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How Michael Jordan Guarded Daughter and Sons’ Childhood From His Global Popularity

Dylan Edenfield
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Michael Jordan Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Dealing with life as a world-famous superstar isn’t always easy, especially when it comes to dealing with family. Michael Jordan was protective of what he let his children find out about him when they were younger, as his daughter, Jasmine, revealed on The New Norm with Serena Hill. For the majority of her adolescence, Jasmine was completely unaware of her father’s status.

Born in 1992, Jasmine joined the Jordan family following the Bulls’ second championship. But she never knew the magnitude of what she was experiencing while watching MJ dominate in his prime. It wasn’t until much later in his career that Jasmine realized watching her dad play was more than just a family outing.

The 32-year-old was once completely naive to MJ’s superstardom, even when she was constantly attending Bulls games and hearing comments from her classmates about how lucky she was. “I’m like, ‘How do you guys know my dad? You’re not at my house; you’re not coming over. Where are you guys getting this from?” Jasmine recalled in 2020.

Eventually, she had the idea to Google her father’s name, and then everything began to click. She approached the Bulls icon about his celebrity status, only for Jordan to give her a valid reason for keeping his children in the dark.

“[Jordan] just laughed and was like, ‘Look, you know this is a part of my life that I kinda wanted to protect you guys from… And let you guys come into it on your own and in your own way on your own terms,'” Jasmine shared her father’s words. “I appreciate him and my mother doing that because if we were exposed to it in such a crazy way and that young of an age, we really wouldn’t have understood.”

As a result, Jasmine and her brothers were able to experience at least a bit more of an average childhood. She explained how she was able to explore the city of Chicago while also learning about both of her parents’ origins. Had she known of her father’s fame, those experiences may have not turned out the same.

Post Edited By:Thilo Latrell Widder

About the author

Dylan Edenfield

Dylan Edenfield

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Dylan Edenfield is an NBA journalist at The SportRush. He has written 500+ basketball articles for various websites since starting the venture in 2016, as a freshman in high school. Dylan has been a writer and graphic designer for PalaceofPistons.com, a Detroit Pistons-based Substack and podcast, since 2016. As an avid Detroit Pistons fan, contributing and building relationships with fellow writers truly sparked his love for NBA coverage. Dylan graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan in December 2023 with a Communications major in Media Arts & Studies and a minor in Sports Management. Dylan hoped to combine these two focuses to break into the professional sports journalism landscape. Outside of sports, Dylan is an avid gamer and occasionally likes to try other art forms, including drawing and painting. When it comes to something he creates, Dylan goes the extra mile to ensure his work is as good as it can be.

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