When Katie Ledecky shared footage of her younger self playing peek-a-boo with Michael Jordan
American star swimmer Katie Ledecky shared a throwback video on X, formerly Twitter, in 2020 which featured her toddler self alongside NBA legend Michael Jordan. In the video, Jordan was seen playing peek-a-boo with Katie as she was eating popcorn while watching a Washington Wizards game from the luxury box in 2000.
When she shared the video in 2020, Ledecky referenced the clip to her grabbing popcorn ahead of an episode of "The Last Dance," which featured Jordan's iconic NBA career.
“Grabbing my popcorn for tonight’s episodes of #TheLastDance Sitting. I can tell you one thing about Michael Jordan: he’s a tough peek-a-boo player, but he didn’t stand a chance against my popcorn,” Ledecky tweeted.
The two great athletes crossed paths in 2000 through Katie Ledecky's uncle, Jon Ledecky. Jon was a co-owner of the NBA's Washington Wizards, NHL's Washington Capitals and WNBA's Washington Mystics after he reportedly invested $58 million in the ownership group in 1999.
Meanwhile, after his second retirement from the NBA in 1999, Michael Jordan joined the Washington Wizards as part owner and president of basketball operations in January 2000.
Jon Ledecky sold his 24% ownership stake in the teams for an estimated amount of over $70 million in 2001, the year Jordan came out of retirement for the third time to play for the Wizards.
The video made rounds after her championship performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and is on the rounds again after her historic performance in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ledecky earned a silver medal in the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay on Thursday, which marked her 13th medal across four Olympic appearances dating to 2012. This made her USA's all-time most decorated female Olympian and she still has another medal-winning opportunity in the upcoming women's 800-meter freestyle event.
Sports business analyst compares Michael Jordan and Katie Ledecky's Olympic medal tally
Shortly after Katie Ledecky's record-breaking performance on Thursday, Sports business analyst Darren Rovell shared a photo of Michael Jordan holding Ledecky as a child and compared their Olympic gold tally.
Michael Jordan won his first Olympic gold medal when he led Team USA to the championship of the men's basketball event in 1984. He then returned to the Olympics in 1992, leading the "Dream Team" for his second and final gold medal in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Katie Ledecky won her first Olympic gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle event at the age of 15 in the 2012 London Olympics. Since then, she has won seven more gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal in the Olympics.
Ledecky won her latest gold medal in the 1500-meter freestyle category on Wednesday as her current tally at the 2024 Paris Olympics stands at one gold, one silver and one bronze medal.