Michael Jordan and his bond with his family have perhaps been made a lot more famous after the release of Air. The movie chronicled how Deloris Jordan and James and how they helped their son sign the Nike deal.
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But the movie is barely an intimate window into what actually happened behind the scenes. It doesn’t reveal the extreme conflict that Jordan‘s success brought to their household and eventually led to bonds being severed.
That’s right, MJ’s bond with his family wasn’t ideal. Instead, it was full of drama and proved that MJ’s success had changed him. His sister, Deloris E. Jordan, alleged that her brother had become a walking and talking conglomerate after his success.
Sis claimed Michael Jordan became a walking and talking conglomerate
Sis and Michael shared a bond that was vastly different than the one MJ shared with his other family members. Sis, unlike others, wasn’t too accepting of Michael’s flaws.
She had, on several occasions, questioned him about his gambling and other problematic actions. So, Jordan naturally was a little wary of her. He didn’t appreciate all the criticism. But still, they were siblings.
In public, MJ had maintained an image of a loving brother and son. He was a family man. But according to Sis, the reality was vastly different. Michael was actually not as loving and caring.
She claimed that her brother was instead too calculated. He had forgotten how to relax because of his global fame and turned into a walking and talking brand. Roland Lazenby wrote of Sis’s account in his book Michael Jordan: The Life.
Lazenby: “Sis claimed to have seen it all coming. Like others in the family, she had supported the pretense that he was still the loving, caring, gentle younger brother she had known. “With the birth of his bigger-than-life image, he has become imprisoned by his public status and hardened by the strain of success,” she would write. “Eventually the pressures of being ‘always on display’ and the pressure to live up to the public’s expectations lessened his ability to relax, even with family.” He had become a “walking and talking conglomerate,” she alleged.”
Sis and MJ’s relationship suffered because of her book
Deloris E. Jordan had been working on a book on and off for years. The story was going to be about her life but her closeness to Jordan also meant there would be a lot of Michael anecdotes in it.
For Jordan, this was unacceptable. He accused her of adding exaggerated claims to the book and using his popularity. However, Deloris paid no heed to it and continued to write her book. She eventually published it in 2001. The book had already ruined her bond with her brother.
