While Michael Jordan was a successful figure on the basketball floor, he could not keep his first marriage afloat. After 17 years of conjugal life, Jordan and Juanita Vanoy separated in 2006. The Bulls legend has 3 children with Vanoy – Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine. All these years after the very public divorce, we’ve barely seen Vanoy make any public appearances. Since costing MJ a whopping $168 million, Jordan’s ex-wife has kept a low profile. However, she recently made a rare appearance on her youngest son Marcus Jordan’s social media.
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After a courtship period of two years, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard proposed to Juanita in 1987. After calling off the engagement in 1988, the two ended up tying the knot in 1989.
During those years, when Air Jordan was busy raking up one of the most illustrious NBA resumes, his marriage started to fall apart. Five years after their reconciliation, the couple finalized their divorce in 2006. And the amount that the 6-time NBA champ had to part with in settlements was – $168 million (half of his net worth then).
Marcus Jordan enjoys an outing with his siblings and mother
While we’ve hardly seen Juanita make a public appearance, Marcus Jordan recently put out a photo of what seems to be a fun outing with his two siblings, Jeffrey and Jasmine, and his mother. Posting the photo on his Instagram story, Marcus tagged his siblings and captioned Juanita as “Mama J”.
From the likes of it, the family seems to have enjoyed a nice meal together.
Marcus has been making headlines recently for his controversial relationship with Scottie Pippen’s ex-wife Larsa Pippen. Both Larsa and Marcus have received a lot of flak from different sections of the NBA community for their rather unconventional relationship. Marcus’ picture with his mother and sister serves as a wholesome break from all the drama.
Jeffrey Jordan, the oldest of the 3 Jordan siblings, tried following in his father’s footsteps, pursuing basketball as a full-time job. After giving up on his dreams of being in the NBA, the 34-year-old now leads the digital brand innovation branch of the Jordan brand.
Marcus too played basketball at the college level before he started his venture The Trophy Room, a high-end sneaker shop for the Jordan Brand. More recently, the 32-year-old has been leaving social media in a frenzy with all his public appearances with Larsa Pippen. His relationship with Pippen’s ex-wife was made official on Jan 23, 2023, through an announcement on Instagram.
Jasmine Jordan has a business role that involves working close to her father. Working as a field representative in marketing for the Jordan brand, the youngest of the 3 siblings has also been the basketball operations coordinator for the Charlotte Hornets.
As for Juanita, the recipient of $168 million and a 7-acre mansion, she has not remarried following her divorce. Wanting to “simplify her life”, she keeps a low profile and enjoys her time collecting art from African-American artists and indulging in various forms of yoga.
Michael Jordan gifted cigars to Marcus
Displaying the bond he shares with his father, Marcus once posted a photo on his Instagram that suggested that MJ sent him a box of Cuban cigars. Showing off the box of Plascencia cigars, Marcus also posted a message for his father – “Thank you, Dad”.
Having been super busy with work for the majority of their childhood, maybe such gestures are the Black Cat’s way of making up to his children.
