via AP Photo/Thibault Camus.
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Chansky’s Notebook: The Driver Chapelboro.com.
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