“James Jordan Was a Scoundrel”: Multi-Billionaire Michael Jordan’s Father Had a Dark Side, Owed Money and Regularly Cheated on Deloris Jordan

Michael Jordan is easily one of the top 2 players the league has ever seen. At the peak of his career, he was a global sensation. However, behind the scenes, the star struggled in his personal life. The Jordan family went through severe turbulence. However, James’ rising debts and constant cheating left the family’s peace in shambles. Deloris and her husband constantly fought and left Michael regretting his success.

As Michael’s deal with Nike blew up, the success allowed his family members to make some money off of the prodigal talent. His siblings and parents all found it difficult to maintain normal jobs after their brother became a superstar.

So, Michael’s deal with Nike came as a blessing in disguise. James in particular was allowed to run multiple Nike stores. However, this became a problem for the entire family.

Also read: ‘A**Hole’ Michael Jordan, Known For Gambling Millions, Claimed To ‘Own’ Defenders Like Puppets

Michael Jordan regretted his success because of James Jordan

Michael Jordan’s success brought certain freedom to the family. All of a sudden, the Jordan household wasn’t struggling to make ends meet. Their life wasn’t completely about survival.

This freedom, for better or worse, altered the way Deloris and James perceived the world. For Deloris, who had given her all to keep the family together, this new life meant she did not need to put up with her husband’s shenanigans.

And for James, it gave him the opportunity to make money and get into relationships with multiple women. This caused extreme strain between James and Deloris and also led to Michael regretting his career and success.

In his book Michael Jordan: The Life, Roland Lazenby wrote about James’ troubles in detail.

“While the public saw James Jordan as a nice, hardworking man, Nike quickly discovered that he was a nightmare running the small chain of stores. He was known to do some drinking, and he dealt with crises by ignoring them. He also ignored bills owed to suppliers, Vaccaro recalled. “He wasn’t paying for the Tshirts and all that.” Beyond that, there was increasing evidence that he was philandering, which further fired the conflict with Deloris. “James was a
scoundrel and he created a lot of the problems.”

James Jordan was a problematic man

The Last Dance glorified Michael’s relationship with his father. It showed the heartbreaking effects of his murder on the Bulls legend. His death left MJ broken. He even quit the sport to pursue baseball as his father has always wanted.

But in their desire to show this life-changing event, The Last Dance failed to show the true James. In reality, James was a problematic man. He not only fought with his wife but also was accused of forcing himself on their daughter. Though the accusations were never proven, this definitely is a vastly different truth than usually shown on TV and in popular culture.

Also read: Michael Jordan’s Sister Once Accused James Jordan of S**ual Assault in a Very Dark Story