Nike’s ‘New’ Michael Jordan Is #BLM Supporter (VIDEOS)

NEWARK, NJ — A changing of the Michaels has officially taken place at Nike. Almost two decades after basketball legend Michael Jordan made his name almost synonymous with Nike’s, the company is embracing a new spokesperson with the same name… actor Michael B. Jordan.

You’d be hard pressed to find a TV-watching American who went through the 1990s without watching one of the elder Jordan’s iconic commercials for Nike.

But a new millennium calls for a new Jordan.

The younger Jordan – no relation – is a 29-year-old Newark, New Jersey native known for his television appearances on Friday Night Lights and The Wire, as well as his film roles in blockbusters such as Creed, Fantastic Four and Fruitvale Station.

He’s also a supporter of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, who has said that “Black Lives Matter - unequivocally and without exception.”

Jordan posted a video of his Nike commercial on his Facebook page Tuesday.

SPEAKING OUT

The younger Jordan has not shied away from speaking out about social justice issues as his fame grows, making Nike’s embracement of the actor a significant move for the company, which has faced a spotty past with allegations of human rights and labor abuses.

In February, the NAACP named Jordan as “entertainer of the year” and “outstanding actor” at its annual Image Awards, which honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music and literature.

• See related article: Newark's Michael Jordan Wins NAACP Awards For 'Creed' Performance

After his critically praised appearance in 2013’s Fruitvale Station – which is based on the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant by a BART police officer in Oakland, California – Jordan told the NY Times that he saw many similarities to his own life in the role.

“If I wasn’t black, that wouldn’t have happened to me… I’ve thought that so many times I’ve lost count,” he told a reporter from The Guardian. “A woman holds on to her purse as she walks by, or people cross the street when they see me, to being pulled over by the cops for no reason. I've been illegally searched. I've been harassed. Have I been in situations where people who don't know me have treated me like less than a person? Yes I have.”

When Jordan took on the role of comic book icon The Human Torch – a traditionally Caucasian character – during Marvel’s 2015 reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise, he was swept up in an Internet backlash aimed at movie studios casting black actors in roles originally imaged as white characters.

The actor told CineMovie there are no racial descriptions of Johnny Storm and his portrayal of the character is likely to break barriers.

"The only characteristics of The Human Torch is that his name is Johnny Storm, he's American, he's charismatic and he's a playboy," Jordan said. "That's it."

• See related article: NJ Actor Cast as ‘Human Torch’ Raises Old Questions About Race on Film

Newark city officials presented Jordan the key to the city in November of 2015.

"It gives the young people a chance to see someone who looks like them on screen," he told a large crowd of his fans during the presentation ceremony. "To see somebody in a positive light, not really dragged down by stereotypes."

Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Gage Skidmore

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