Michael Jordan donates $5 million to the African American Museum

Basketball legend Michael Jordan has donated $5 million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The gift, the largest from a sports figure to the 19th Smithsonian museum, moves private donations to the African American museum to $278 million. Including federal aid, the museum, which President Obama will open Sept. 24, has raised more than $548 million.

The exterior of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., on February 27, 2020, as seen from 15th Street NW. (Photo By Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:National_Museum_of_African_American_History_and_Culture_in_February_2020.jpg)

The Chicago Bulls star and mogul also gave a jersey that he wore during the 1996 NBA Finals to the museum’s permanent collection. In recognition and appreciation of the gifts, the museum will name a section of its sports gallery the Michael Jordan Hall.

Th exhibition will feature artifacts associated with 17 “game-changing” athletes, including tennis player Althea Gibson and track-and-field great Jesse Owens. Jordan is among those spotlighted.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to support this museum,” Jordan said in a statement. “I also am indebted to the historic contributions of community leaders and athletes such as Jesse Owens, whose talent, commitment and perseverance broke racial barriers and laid the groundwork for the successful careers of so many African Americans in athletics and beyond.”