Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy’s love story started on quite a rough patch. Jordan, who was looking for an escape, found solace in his then-girlfriend’s arms. However, James and Deloris Jordan believed Juanita was taking advantage of Michael.
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The entire thing escalated once Vanoy was pregnant. Michael’s parents accused her of using her pregnancy to manipulate the Bulls star. Things got so out of hand that Juanita even considered filing a paternity suit. But fortunately, things worked out and they got married in 1989.
After 13 years of a successful marriage, things again reached boiling point. While Michael was playing for the Wizards, Vanoy filed for divorce in 2002. In his book Michael Jordan: The Life, Roland Lazenby revealed that Michael was accused of wooing a woman as soon as the divorce was filed.
Michael Jordan sought Tim Grover’s help to hit on a woman
In his book, Roland Lazenby wrote how things were incredibly stressful for Michael in 2002. After Juanita Vanoy filed for divorce, reporters began to hound him for information.
Michael, who was reluctant to share any private information, especially about his failing marriage, lashed out at the reporters. He sent across a crystal clear message – he would not answer any questions about his personal life.
However, it seems, Michael Jordan may have opted for a different path to get rid of his stress. In his book, Roland claimed that a Washington-based publication had accused Jordan of hitting on women after the filing in 2002.
Discussing the allegations, Lazenby wrote: “A Washington publication offered a detailed account of his attempts that same night after the game to make a play for a woman in a Washington nightspot, with help from members of his entourage, including Tim Grover.”
The report alleged that Jordan took Tim Grover’s help to pursue the woman. On the same day, Michael had turned away a reporter from the Wizards’ dressing room for asking about his marriage.
Juanita did not divorce MJ in 2002
If MJ did indeed seek Tim’s help to impress a lady in the nightclub, then it means he was actively looking for partners as soon as Juanita filed for divorce. The complicated aspect of this story is that Vanoy did not divorce MJ in 2002. This means, that if the allegations are true, Michael likely cheated on Vanoy that night.
Michael Jordan’s payout to Juanita Vanoy: $168 million – check out the most expensive divorces http://bit.ly/aAgC1H
— Sowetan LIVE (@SowetanLIVE) May 31, 2010
Vanoy, however, took her divorce request back and lived with Michael for four more years, which means she did not believe in the allegations. That’s the likely reason she could have continued with the Bulls legend for four more years. The two finally divorced in 2006 after a long-drawn truce. After the divorce, Jordan paid his ex-wife $168 million in settlements.
