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Jordan donates $2M for community-police relations: 'I can no longer stay silent'

Streeter Lecka / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Michael Jordan released a statement Monday speaking out on the rash of both racialized and anti-police violence plaguing the United States.

The Basketball Hall of Famer and Charlotte Hornets owner also announced two donations of $1 million each to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the International Association of Chiefs of Police's Institute for Community-Police Relations.

"As a proud American, a father who lost his own dad in a senseless act of violence, and a black man, I have been deeply troubled by the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement and angered by the cowardly and hateful targeting and killing of police officers," Jordan wrote in an open letter released through ESPN's The Undefeated. "I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well."

Jordan's father, James, was shot and killed in a North Carolina robbery in 1993.

"I am saddened and frustrated by the divisive rhetoric and racial tensions that seem to be getting worse as of late," he wrote. "I know this country is better than that, and I can no longer stay silent. We need to find solutions that ensure people of color receive fair and equal treatment AND that police officers - who put their lives on the line every day to protect us all - are respected and supported."

Jordan, 53, is widely considered as the greatest NBA player ever and has a net worth believed to be around $1.1 billion. As the superstar who set the gold standard for athlete endorsements a generation ago, Jordan was often criticized for not engaging with social issues.

At the same time however, others have pointed out things such as the fact that Jordan employs one of the NBA's most diverse staffs with the Hornets.

"The problems we face didn’t happen overnight and they won't be solved tomorrow," Jordan added in the statement. "But if we all work together, we can foster greater understanding, positive change and create a more peaceful world for ourselves, our children, our families and our communities."

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