Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan, 54, who was known to play a little roundball in his heyday, is stepping up his philanthropy game by donating $7 million to launch medical clinics for poor communities in Charlotte, N.C.
“Through my years of working with Novant Health, I have been impressed with their approach and their commitment to the community,” said Jordan, a North Carolina native, in a release Monday, the Associated Press reports. “It is my hope that these clinics will help provide a brighter and healthier future for the children and families they serve.”
AP notes that the donation will fund two Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinics, both of which are projected to open in 2020.
A spokesperson for Jordan noted that the NBA legend became involved in opening the health facilities after learning that the children in Charlotte face poverty so stifling that they fared the worst out of the 50 biggest cities in the United States.
The hope is that Jordan clinics will provide “an avenue to affordable, high-quality care—including behavioral health, physical therapy, social work, oral health and family planning—to individuals in the community who have little or no health care,” AP reports.
“This gift will transform the lives of thousands of families and children living in poverty-stricken communities,” Carl Armato, president and CEO of Novant Health, told AP. “We are thankful to Michael for his generosity. The gift will remove barriers to high-quality health care in some of the most vulnerable communities.”
Read more at ESPN.