Michael Jordan may not come off as a cheesy man. After all, his personality has been that of an enforcer. A man to be feared or revered. You pick. But this is exactly what makes it so difficult to believe that MJ was vulnerable on an emotional level. The only time this side of Michael was revealed to the public was through a couple of leaked love letters.
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In his book Michael Jordan: The Life, Roland Lazenby wrote of a young maiden MJ was deeply in love with. Like many young lovers, the two found the energy to converse about mundane life events.
In the time of no phones, letters were the only way to communicate with someone living far away.
Roland revealed that His Airness was in love with a teenager named Laquetta Robinson. Robinson was not in Michael’s school. Sho the two would write each other letters.
Especially MJ, who would often scribble her his love confessions and daily routines during classes. These letters remained with Laquette safely. That is until they were leaked by an unknown person.
Love letters written by Michael Jordan were leaked in an auction
Michael’s letters to Laquette oozed that childhood inhibition. In his letters, you could deeply sense this tinge of gratitude. He was grateful for the opportunity to get to know the woman.
However, at the same time, Jordan wasn’t without reproach. Michael in one such letter wrote:
“I want to thank you for letting me hold your annual. I show it to everyone at school. Everyone think you are a very pretty young lady and I had to agree because it is very true. Please don’t let this go to your head. (smile) I sorry to say that I can’t go to the game on my birthday because my father is taking the whole basketball team out to eat on my birthday. Please don’t be mad because I am trying get down there a week from Feb. 14. If I do get the chance to come, please have some activity for us to do together.”
He would compliment his young love in one sentence and remind her to not let it get to her head. This was perhaps the only way Michael Jordan knew to show his affection. After all, he grew up under the severe scrutiny of his parents.
The letters remained with Laquette for a long time. She kept them safe with her perhaps as a memoir of what could have been. However, someone leaked the letters. And they were distributed on the internet.
Laquette threatened to sue over the leaked letters
Laquette Robinson proved that she is a class act. She was probably someone who cherished Michael for being Michael. Those letters were private to her and she wasn’t happy when they reached the auction.
In fact, she threatened legal action if they weren’t taken off the auction. The letter, which was sold for $5100.66, was later returned to her. In an interview with Deadspin, Laquette explained:
“It was mine, it was personal, it was private. And for them to take something that belonged to me and to capitalize off of it, without my knowledge, without my permission, it really upsets me.”
Her actions deserve praise because Robinson showed such class in the way she tackled the situation. She did not quietly sit back and chose to fight to get them back.
