Why Did Michael Jordan Have ‘Yellow’ Eyes in the Netflix Documentary the Last Dance?

This very obvious little detail captured the attention of thousands of internet users, so much so that it even became a point of discussion in its own right on the famous American platform Reddit, where many curious people went to try and find out what was going on.

Although many fans were concerned that this, as Vice explained, could be a sign of jaundice caused by liver disease, others said the NBA star already had yellow eyes back in the early 2000s, over 15 years ago.

‘Yellow eyes should not be ignored’

‘Yellow eyes should not be ignored because they are a sign of something more going on. There is literally more than meets the eye,’ explained Dr Val Phua, an ophthalmologist at Eagle Eye Centre Singapore, to Vice.

‘Leaving eye conditions untreated includes compromise in vision and even blindness.’

In Michael Jordan’s case, the doctor observed that:

‘[Jordan’s] eyes are slightly discoloured which may point to jaundice, but there seems to also be a slightly raised lesion on the eye, which can point to something local causing the discolouration like a pinguecula.’ In case you weren’t aware, a pinguecula is a small, yellowish growth that develops on the surface of the eye, often due to UV emitted by the sun.

‘Yellowish discolouration of the eyes may be more obvious in a dark-skinned individual compared with someone who is fair-skinned,’ added Dr Val Phua.