Michael Jordan‘s son, Jeffrey, has a bank of old photos and videos of his father and shares it with his Instagram followers once a week in a series titled ‘MJ Mondays.’ In this week’s edition, the 35-year-old shared a rare photo of the Chicago Bulls icon posing with Juanita Vanoy, Jordan’s ex-wife and the mother of three of his five children.
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The photo is from an event celebrating the Bulls icon’s birthday at the Michael Jordan Restaurant, an eatery and sports bar in Chicago that opened in 1993 before shutting in 1999. In the photo, the couple seemed to be beaming with joy. This is something that is a deeply fond memory for Jeffrey, who captioned the photo with a heart and DNA emoji, followed by a king and queen emoticon.
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Back in March, Jeffrey had posted another photo from the event featuring his parents. In it, the couple is seen inspecting Jordan’s incredible birthday cake, resembling the United Center, the Bulls’ home arena. Jeffrey is understandably fond of these images as they are reminiscent of the times when his parents were still together.
Jordan and Vanoy were rarely seen together in public, opting to keep their private life quiet. In an interview with Connie Chung which aired in July 1993, the six-time NBA champion opened up about his relationship with Vanoy, saying,
“[She’s] very nice, very demanding. Very caring, good mother. Learning to cook. I love her to death though. I mean she’s got a sense of humor just by hanging around.” [per People]
He seemingly forgot to add that she was a quick learner, as ‘Juanita’s Macaroni and Cheese,’ a dish based on one of her recipes made it on the menu of the Michael Jordan Restaurant. The Bulls icon even invited his teammates to his house to savor his wife’s cooking.
Vanoy and Jordan first met in 1985 through a mutual friend and began dating soon after. They married in 1989 and she was by his side throughout his incredible run with the Bulls, taking care of the couple’s three kids. However, she filed for divorce when he unretired in 2002 to play for the Washington Wizards.
They reconciled and remained together before ultimately parting ways in 2006, ending their 17-year marriage. The divorce reportedly cost Jordan $168 million.
While the couple has moved on, Jeffrey’s posts suggest he still reminisces about a time when they were together when he was growing up and is grateful for the childhood he had.
