Juanita Vanoy, Who Didn’t Allow Her Sons To Wear No. 23, Feared Michael Jordan Would Break His Foot Again Every Game

Michael Jordan came into the league as of the most entertaining stars it had ever seen. As a rookie, he led the Chicago Bulls to the Playoffs where they would lose to Sidney Moncrief and the Milwaukee Bucks. That same year, he would meet his future wife, Juanita Vaniy, in Chicago during the season. 

Jordan would take 2 years to propose and they would get married a few years later. They share three children together; Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine. While the latter of those 3 currently works with both the Charlotte Hornets and Jordan Brand, MJ’s sons actually gave basketball a shot. 

While they would end up playing collegiate ball at UCF, they would never be able to play professional basketball. During their youth, their mother would actually refuse to let them wear the number 23 on their jerseys as she wanted them to differentiate themselves from their father.

Also read: Chuck Daly Once Warned Charles Barkley About Michael Jordan’s Superiority Over Him

Juanita Vanoy worried that Michael Jordan would get injured again 

Michael Jordan missed a majority of his sophomore season with the Chicago Bulls due to a broken left foot. He did eventually return and drag a losing Bulls team to the Playoffs where he would have an iconic 63-point performance against the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the first round. 

However, during his rehabilitation process, Juanita stuck by his side, helping him recover from the strenuous injury. In an interview in 1991, she explained how that process of helping her eventual husband through that process led her down a path of fear where she felt nervous every time Jordan went up in a game.

Luckily for Juanita, Michael never suffered a serious ailment with the Chicago Bulls after that 1985 foot injury. He would, as everybody knows, go on to lead Chicago to 6 championships over the span of 8 years 

Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy got divorced 

Juanita Vanoy would eventually start to get suspicious of her husband and so she hired a private eye to tail him across the country. What he found was that he was indulging in extramarital activities with a multitude of women behind her back. 

She would file for divorce in 2002 but withdrew it only to confirm her split with Michael Jordan 4 years down the line. Their divorce would put close to $150 million in her bank account, making it one of the most expensive divorces in entertainment history.

Also read: Floyd Mayweather Tells Scottie Pippen That Michael Jordan and the Bulls Would not Have won Without him