Basketball legend and social media superstar Michael Jordan was in tears as he opened the first of two groundbreaking clinics that will offer cutting-edge health care to underserved communities in Charlotte, N.C.
Although he might be best known as the face of Black Twitter’s most popular meme, many people aren’t aware that Michael Jordan was also a pretty decent basketball player. On Thursday, the man whose head has been photoshopped onto everyone from the Night King to Hillary Clinton unveiled the Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinic, a healthcare facility made possible by his $7.2 million dollar donation, the Charlotte Observer reports.
Located in a 74 percent black neighborhood, the clinic officially opened three weeks ago and has already provided 300 people with primary and preventative healthcare services as well as access to social workers, mental health experts, and oral health practitioners. When the second location opens in another poverty-stricken part of the city, the pair of facilities funded by Jordan is expected to serve 35,000 children and adults over the next five years.
The Charlotte Hornets owner was emotional as he cited a 2014 study showing that Charlotte’s children have the worst statistical odds of lifting themselves out of poverty.
“I’ve gone off and made my life in Illinois and other places,” the Charlotte Hornets owner said. “But I know where it all begins.”
With an estimated net worth of $1.9 billion, Jordan earns more as a retired athlete than any active NBA player and Forbes named him the highest-paid athlete of all time.
“As you can see, it’s a very emotional thing for me,” Jordan said tearfully. “I can only give in gratitude for what I can never repay.”
Black Twitter is working on a meme as we speak.