Credit: NBA.com
Michael Jordan kept his word and fulfilled his promise on Tuesday to donate the net proceeds of his multimillion-dollar settlement.
Jordan donated the “net proceeds of the multimillion-dollar settlement he received from supermarkets Dominick’s and Jewel-Osco to nonprofits helping Chicago kids,” his advisers said.
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The basketball great vowed to donate the cash after winning $8.9 million dollars in a settlement against Dominick’s for the unauthorized use of his name in their advertisements.
While Jordan’s spokeswoman, Estee Portnoy, denied to share the state of the size of the donations, she told the Chicago Tribune that the donations went to 23 charities, including After School Matters, Casa Central, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
“I care deeply about the city of Chicago and have such incredible memories from my years there,” Jordan said in a news release. “The 23 charities I’ve chosen to make donations to all support the health, education and well-being of the kids of Chicago. Chicago has given me so much and I want to give back to its kids — the city’s future.”
For Jordan, the legal battle was never about the money. He “brought it to protect the value of his name and image,” shared the Chicago Tribune. During the course of the week-long trial Jordan took to the stands twice to reveal details about how he and his “advisers carefully ration the use of his identity to maximize his earnings.” These earnings still remain higher than any basketball player in history, even a decade after his retirement.
Sarahjane Johnson, the director of the resource development at Casa Central, told the Chicago Tribune, “Jordan’s gift will help fund education programs for kids at Casa Central and the donation is “especially helpful” as it comes at a time when state funding is tied up in the budget impasse in Springfield.”
Johnson and other spokesmen for the other recipients of the donations were told not to disclose any information about the size of the donation.
