Single Mom Working Three Jobs to Fund Son’s Basketball Dreams Gets Surprise Visit from Michael Jordan
Sarah Martinez woke up to the familiar sound of her alarm clock ringing at 4:30 a.m. She had set it early again, knowing she had to prepare breakfast for her son, Marcus, and make sure he got a head start on his basketball practice. Her body was exhausted—she’d worked a double shift at Mel’s Diner the night before—but there was no time to rest. Dreams had a way of dribbling through life’s hardest courts, and her son’s dream was one she would fight for, no matter the cost.
The small apartment they lived in above Mel’s Diner had seen its fair share of struggles, but it had also seen hope. Marcus was only 14, but he was already taller than most of the kids in his class and had a basketball IQ that was way beyond his years. He had his father’s talent—the same talent that had once made his father, Marcus Sr., a star on his college basketball team. But life had other plans, and the cancer that took Marcus Sr. left Sarah to juggle everything on her own.
Still, every morning, Sarah watched her son practice his jump shot in the living room, his basketball bouncing rhythmically against the floor. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. Just like his father had done with him, Sarah made sure Marcus had every opportunity to succeed. She worked three jobs—waitressing at Mel’s Diner, cleaning offices during the day, and working retail on weekends—just to keep his dream of playing in big tournaments alive. The bills were never-ending, but Sarah didn’t care. She never missed a payment for Marcus’s team fees, even if it meant missing his games.
As Sarah made breakfast that morning, Marcus came out from his room, his eyes bright with excitement. He pulled a crumpled letter from his backpack and handed it to her. “Mom, Coach Thompson said our team made it to the Western Regionals in Los Angeles! There might even be college scouts there!”
Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. Los Angeles meant a lot of expenses—plane tickets, hotel rooms, tournament fees. She quickly did the math in her head. Even with her three jobs, it wasn’t going to be easy. Marcus’s shoes were falling apart, held together by duct tape and prayer. But she plastered a smile on her face. “That’s amazing, baby. When is it?”
“It’s in two months, but we have to confirm by next week.”
Sarah hid her worry behind the smile. She nodded, trying to reassure Marcus. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”
But the truth was, she wasn’t sure how. She had to find a way to raise the money somehow, but how? She couldn’t even make it to Marcus’s games anymore because of her demanding schedule. That night, she fell asleep in her armchair, clutching the crumpled letter she had found earlier, the one Marcus had written to Michael Jordan.
The next day, after another grueling shift at the diner, Sarah found herself lost in her thoughts. She couldn’t let Marcus see the strain she was under. As much as she wanted to be there for him, she had to keep working. But as she passed through the lunch rush, she overheard an old customer, Joe, talking about a Michael Jordan charity event coming to town. She couldn’t help but listen. Marcus’s hero was going to be in town, but she knew it would probably be too expensive for them to attend.
Later, that night, Sarah’s phone buzzed with a text from Marcus’s school—Coach Thompson was calling. When she answered, the coach’s voice filled her ears. “Sarah, I’m calling about the LA tournament. I want you to know your son has something special. The team’s parents are organizing a fundraiser—car washes, bake sales, the works. We’d love to help you get Marcus to LA. This could be his shot.”
Her heart swelled with gratitude. Coach Thompson had been like family to Marcus, and now, the entire team wanted to help. Maybe she wasn’t alone in this after all.
The days flew by, and with each passing one, Sarah worked harder, pulling extra shifts wherever she could. The fundraiser started to come together—Marcus and his teammates were washing cars at Mel’s Diner, parents donated money, and even the regulars chipped in, eager to help the boy with the big dreams. Sarah found herself part of a community that wanted to see Marcus succeed, but there was still one thing that worried her. Would it be enough?
As the fundraiser grew, Sarah’s phone buzzed again. This time it was an unexpected call from the Michael Jordan Family Foundation. “We received Marcus’s letter,” the voice on the other end said. “Michael Jordan was deeply moved, and he would like to meet with Marcus personally. We’ll cover the expenses for the tournament, and we’ll also arrange for your family to meet Michael during his visit.”
Tears blurred Sarah’s vision as the reality of the situation set in. Michael Jordan—the man her son admired above all others—was about to help them. Marcus’s dreams were coming true.
The day of the meeting finally arrived. Marcus was nervous, but Sarah made sure to tell him that he was already good enough, just as he was. “You’ve got your dad’s talent and my heart,” she told him. “That’s all you need.”
When they arrived at the community center, they were greeted by a crowd of people and reporters. Marcus, wide-eyed and unsure of what to expect, was led down a hallway to meet Michael Jordan. Sarah’s heart raced as she took her seat in the bleachers, the weight of the moment settling on her. Her son was about to meet his hero.
Michael greeted Marcus with a smile and a handshake. “I read your letter, young man,” Michael said. “It really hit home. I know what it’s like to have someone in your corner. You remind me a lot of my own mom.”
The gym filled with energy as Michael talked to the team, sharing stories of his own journey and reminding them that it wasn’t just about basketball—it was about believing in yourself and having people who believe in you. When it was Marcus’s turn to take the court, he played with a confidence that surprised even himself. His jump shot, flawless. His passes, precise. The scouts from UCLA watched from the sidelines, their eyes fixed on him.
As the practice ended, Michael walked up to Marcus. “I see you, young man. I see your game. Keep working hard, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of you soon.”
Sarah, overwhelmed with pride, watched as Marcus grinned from ear to ear. This was more than just a game—it was the start of something incredible. The fundraising efforts, the support from their community, and Michael’s personal encouragement had made all the difference.
A week later, the family received an invitation from the UCLA coach, and Marcus was officially recruited to the team. Thanks to the generosity of Michael Jordan and the community, Marcus’s dream was no longer just a dream. It was becoming his reality.
As they sat together in the UCLA gym months later, Sarah squeezed Marcus’s hand, watching him practice with his teammates. The long hours, the hard work, and the sacrifices had all led to this moment. “I’m so proud of you,” Sarah whispered, feeling her husband’s spirit beside them.
Marcus smiled. “I couldn’t have done it without you, Mom. You’ve always believed in me.”
Sarah’s heart swelled. The dream was no longer just his—it was theirs. Together, they had found a way.
Billionaire Michael Jordan recounts begging his mother for cash and stamps as a college freshman named ‘Mike’ with $20 in his bank account
Now a billionaire co-owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, Michael Jordan says he was once a poor University of North Carolina student known as ‘Mike’ who resorted to begging his mother for cash and even stamps.
‘It’s a little different today,’ Jordan he told Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts while promoting ESPN’s upcoming docu-series on the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls. ‘I had a phone bill that was probably $60 or a little less and I only had $20 in my account.’
Jordan’s decision to ask his mom, Deloris, is something modern college students can identify with, but his other request is a major departure.
‘I had to ask my mom to send me postage stamps,’ Jordan said.
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Hall of Famer Michael Jordan spoke with ABC’s Robin Roberts to promote an upcoming docu-series on ESPN about his final NBA championship run with the Chicago Bulls in 1997-98
Deloris Jordan, Michael Jordan on ‘Superstars And Their Moms – An Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Mother’s Day Special’ from 1988, four years before he won his first NBA title
Michael Jordan said he would need to beg his mother Deloris for money to cover a $60
North Carolina’s Michael Jordan hits the winning shot of the 1982 NCAA Finals vs. Georgetown
‘We didn’t have Twitter so I mean you had to live life as it came, you know, and each day you learned the education aspect, spending time with friends and family, it wasn’t via the phone,’ Jordan continued. ‘It was actually in presence and you wrote letters.
‘To me, that’s probably the most refreshing thing that my mom, she kept all my letters. So I mean it’s somewhat embarrassing but yet it’s refreshing that I took the time to write a letter to say how much I love my mom and, you know, what I needed in college.’
An unheralded high school player in Wilmington, North Carolina until his junior season, Jordan ultimately drew the attention of top college coaches such as Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, but decided attend UNC-Chapel Hill in 1981.
It was there, Jordan told Roberts, that Mike became Michael.
As basketball fans know, Jordan was not the biggest name on the 1981-82 Tar Heels – a distinction that probably belonged to forwards James Worthy or Sam Perkins.
But in the 1982 title game against Patrick Ewing’s Georgetown Hoyas, it was Jordan who hit the go-ahead basketball with 15 seconds remaining, instantly transforming himself into a national celebrity.
‘Well, up until that point no one knew who I was,’ Jordan said. ‘Outside the university, I was just known as Mike Jordan, you know, and when I hit that shot, my whole name became Michael Jordan and I think it resonated with a lot of people outside of UNC and I just started piling on that name… from the successes that I endured throughout the rest of my career. It wasn’t about Mike. It was more about Michael then.’
On the Hoyas’ ensuing possession following Jordan’s go-ahead jumper, Georgetown guard Fred Brown infamously mistook Worthy for a teammate, passed him the ball, and Jordan clinched his first major title.
He would go on to win six more with two separate three-peats in Chicago.
Jordan hits the game-winning jumper over Byron Russell of the Utah Jazz during Game Six of the 1998 NBA Finals on June 14, 1998 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City
Michael Jordan pictured with father James (near left), mother Deloris (near right), and three of his four siblings, including brothers Larry and James Jr. He has two sisters, Deloris and Roslyn
Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf (left) and general manager Jerry Krause (right) in 1997
The ESPN series, the Last Dance, details Jordan’s final championship run.
As he’s explained, Jordan knew before the season that it would be his last because management was forcing out his coach and mentor, Phil Jackson, whom he refused to play without. (Jordan ultimately came out of retirement for a second time to reunite with his first NBA coach, Doug Collins, with the Washington Wizards)
‘It basically started when [Bulls general manager] Jerry Krause told Phil he could go 82-0 and would never get the chance to come back,’ Jordan said, referring to the friction between the Bulls coaches and the front office.
Jordan has repeatedly said that he knew 1997-98 would be his last season because GM Jerry Krause was refusing to renew head coach Phil Jackson’s contract
‘I married myself to [Phil] obviously and if he wasn’t going to be a coach then obviously I wasn’t going to play. So Phil started off the year by saying this is the last dance and we played it that way.’
Jordan previously told The Athletic that he thinks the behind-the-scenes footage will show his famously competitive personality, and that may not necessarily be a good thing.
‘When people see this they are going to say, “Well he wasn’t really a nice guy. He may have been a tyrant,”‘ Jordan said.
His win-at-all-costs mentality was crystalized in an anecdote he and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf recounted from his second NBA season, when a 22-year-old Jordan was eager to return from a broken foot in defiance of team doctors.
‘Michael asked, “Well, if I play, what percentage is that I’m going to get hurt again?”‘ Reinsdorf remembered. ‘The doctor said 10 percent.’
ESPN’s documentary then cuts back to Jordan.
‘And I just lost it,’ Jordan replied. ‘I said, “Look, it’s 10 percent chance but it’s 90 percent chance that I won’t.”‘
Reinsdorf’s Bulls were a budding, young team in 1985-86, but while they were improving after years of struggles, Chicago was still looking up in the standings at the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, and the NBA’s eventual champion Boston Celtics.
A scary sight for NBA teams in the late 1990s: (From left to right) Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Ron Harper, and Toni Kukoc, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1996
With Kukoc (left), Harper (near left) and Luc Longley (far right) joining Pippen and Jordan, the Chicago Bulls completed their second three-peat of the 1990s
With a star of Jordan’s caliber, Reinsdorf didn’t want to risk long-term success on a team that was unlikely to win a title in 1986.
‘I chimed in with the doctor,’ Reinsdorf said. ‘”What happens if the 10 percent kicks in?” And they said, “Well then his career would be over.”‘
Michael Jordan initially wore No. 45 when he returned from a stint as a minor league baseball player in 1995. No. 45 was his jersey with the Double-A Birmingham Barons. Eventually he returned to No. 23
Jordan wasn’t taking that for an answer.
‘Everybody is just thinking about the negative while I think the glass is half full, everybody is thinking it’s half empty,’ said Jordan.
The camera cuts back to Reinsdorf at that point.
‘I said to Michael, “You are not understanding the risk/reward ratio,”‘ Reinsdorf continued. ‘If you had a terrible headache, and I gave you a bottle of pills and nine of the pills would cure you and one of the pills would kill you, would you take a pill?’
Jordan was unmoved.
‘I look at him and I said, “Depends on how f***ing bad headache is,”‘ Jordan shot back.
Jordan did finally return that season, and famously scored 63 points in a double-overtime loss in Game 2 of Chicago’s first-round series with Boston.
Afterwards Celtics star Larry Bird told the Boston Globe that the young phenom was really ‘God disguised as Michael Jordan.’
The Last Dance was originally supposed to be released in June, but with the COVID-19 outbreak suspending all spectator sports indefinitely, ESPN decided to move up its release date.
The first episode will premiere Sunday night at 9pm ET.
Scottie Pippen (left) and Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls try to stop Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (center) as he leads a fast break during their February 1, 1998 game in LA
