Michael Jordan Grants Dying Teacher's Final Wish

When Ms. Etta lay in hospice care, the beloved transportation coordinator from Emsley A. Laney High School had one final wish: to hug Michael Jordan one last time.

Ms. Etta couldn't stop talking about Jordan, who graduated from the North Carolina school 45 years ago and was one of her favorite students. Administrators at Lower Cape Fear LifeCare tried reaching out to the NBA legend, but they never heard back.

Then on May 12th, something magical happened. Wendy, a LifeCare social worker, received a call from an unknown number while at home. It was Jordan asking, "Is this Ms. Etta?"

Wendy rushed to Ms. Etta's bedside and set up a video call with the basketball icon. "They laughed, reminisced, picked at each other, and shared a moment that brought tears to everyone in the room," LifeCare shared on Instagram.

The family now has a memory they'll treasure forever. While Ms. Etta couldn't get her hug, she got something just as precious: proof that she mattered to someone who became one of the greatest athletes in history.

Sunny's Take

Jordan's connection to Laney runs deep. As a sophomore in 1979, he was famously "cut" from varsity basketball, though he was actually sent to Junior Varsity because the team needed taller players. Jordan has always credited that moment as fuel for his legendary competitive fire.

But he's never let success distance him from his beginnings. In 2019, Jordan donated $1.1 million to Laney High School from the sales of his special Laney 5 sneakers. Half went to athletics, while the school used the rest at its discretion.

"Mike decided that he wanted to take care of Laney High School," said Athletic Director Fred Lynch. "Mike is still the man."

Jordan once said, "To be successful, you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you reach your highest level, you have to be unselfish." His gesture proves he's lived those words.

In her final days, Ms. Etta learned what countless others already knew: the people who help us rise deserve to be remembered when we reach the top.