Michael Jordan, Hornets donate $2 million to Hurricane Florence relief efforts

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina icon Michael Jordan is joining with the Charlotte Hornets and the NBA family to provide "necessary and immediate relief and support to those affected by Hurricane Florence."

It was announced Tuesday that Jordan is donating $1 million each to the American Red Cross and the Foundation For The Carolinas Hurricane Florence Response Fund.

"It just hits home," Jordan told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "I know all of those places: Wilmington, Fayetteville, Myrtle Beach, New Bern, and Wallace, which is where my father is from. So quite naturally it hits home, and I felt like I had to act in a sense that this is my home."

On Friday, more than 100 members of the Hornets organization will help pack disaster food boxes at Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. Those boxes will be shipped to Wilmington and Fayetteville in North Carolina and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina to be distributed to those who have been directly impacted by the storm.

The Charlotte Hornets Foundation will also make a donation to Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.

Jordan released this statement regarding the hurricane:

It's truly devastating for me to see the damage that Hurricane Florence is doing to my beloved home state of North Carolina and to the surrounding areas. The recovery effort will be massive, and it will take a long time to repair the damage and for families to get back on their feet. Together with the NBA, we have launched a platform to aid those most impacted. Please join me, the Hornets organization and the NBA and donate to one of the local organizations assisting in the relief and recovery efforts. To all those affected, stay safe and know that we're here to help.

Jordan was raised in Wilmington and went to E.A. Laney High School, just a few miles from the coast.

You can click here to donate.