The Chicago Bulls legend, who retired in 2003 after a stint with the Washington Wizards, largely remained out of the spotlight after his basketball career ended. Outside of a business opportunity as an owner of the Charlotte Hornets, it was only a few times each year that basketball fans would get to hear from Jordan, if that.
That’s changed with the return of the “NBA on NBC,” as Jordan has become a special contributor to the network’s coverage of the league for the 2025-26 season. While his role is limited, mostly appearing in interviews with Mike Tirico, Jordan is up-close and personal for fans once again. However, as fans have watched Jordan on NBC, some have noticed a discoloration in his eyes.
Why are Jordan’s eyes a yellow-red? Here’s what to know about whether or not the NBA legend has an eye condition.
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Jordan’s eyes appearing to have a yellow-red color has been noticed by fans multiple times in his later years. That included his appearances for interviews in the ESPN/Netflix docuseries “The Last Dance,” which was released in 2020 and was centered around Jordan’s 90s Bulls teams.
Throughout Jordan’s time on NBC, questions from fans of why his eyes appear to be yellow/red were sparked again.
Jordan has not confirmed any reasoning behind a discoloration in his eyes. According to the Daily Mail, a source told the outlet that Jordan is “not battling an illness or in poor health despite concern over his yellow eyes.”
The source also told The Daily Mail that Jordan “goes to the doctor” and “is just getting older,” with no causes for concern. and the recent pics are in no way or should be a reason for concern.
Jordan has never spoken publicly about his eyes or any health issues. There are multiple potential reasonings or conditions for a yellow-red look to the eyes that have been speculated.
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Michael Jordan has not confirmed whether or not he has any kind of eye condition.
Jaundice is a medical condition that includes yellowing of the skin or whites of the eye, linked to the liver being unable to process bilirubin. The condition is often associated with alcohol misuse. However, an optometrist told the Daily Mail in 2024 that the discoloration in Jordan’e eyes “could be a harmless condition more common in darker skinned individuals as they age.”
“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,” the optometrist told the Daily Mail.
With complexion-associated melanosis (CAM), which usually affects the edge of the cornea, the pigmentation is flat and can spread over the eye’s surface. As a person ages, the areas affected can increase. In 2020, ophthalmologist Dr. Glaucomflecken posted to social media explaining his opinion of Jordan’s eyes, writing “he has racial melanosis of the conjunctiva,” which is “extremely common in darkly pigmented individuals” and “more prominent with age.”
There is no official diagnosis out there for why Jordan’s eyes appear to have a discoloration, as he hasn’t disclosed that information. Based on various doctors’ opinions over the years however, it is simply an aging-related symptom, rather than a more serious condition.
Here is a more full list of medical conditions that can cause yellow-red eyes:
