How does Katie Ledecky know basketball legend Michael Jordan?
Katie Ledecky is one of the best swimmers of recent times, with enough silverware to prove it. The American’s recent domination at the United States Swimming National Championships backed claims of her being one of the all-time greats.
With ten Olympic medals to her name, the 25-year-old dominates almost all freestyle events on the calendar.
The swimmer won her first medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics aged 15. The world has witnessed her growth over the years, but not many know that Katie Ledecky has a friend in Michael Jordan.
The basketball legend was the game’s undoubted star during the 90s and the early 2000s. The former NBA champion’s popularity was at its peak during that time.
Jordan, who enjoyed the attention he drew, often made surprise appearances in public. He often watched live matches of various sports, including basketball games between multiple teams.
Interestingly, Michael Jordan watched a game alongside Katie Ledecky herself.
Who is the GOAT in this picture? The little kid just broke her own world record in the 400. https://t.co/gyJBcRxzc7
Katie Ledecky, a child back then, sat in front of the basketball GOAT during a Washington Wizards game. It is pertinent to note that the Wizards were then part-owned by Katie’s uncle Jon Ledecky.
It was Jon, currently the co-owner of the New York Islanders, who took the then-two-year-old Katie to the game, where Jordan joined her. The relationship between the two athletes was revealed when the American swimmer shared a video from the match on her social media.
Grabbing my popcorn for tonight's episodes of #TheLastDance. 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. https://t.co/fvAWlzNhuQ
In 2020, Katie Ledecky shared a Twitter video where she was seen snacking on popcorn during the game. Interestingly, the then two-year-old was soon interrupted by Michael Jordan, seated right behind her.
The duo shared a moment when the basketball legend tried to cover Katie’s face with his hands. However, the six-time NBA champion failed to distract the swimmer from popcorn.
Sharing the video, Katie said:
“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.”
The video revealed the two athletes’ meeting and was well appreciated and talked about by the public. It is indeed rare to see the arguably greatest women’s swimmer of all time and basketball’s greatest player together.
More to come 
800 free, 🖐🏼World Championships in a row in my favorite event🥇Thanks to all for the support and thank you to my coaches and teammates for helping me get to this point. ❤️ More to come 😏 https://t.co/oavd0TYmEL
Katie Ledecky’s glorious career
The Washington D.C. native is considered one of swimming’s all-time greats; her medals are proof. Katie Ledecky, who added four gold medals to her tally at the 2022 World Championships, started her career by winning the top prize at the 2012 Olympic Games in the 800m freestyle category.
She took home four more gold medals at the 2013 World Championships.
The swimmer added a whopping five golds to her impressive tally at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships. She followed that up with another five gold medal haul at the 2015 World Championships.
The star athlete claimed four golds and one silver at the Olympics in 2016 and five gold and a silver at the 2017 World Championships. The American went on to win two silvers and one gold at the 2019 World Championships.
By this time, she was lauded as the greatest female swimmer in history by fans owing to her impressive medal tally.