On a calm night in Charlotte, North Carolina, Chenise Williams, a single mother and waitress at Jerry’s Diner, was nearing the end of her long shift. The clock read 11:45 PM, just 15 minutes until closing time. Her feet ached from the ten-hour rush, but she couldn’t slow down—not when her daughter Destiny was counting on her.
“Mama, can I please go to basketball camp this summer?” Destiny had asked that morning, her big brown eyes sparkling with hope. The camp cost $500, which meant two more weeks of double shifts for Chenise. But seeing Destiny light up when she talked about basketball made it all worthwhile.
As she refilled the sugar dispensers, the bell above the door chimed. Chenise turned to inform the customer they were closing soon, but her words caught in her throat. A tall man in a baseball cap and dark jacket stood in the doorway, ducking slightly to enter. He looked weary, and something about his eyes made Chenise hesitate.
“Come on in,” she called out, grabbing a menu. “Just try to order quickly if you can; the kitchen’s about to close.”
“Thank you,” he said in a deep, gentle voice. “I appreciate it. I just need a quiet place to eat and think.”
Chenise led him to a booth in the corner, far from the window. “What can I get you?” she asked, pulling out her notepad.
“Coffee, black, and whatever you recommend for dinner.”
“Our chicken and waffles are quite famous,” she replied, smiling. “My daughter says they’re the best in Charlotte, though she might be a little biased since her mama makes them.”
The man chuckled, a warm sound that felt familiar. “Sounds perfect. You have kids?”
“Just one—Destiny. She’s eight and already taller than half her class. She’s basketball crazy and wants to play in the WNBA someday.”
“Good dreams to have,” he said, nodding. Chenise caught a glimpse of his face in the fluorescent light, and her heart skipped a beat. Recognition hit her, but she kept her expression neutral.
“I’ll get that order in,” she said smoothly, turning toward the kitchen. As she worked, she couldn’t help glancing at the security camera in the corner. Brad, her manager, reviewed the tapes every morning, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret helping someone in need.
When the food was ready, she carried it to his table with extra napkins and a bottle of hot sauce. “Here you go—best chicken and waffles in Charlotte!”
“Thank you,” he said, reading her name tag. “You didn’t have to serve me so late.”
“I know it’s past closing,” she shrugged. “Everyone deserves a good meal and a moment of peace, no matter what time it is. My mama taught me that.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Your mama taught you well. Your daughter’s lucky to have you.”
“I’m the lucky one,” Chenise replied, meaning it. Destiny kept her going on nights like this.
When the man finished, he waved her over. “Your daughter was right,” he said. “Best chicken and waffles I’ve had in a long time.” He pulled out his wallet, and Chenise started to tell him the total, but he placed several bills on the table.
“Keep the change,” he said, standing up. “Thank you for the kindness. It means more than you know.”
After he left, Chenise counted the tip—five $100 bills. It was more than enough for Destiny’s basketball camp. As she locked up the diner at 12:30 AM, she felt lighter despite her exhaustion. Sometimes breaking the rules was worth it, especially when your heart told you it was right.
The next morning, Chenise’s alarm buzzed at 6:00 AM. She groaned, her feet still sore from the night before, but the memory of the $500 tip brought a smile to her face. As she got ready for work, Destiny appeared, already dressed in her school basketball uniform.
“Mama, guess what? Coach Johnson says I might make team captain!”
“That’s amazing!” Chenise hugged her tightly. “And guess what else? I think basketball camp this summer is going to happen after all!”
But when she arrived at Jerry’s Diner, Brad’s voice stopped her cold. “My office, now.”
The security footage from last night was playing on his computer screen. “Want to explain this?” he asked, pointing to the timestamp showing her serving the tall customer.
“You know the rules—no customers after 11:30,” he said, his face hardening. “This is the last straw, Chenise. I’m going to need your apron and name tag.”
“Over helping someone?” she protested, her voice cracking. “I have a daughter to support!”
As she walked to her car, her phone buzzed with an unknown number. “Hello?”
“Is this Chenise Williams? I’m calling on behalf of Mr. Michael Jordan. He’d like to meet with you this morning at the Charlotte Hornets office. Are you available?”
Chenise’s heart raced. “I guess I am now,” she said, her mind spinning.
When she arrived at the Hornets building, she was led to a waiting area. Michael Jordan entered, and Chenise stood, her heart pounding.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” he said. “I’ve been watching you at Jerry’s Diner. I’m looking for someone special to run a new youth program at my foundation—someone with real compassion.”
“Me?” Chenise whispered, still in shock.
“You showed kindness to a stranger, even though it might get you in trouble. That’s why I’m offering you a job.”
As she held the business card he gave her, her eyes widened at the salary figure. It was more than double what she made at both her jobs combined.
“Take the weekend to think about it,” he said. “The position starts Monday if you want it.”
That evening, as she sat with Destiny, Chenise shared everything about her day. “I lost my job at the diner, but I might have a new one with Michael Jordan!”
Destiny’s eyes lit up. “That’s amazing, Mama! You can help kids like me!”
“Yes, but I need to make sure I’m good enough,” Chenise said, her voice trembling.
“You’ll never know what you can do until you try,” Destiny replied, echoing her mother’s own words.
The next morning, Chenise stood in front of her closet, feeling panic rise. Everything she owned seemed wrong for a foundation director. Finally, she settled on a simple navy blue dress her mother had given her.
When she arrived at the Hornets building, she held her head high. “Good morning, Miss Williams,” the security guard greeted her.
In the conference room, Michael Jordan introduced her as the new director of community outreach. Familiar faces filled the room—Tommy’s mother, Mrs. Johnson from the diner, and Coach Johnson.
“We’ve been watching you for months,” Jordan said. “You do good things when you think no one is watching. That’s real character.”
As Chenise signed the contract, she thought about all the times she had chosen kindness over rules.
“Welcome to the team,” Jordan said, smiling. “Now, let’s go watch your daughter train with Lisa Leslie.”
As they walked toward the court, Chenise felt a sense of purpose wash over her. She was ready to help kids chase their dreams, just like she had helped Destiny.
Months later, at the grand opening of the first converted Jerry’s Youth Center, Chenise stood on stage, proud of how far they had come. “Dreams come in all sizes,” she told the crowd. “Sometimes they look like making a game-winning shot, and sometimes they look like serving a late-night customer. But the biggest dreams are the ones we help others achieve.”
As she caught Michael Jordan’s eye in the crowd, she knew that her act of kindness had changed everything—not just for her, but for an entire community. And this was just the beginning.
$4.2 million for Michael Jordan’s first NBA jersey
The jersey Michael Jordan wore in his first NBA game, even though it was only a preseason game, sold for $4.215 million, below the original estimate of $10 million.
The red Chicago Bulls jersey, bearing the basketball legend’s signature and number 23, appeared at a Sotheby’s auction in New York on March 27. Although it did not surpass the record of $10.1 million for Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey (sold in 2022), it is still one of his three most expensive jerseys.
“Michael Jordan’s or Kobe Bryant’s NBA debut jerseys are not just memorabilia, they are symbols of the ambition, talent and determination that shaped their legendary careers, ” Brahm Wachter, head of modern collectibles at Sotheby’s, told CNN . “They are almost unique. A rookie debut is a special milestone that an athlete only experiences once in their career.”
Sotheby’s describes it as the only Jordan rookie jersey to be authenticated and offered at public auction.
MeiGrey, a sports memorabilia authentication company, examined 130 jerseys believed to be Jordan’s, but only confirmed four were authentic. This jersey was one of them.
The company partnered with digital forensics firm Proven Data to conduct a “photo-matching” examination — comparing images from video of Jordan’s first NBA game with the spacing between the numbers on the back of his jersey.
The results showed that the jersey once belonged to another athlete, with traces of erasure below Jordan’s name and the number 23. The remaining faded letters “W” and “I” suggest that the jersey may have belonged to Mitchell Wiggins, who played for the Chicago Bulls last season.
Tim Hallam, former director of communications for the Chicago Bulls, reportedly told the original owner: “If that jersey has an erased number and name, you probably own the first jersey the team issued to Michael Jordan.”
Jordan had to wear a reused jersey from his early career that was a stark contrast to the global icon he later became, Sotheby’s said.
The jersey was worn by Jordan in the first preseason game between the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers on October 5, 1984, in Peoria (Illinois, USA). He scored 18 points in front of about 2,000 spectators and continued to wear the jersey in the next two games.
The jersey originally sold for $800 at a Washington Bullets charity auction in 1984. In 2009, Grey Flannel auctioned the jersey for $66,000 . Typically, preseason memorabilia is worth significantly less than official game memorabilia. However, since the jersey Jordan wore in his first official NBA game has yet to be identified, this jersey has become a valuable collector’s item.