Michael Jordan is now happily married to his model wife Yvette Prieto. But before Yvette, Jordan was married to the once-famous Juanita Vanoy. The story of Vanoy and Jordan was a very popular one.
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A young Bulls star, Michael charmed the older woman. Despite their attraction, though, the beginning of their relationship was marred by Juanita’s paternity test.
Things improved when they married but eventually deteriorated to the point of no return in 2002. Jordan, who had decided to return to the NBA court for the Wizards, left his then-wife distraught.
The Washington Post, in their 2002 report, revealed how a Private Investigator hired by the wives of Bulls players may have led to Juanita Vanoy finding out about her husband’s infidelity.
Juanita Vanoy was told of Michael Jordan’s infidelity by Bulls players’ wives
In 2002, many Bulls players’ wives had hired popular PI Ernie Rizzo to stalk their husbands. Most Chicago players hung out with Jordan frequently. So, when Rizzo dug up dirt on the players, he naturally found dirt on MJ too.
The PI accused Jordan of being involved with at least half a dozen women. Per Rizzo, the wives of these players, who hired him, would have certainly talked to Juanita about the investigation and its results. Naturally, Vanoy reacted by filing for divorce against MJ.
Post: “A well-known Chicago private investigator, Ernie Rizzo, said in an interview last week that he had observed Jordan in compromising situations in the company of a half-dozen women, including a Denver stripper, over the past 10 years. Rizzo, who had done some work on Juanita Jordan’s 1988 paternity case through Minton, had in recent years been hired by the wives of other Chicago Bulls players to tail their husbands. “These guys were always with Jordan and so Jordan would end up in those reports,” said Rizzo. “I’m sure the wives were going back and talking to Juanita.”
Michael Jordan and wife Juanita Vanoy ended their 17-year marriage in 2006. In the settlement, she won $168 million, the seven-acre estate in Chicago, and custody of their three children. One of the largest settlements in sports history. She was notably missing from #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/tJljXaNe2p
— Twisted History (@twistedhistory) May 28, 2020
Vanoy and Jordan ended up solving their disputes in 2002
Although things escalated to this point in 2002, Juanita Vanoy and Michael Jordan somehow managed to solve the issues of their relationship. While the world believed it would surely be the end of their marriage, the two proved them wrong.
They would finally file for divorce again in December of 2006. Juanita was paid $168 million in divorce settlements post the very public separation. But the money is hardly enough to cover the trauma and emotional brunt of her husband’s infidelity.
