NBA legend and Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan pleads for calm after violent protests

NBA legend Michael Jordan is pleading for calm in Charlotte in the wake of the violent protests that erupted in the city after the fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.

Local news station WBTV reports that Jordan, who is now the owner of the Charlotte Hornets, has issued a statement both expressing condolences to the Scott family and calling on protesters to not engage in violent behavior.

"In light of the tragic events of the past three days, it is more important than ever that we restore calm and come together, as a community, in peaceful demonstration and conversation, and in constructive and non-violent ways," he said.

Jordan this year has decided to play a more active role in trying to create better relations between police officers and the communities they serve.

Jordan said in an essay posted at The Undefeated this past July that his goal in speaking out is to create a dialog between police and black communities to help them get a better understanding of one another. He’s making separate $1 million contributions to both the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s new Institute for Community-Police Relations.

“I have been deeply troubled by the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement and angered by the cowardly and hateful targeting and killing of police officers,” Jordan said at the time. “I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well.”