Michael Jordan’s ex-wife Juanita Vanoy hangs out backstage with Samuel L. Jackson’s wife LaTanya at Broadway
Michael Jordan’s ex-wife, Juanita Vanoy, was spotted backstage at Broadway with legendary actor Samuel L. Jackson’s wife, LaTanya Richardson Jackson. Vanoy shared an Instagram story on Thursday from her time with LaTanya and her other friends. She wrote:
“Hanging w/my crew backstage w/my girl LaTanya Richardson Jackson starring in the play Purpose on Broadway.”
Check out her story below:
LaTanya Richardson Jackson stars in the two-hour and 50-minute-long play "Purpose." The epic family drama is written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Phylicia Rashad.
Juanita Vanoy was married to Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan from 1989 till 2006. The two met at a restaurant in 1985 and started dating shortly after. By 1988, Vanoy was pregnant with their first child, Jeffrey. But Jordan and Vanoy didn't get married until almost a year after the birth of their child.
From there, it didn't take them long to make a family. Jordan and Vanoy's second son, Marcus, was born in 1990, while their daughter, Jasmine, was born in 1992. For a decade, Michael and Juanita lived in harmony until Vanoy filed for divorce in 2002.
However, the couple eventually reconciled and spent four more years together before splitting up in 2006. Their divorce was mutually agreed upon, with Juanita Vanoy receiving $168 million in the settlement. This remains one of the largest settlements paid out in an athlete's divorce.
Fans noted that Juanita was not a part of Michael Jordan's Netflix documentary, "The Last Dance." She may not have been in the Netflix series, but there are plenty of pictures to show that Vanoy lived Jordan's glory days with the Chicago Bulls.
"Infatuation at first sight": Michael Jordan on his first meeting with ex-wife Juanita Vanoy
Juanita Vanoy and Michael Jordan have shared a significant part of their lives. However, as Jordan revealed in a 1988 interview with NBC Chicago, things didn't immediately click for the couple. Speaking on his first meeting with Vanoy, Jordan said his connection was more like "infatuation at first sight" instead of love.
"She's a very attractive girl," Jordan said. "I didn't want to rush into anything. I've seen attractive women with a lot of area in between their ears. I actually wanted to understand her for who she really was."
Just two years after marrying Juanita Vanoy, Jordan went on to win his first NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls, and the rest is history.