Michael Jordan is synonymous with excellence and winning, both on and off the court. He was the first NBA athlete to reach billionaire status, amassing wealth by successfully translating his basketball talents into a global brand. Jordan has seen some tremendous victories, but he’s also had his fair share of financial losses. Few are worse than the huge loss he took on his Chicago mansion.
Advertisement
During Jordan’s golden years with the Chicago Bulls, he lived like a king, which was only fitting. In 1991, he finalized the purchase of his iconic 56,000-square-foot mansion in Highland Park, Illinois. There was nothing subtle about the luxurious house. The gates themselves announced their owner, a huge ’23’ being the design.
MJ’s house had nine bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, a theatre, a trophy room, a gym, a putting room, a resort-style pool, and many other amazing amenities. Various renovations over the years put the value of the mansion at nearly $50 million. Despite the amount Jordan put into it, when he decided to part ways with the estate in 2012, he put the house on the market for $29 million, which was a big drop.
And the property remained unsold on the market for 12 years. Jordan reduced the price multiple times, eventually selling it for $9.5 million in 2024. A real estate executive from Lincolnshire, John Cooper, purchased the mansion from the legend. Shortly after buying it, he revealed “exciting plans” for the place.
“I do not have any major renovation plans. I will honor the property’s legacy. This place is great just the way it is,” Cooper had said after buying the property.
He then announced intentions to sell timeshares for the property. The agreement would allow buyers to access the property for one-week stays. He added that there would be a limited number of ownership shares available, with bids starting at $1 million, plus 2% of annual expenses.
The new owner of the mansion has yet to reveal more information regarding the status of the timeshares. However, in January this year, he put that mansion up for rent at $230,000. He quickly reduced the price by $80,000, dropping the asking price to $150,000.
Cooper continues his hunt for a tenant. It will be interesting to see if he’s able to solve his tenant worries or if he’ll fall into the same fate Jordan had with the mansion.
