Sick teacher's 'final wish' was one last conversation with an ex-student. So Michael Jordan called
The retired basketball celebrity showed everyone why he's not just the greatest on the court, but off of it, too
Michael Jordan's greatness is often associated with his six NBA championships, several records, Hall of Fame status, and his competitive fire. However, none of it truly defines the veteran's greatness; it's him as a person, which reveals his true character, and this was at full display recently when he went out of his way to grant his former teacher her final wish, as WECT 6 News reported on May 12, 2026.
She kept repeating one name
It all began with the former Chicago Bulls star's high school teacher, Ms. Etta, getting admitted to hospice care at Lower Cape Fear LifeCare in North Carolina. It was during this time that the staff noticed that Ms. Etta brought up Jordan frequently in her conversations, as she shared her memories from years of teaching at Laney High School. Although after this, the staff made it their mission to get hold of the NBA Hall of Famer, it was never going to be easy.
An unbelievable phone call
However, one day, a worker named Wendy received a call from an unknown number. To her surprise, on the other end was Jordan. Since Wendy was at her home, as soon as she realized that Jordan wanted to speak to Ms. Etta, she quickly rushed to her place. There, Ms. Etta and her favorite student connected over a FaceTime call. "They laughed, reminisced, picked at each other, and shared a moment that brought tears to everyone in the room," staff members said.
In a clip of the same incident, which has since gone viral on the internet, Jordan and Ms. Etta can be seen smiling and talking to each other. The hooper also wore a blue t-shirt, reminiscing about the good old days when he was a student at Laney High School decades ago. Nonetheless, this isn't the sole incident of Jordan stepping up to give back to society, with him donating nearly $1.1 million to his alma mater, with almost all of this generous amount going directly to the school's athletic department, reported ABC 11.
Jordan's benevolence
Apart from this gesture, Jordan has always been there for his people, donating a staggering $10 million to Novant Health, helping them open a third clinic, the Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic on Greenfield St. in Wilmington, as PEOPLE. Additionally, a year before that, he donated another $10 million to the Make-A-Wish foundation. That said, this explains clearly why the fans had nothing but praise for the former NBA superstar, who continues to give back to the people years after hanging up his shoes.
In a post of this very exchange posted by @sportscenter, people lauded Jordan for his efforts. @vinny_verutti wrote, "I went to MJ camp when I was a kid, and it was some of the best memories of my life. He's the goat and always will be." Meanwhile, @dthorndigital commented by taking a subtle dig at LeBron James. "This is why he is the Goat... Take notes, LeBron," he stated.
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