After retiring three times in his career as an NBA player, Michael Jordan was finally at the Symphony Hall in 2009, being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Jordan had spent his life, from his UNC days till his third retirement from the league, living and breathing in front of the camera as a global superstar. As a result, during and even after his NBA career, his eldest children, born to his ex-wife Juanita Vanoy, were always under the spotlight. During his Hall of Fame speech, MJ acknowledged the difficulties in his children’s lives because of the burden of expectations levied on them since birth.
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In 2006, Michael Jordan and his first wife Juanita went through a very public divorce after 17 years of marriage. The Chicago Bulls legend was ordered to pay $168,000,000 to his former wife, the most expensive divorce settlement at the time. Three years after the divorce, Jordan was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall-of-Fame.
Michael Jordan credits his kids for handling the heavy burden of expectations
Jordan has three kids with his ex-wife Juanita Vanoy, Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine. All of them had tried their hand in basketball before choosing different career fields, where they have attained great success over the years. In his Hall of Fame Induction speech in 2009, the five-time NBA MVP acknowledged the difficulty his children faced growing up as Jordans:
“My kids Jeffrey, Marcus, Jasmine, I love you guys. You guys represent a lot of me, a lot of different personalities, your mom-you guys represent them as well. You know I think that you guys have a heavy burden and I wouldn’t want to be you guys if I had to because of all the expectations that you have to deal with.”
MJ and his ex-wife met in 1985 and after two years of dating, the Bulls superstar proposed to Juanita in 1987. Eventually, the couple tied the knot in 1989. However, rumors of MJ’s flings with other women, along with his gambling problems, would cause a lot of strain in the marriage. The couple eventually divorced in 2006. However, despite their separation, they never let their personal life affect their children.
Jordan was quite the opposite of his fierce on-court persona as a family man. He understood the burden of expectations and constant scrutiny on his children and was empathetic to their experience.
MJ’s daughter Jasmine has build her career in Sports Management
Jordan’s eldest daughter Jasmine works for her father’s Jordan brand. Initially, following in the footsteps of her father, Jasmine tried playing basketball. Afterwards, she studied Sports Management and worked for the Charlotte Hornets as an executive, a team formerly owned by her father. She eventually started working for the Jordan brand leaving her job with the Hornets. Speaking of her father being her boss, she once said that just like his teammates, he expected her to be the best version of herself:
“So technically, he [Michael Jordan] is my boss. And as a player, as he expected from his teammates when it comes to me, he expects the best… Whether he was my boss or not, he would expect me to perform on a consistent basis within the role that I have and I make sure to do that.
Jasmine has helped the brand expand its business and global reach. The 30-year-old has forged an identity for herself outside the shadows of her legendary father. She also partners with several WNBA players to uplift the women’s game.
