Michael Jordan defended his infamous 'Republicans buy sneakers too' quote in 'The Last Dance,' saying he was never an activist

• Michael Jordan finally addressed his infamous "Republicans buy sneakers too," quote during Sunday's episodes of "The Last Dance."
• While the line had long been attributed to Jordan, it's origins were somewhat murky, and he had never before confirmed that he made the statement.
• On Sunday, Jordan said that the statement didn't need to be corrected, because it was said in jest to his teammates.
• "I never thought of myself as an activist," Jordan said. "I thought of myself as a basketball player."
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Basketball fans finally know the full story behind one of Michael Jordan's most infamous quotes.

During Sunday night's episode of "The Last Dance," Jordan addressed the line: "Republicans buy sneakers too."

The quote was often attributed to Jordan as a simple way to explain his reasoning for staying out of the political fray. As the face of one of the most popular brand's on the planet, Jordan thought it best not to anger half of his potential buyers.

But the accuracy of the quote was the subject of ongoing debate. The line first appeared in Sam Smith's 1995 book, "Second Coming," and was attributed to Jordan as his response to why he decided against endorsing Harvey Gantt to become the first black senator to represent North Carolina over Republican incumbent Jesse Helms.

Since then, the line has been cited often, with "sneakers" and "shoes" both used depending on one the outlet. But in a 2016 story from Laura Wagner at Slate that investigated the origins of the quote, Jordan spokesperson Estee Portnoy said that Jordan denied ever saying the line.

On Sunday, the questions about the quote were ultimately put to rest by Jordan.

"I don't think that statement needs to be corrected," Jordan said of the infamous line. "Because I said it in jest on a bus with Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen — it was thrown off the cuff."

Jordan said that while he respected other athletes for taking public political stances, the idea didn't appeal to him.

"I do commend Muhammad Ali for standing up for what he believed in," Jordan said. "But I never thought of myself as an activist. I thought of myself as a basketball player. I wasn't a politician when I was playing my sport. I was focused on my craft. Was that selfish? Probably. But that was my energy. That's where my energy was."

Jordan said that in lieu of publicly endorsing Gantt in the race, he made a donation to his campaign. Helms would go on to defeat Gantt and win reelection, taking 53% of the vote to Gantt's 47%.

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