Michael Jordan Responds To N.C. Bathroom Law

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Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game between the Bobcats and the Chicago Bulls in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, April 16, 2014. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Michael Jordan, the billionaire who owns North Carolina’s NBA franchise, has spoken out about North Carolina’s controversial “bathroom law,” – framing his comments as a businessman rather than as an individual.

“As my organization has stated previously, the Charlotte Hornets and Hornets Sports & Entertainment are opposed to discrimination in any form, and we have always sought to provide an inclusive environment,” Jordan, one of the wealthiest people in North Carolina, said in a statement to the Charlotte Observer.

“As has been the case since the building opened, we will continue to ensure that all fans, players and employees feel welcome while at work or attending NBA games and events at Time Warner Cable Arena.”

For now, that’s the tone Jordan, the Hornets and the NBA choose to strike. They prefer to emphasize their policy of inclusiveness as they wait and watch the situation with Charlotte scheduled to host the All-Star Game next February.

“We’ve been, I think, crystal clear, that a change in the law is necessary to play in the kind of environment that we think is appropriate for a celebratory NBA event, but that we did have some time and if the view of the people who were allied with us, in terms of a change, the view of the people on the ground in North Carolina was that the situation would best be served by us not setting a deadline, then we would not set a deadline at this time,” Silver said during a meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors at the league’s headquarters in midtown Manhattan.

A number of entertainers, including Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Ringo Starr and Cirque du Soleil, have protested the law by canceling appearances in the state. PayPal Holdings and Deutsche Bank called off a plan to add 650 jobs in the state and an unnamed technology company, according to the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, canceled plans that could have brought up to 1,000 new jobs to the Raleigh area.

Thirteen conventions and events in Charlotte have been canceled and 29 other groups are on a “hesitant/concerned list,” according to the Observer.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Cindy Boren

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