She Has Gone Above And Beyond Helping Others Since Her Son Has Become One of The Most Famous Basketball Players In History
I’ve always admired famous figures whose family members also used their popularity and platform for good.
Deloris Jordan, the mother of legendary NBA player Michael Jordan, has gone above and beyond helping others since her son has become one of the most famous basketball players in history.
Deloris was born in North Carolina in 1941. In high school, she met her husband, James Raymond Jordan Sr., who was a member of the basketball team. They dated throughout high school. Then, after graduation, Deloris attended a trade school in Alabama while James joined the Air Force and lived in Texas.
When James was transferred to an Air Force base in Virginia in 1956, Deloris moved in with him, and they got married. One year later, they had their first child, James Ronald “Ronnie” Jr.
After living in Virginia for a few more years and having two more children, Deloris and James temporarily moved to New York so he could attend trade school and become a mechanic. In New York, Deloris worked as a bank teller. In 1963, she gave birth to Michael Jordan.
Shortly after Michael’s birth, their family moved back down south to North Carolina. Deloris gave birth to her daughter Rosalyn and did her best to support her children. She encouraged them to be passionate about school and to focus on their after-school activities. Deloris often told her children they had special gifts, and each had their own talents they needed to explore.
Michael began playing professional basketball as a college student in 1984. Since then, he’s become one of history’s most successful basketball players. As Michael became more well-known and notable, Deloris began to use the platform he had for good, and they’d take on philanthropic projects together.
In 1989, she and Michael founded the Michael Jordan Foundation, which raises funds for disadvantaged children. Deloris served as the foundation’s president and later began the Michael Jordan Education Club, which inspired kids to do well in school.
Three years after her husband James tragically died in 1993, Deloris partnered with the Chicago Bulls, the team Michael iconically played for, and built a youth center in his honor, the James R. Jordan Boys & Girls Club and Family Life Center.
Melinda Nagy – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual people
In 2000, she created the James R. Jordan Foundation. Deloris continues to do work and launch impacting initiatives for the foundation, providing all kinds of support for underprivileged children.
Deloris has also done charity work abroad, supporting healthcare services in Kenya. She helped found the Kenya Women and Children’s Wellness Centre and has taken American students on educational excursions to the country.
Deloris is also a New York Times best-selling author and has written several books, from children’s stories to a book on parenting.
Today, Deloris lives in Chicago, Illinois, and is on the board of the Jordan Institute for Families at the University of North Carolina School of Social Work. She is still very involved in her other charity organizations and is now a grandmother to 10 children.
Not only is Deloris a great mother, but she’s also a charitable woman with a lot to give.
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