…they won’t listen to a son, they’ll listen to Michael Jordan.”

The room fell silent.

In that moment, Michael wasn’t the global icon, the six-time NBA champion, the man who had sold out arenas and inspired millions. He was just a son—terrified, desperate, and unwilling to let his father’s story fade into silence. The police might have dismissed it, the local sheriff might have seen just another adult gone missing, but Michael knew—his father didn’t disappear without a reason.

The Death of James Jordan: What We Know - The New York Times

Within hours, the press conference was arranged. Cameras flashed, microphones clustered. The world’s media, fresh off the Bulls’ championship coverage, now gathered for a far more somber story.

Michael stepped to the podium.

His voice, usually so composed on the court, trembled slightly.

“My father, James Jordan, has been missing for four days. This isn’t like him. If anyone out there knows anything, I’m begging you—please come forward.”

The moment aired on every network across America. News anchors who had just celebrated MJ’s third championship now relayed the chilling update. The headlines changed:
“Michael Jordan’s Father Missing—Foul Play Suspected.”
“Jordan Family Fears the Worst.”

That night, the phone at the Robeson County Sheriff’s office wouldn’t stop ringing.

Tips. Rumors. Sightings. Most were dead ends.

But one caller mentioned something odd—a red car partially submerged near a swampy area off a remote logging road, 60 miles from Highway 74. The police dispatched a team immediately.

What they found was grim.

The red Lexus, stripped, abandoned, and hidden beneath a camouflage tarp. The license plate was gone. The VIN numbers scratched out. But tucked into the glove box, overlooked by whoever dumped it, was a folded piece of paper.

A ticket stub.
Michael Jordan's Dad's Tragic Death—What They Found Raises New Questions

Game 6, NBA Finals.
June 20, 1993. Bulls vs. Suns. Section 104.

James had kept it as a keepsake.

And nearby—just a few miles into the woods—a local farmer reported a foul smell near his property.

When officers investigated, they found what the family feared most.

A shallow grave.

The remains would later be confirmed through dental records and a distinctive ring indentation on the victim’s finger.

James Jordan was gone.

But how he died—and why—was just the beginning.