Who are Michael Jordan's children and did any of them play in the NBA? A look at their professional journeys
Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls legend, is one of the planet’s most recognizable faces and famous names. He is considered by many to be the greatest player to ever play basketball and a walking multi-million business enterprise.
Despite his fame, Jordan has largely managed to keep his private life a lower profile than his basketball and business persona. He has kept it to the extent that his children are somewhat unknown to many NBA fans.
MJ had three kids with his former wife, Juanita Vanoy, to whom he was married for 17 years. Jeffrey, 34, Marcus, 32, and Jasmine, 30, were all born when Michael Jordan was still writing his GOAT-worthy resume with the Bulls.
The five-time NBA MVP also has twins with model Yvette Prieto, his wife for the past 10 years. Victoria and Ysabel were born in February 2014 and are now both nine years old.
Here's a glimpse at the life of Michael Jordan’s children with Juanita Vanoy.
Jeffrey Jordan
Jeffrey Jordan probably had the toughest life among Michael Jordan’s children.
He was born on November 18, 1988, and was already hounded by media and basketball fans at a very young age. The Chicago Bulls superstar was the unquestioned god of basketball at the time and so his shadow loomed large over Jeffrey.
While playing for Loyola Academy in high school, ESPN covered and showed three of his games nationally. The pressure of living up to expectations was probably unimaginable.
Jeffrey Jordan was also invited to play in the Jordan Brand Classic, an All-Star game featuring the best high-school prospects in America.
After his stint at Loyola, Jeffery Jordan enrolled at the University of Illinois. He played three seasons for the Fighting Illini, mainly as a role player. He averaged 1.2 points and 1.1 assists in 92 games. It was already very clear that he wasn’t going to follow in his father’s footsteps to the NBA.
The Illinois guard left the school and went to the University of Central Florida (UCF), where he played for two more seasons of college hoops. He played only 13 games before leaving UCF to concentrate on his life outside of basketball.
Between his transfer from Illinois to UCF, he worked as an intern for Nike. He is now one of the bigwigs that handles the innovative side of the Jordan brand.
Marcus Jordan
Marcus Jordan was born on December 24, 1990. He played two seasons of high school hoops with his older brother Jeffrey Jordan. Together, they led the Loyola Academy to its most successful season in school history.
Marcus, however, left Loyola and played for Whitney Young Magnet High School for two more seasons before going to the University of Central Florida. At UCF, he also became teammates again with Jeffrey for a little while before the elder brother called it quits.
Marcus Jordan ended his university days in Florida with a degree in hospitality management. Like Jeffrey, he was not good enough to even sniff the NBA.
In 2016, Michael Jordan’s youngest son opened the “Trophy Room,” a sneakers store in Walt Disney that offers some of the hottest kicks around. The store also houses some of Jordan’s most prized NBA memorabilia, adding prestige to Marcus’ pet business.
Marcus Jordan has been in the headlines for dating Larsa Pippen, the ex-wife of Michael Jordan’s former teammate, Scottie Pippen.
Jasmine Jordan
Unlike her brothers, Jasmine Jordan didn’t take up basketball. She studied sports management at Syracuse University, where she met her future husband Rakeem Christmas. Her then-boyfriend, however, played four seasons for Syracuse and was perhaps a better player than any of Michael Jordan’s sons.
In December 2019, the couple had a son, Rakeem Michael Christmas, officially making “His Airness” a grandfather.
“I’m having fun watching him.” Michael Jordan talks to @craigmelvin about being a grandfather for the first time https://t.co/uOo5AnZ09T
Jasmine currently works as part of the Charlotte Hornets basketball operations side of the franchise. She’s also still involved with the Jordan brand.