Check out the photos of Michael Jordan that are going viral and raising questions about his health, plus what doctors are saying about it.
Since retiring from the game of basketball more than two decades ago the GOAT, Michael Jordan, has remained a prominent figure in sports. He still has a partnership with Nike, owned a majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets (then named the Bobcats) until 2023, has a stake in the sports betting company DraftKings, and is the co-owner of NASCAR’s 23XI Racing.
MJ is also occasionally seen out and about as a spectator of various sports as well. But his most recent appearance is sparking concern among fans, and even doctors are weighing in now.
On Sept. 19, 2024, Jordan attended the UEFA Champions League Phase MD1 match between AS Monaco and FC Barcelona and it was hard not to notice the yellow in his eyes.
Michael Jordan is in the house for Monaco vs. Barcelona 🐐 pic.twitter.com/ro3Avpf4ao — B/R Football (@brfootball) September 19, 2024
Fans speculated about Jordan’s health after seeing a yellow hue in his eyes during the 2020 biographical Netflix series The Last Dance. But that talk revved up again after photos were snapped of him at the soccer match.
While Jordan has not spoken publicly about any health issues he may be experiencing, the images of him at the match in Monaco circulating online were enough for fans to start speculating again that something is wrong with the sports legend.
Michael Jordan attends the UEFA Champions League 1st round day 1 football match between AS Monaco and FC Barcelona | MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images
Many took to X, opining that the yellow color in his corneas could be caused by a problem with his liver or jaundice.
One user asked, “What’s up with his eyes tho for real?? Jaundice? Liver issue?” before another wrote, “Jordan appears to be jaundiced.”
A third person chimed in: “Michael Jordan could have jaundice but I’m no doctor. But it is alarming to see the whites of his eyes yellow like that.”
Michael Jordan and his wife, Yvette Prieto, at the UEFA Champions League 1st round day 1 football match between AS Monaco and FC Barcelona | MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images
According to the Cleveland Clinic, jaundice is a condition that causes the whites of the eyes and the skin to turn yellow. It’s caused by “a buildup of bilirubin, a yellow chemical in hemoglobin that’s produced when the body breaks down red blood cells.”
The claims that the former Chicago Bulls star has jaundice or a liver condition are unfounded and may not be the case at all. As some medical professionals told the Daily Mail, the yellow we see in his eyes could be “harmless” and tends to happen with certain individuals as they age.
Michael Jordan is seen in the stands prior to the UEFA Champions League match between AS Monaco and FC Barcelona | Chris Ricco – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Bhavin Shah, an optometrist based in London, explained: “I can’t tell you for sure unless I examine him, but the most common reason is a natural pigmentation on the conjunctiva, the front surface of the eye, [which] can give a yellow appearance.”
Another doctor, Talin Amadian, an optometrist in Los Angeles, echoed that, saying: “There could be some kind of a pigmentation on the surface of the eye and its more prominent in individuals with darker skin.”