When you’re a kid growing up, playing hooky from school feels like the most satisfying move you can pull. Jeffrey Jordan and Horace Grant Jr. attempted just that when they were in high school, but unfortunately for them, their plan was uncovered by Jeff’s legendary father, Michael Jordan.
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“His Airness” wasn’t just outsmarting the best in the NBA week in and week out. He was also one step ahead of his son and his friends. MJ knew exactly when they were trying to sneak a day off.
Jeffrey and Horace Jr. shared the story during a recent interview, recalling their Loyola days. It was a moment where Jordan taught them a valuable lesson they still carry with them today.
“You remember when we were at Loyola? You were sick, and then you text me that you were going home,” said Horace, who set the stage for their excuse to not have to endure classes for a day. “You’re dad had to come pick us up.”
MJ did end up scooping the boys, but he immediately sniffed out what was going on. Jordan always carried a vibe of not being fooled, and this was a prime example for him to teach the young bloods a lesson.
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“He knew we were faking as soon as we got home,” Jeffrey stated with a laugh. “He’s like, ‘Okay, you guys want to stay home? I’ve got some work for you to do. ‘And basically made us clean every car in his garage. I wanna say it was 36 cars.”
“37! I remember,” responded Grant Jr., who emphasized the 37 number as if it was etched into his brain forever. “We thought we were about to get a free day,” added Jeffrey. “Play some video games. Nope. As soon as we got home, we got a bucket and a wash cloth.”
While they probably thought it was very uncool of the Chicago Bulls legend at the time, both Horace and Jeff spoke with a tone that suggested they understood why he did it. Jordan has always been the kind of person who values hard work and absolutely no wasted time. In hindsight, the boys probably appreciated the lesson.
And look at them now. Horace is a real estate agent in Illinois, while Jeffrey co-runs Heir Jordan with his brother Marcus, which is a philanthropic foundation. Maybe that lesson about cleaning cars stuck with them after all.
