There's no denying Michael Jordan is not only one of the best athletes of all time, but also one of the best to ever pick up a basketball. The six-time NBA champion who lived up to early expectations on the court and off the hardwood, is a billion-dollar brand.
Fans were treated to an inside look into his final years with the Chicago Bulls earlier this year when the docuseries The Last Dance aired on ESPN. There was plenty of coverage about spats with teammates and his short-lived baseball career, but not much was revealed about Jordan's personal life. According to director Jason Hehir, that was intentional.
"I wasn't interested in the opinion of any wife or kids in this," Jason explained to The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch. "We had the storytellers we wanted and I felt like we had the story covered from every angle."
If you, like many others, were left wondering who has the honor of calling the Charlotte Hornets majority owner "dad," read on for an introduction into the Hall of Famer's large family.
1. Jeffrey
Jordan's oldest, Jeffrey Michael, was born on November 18, 1988. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune in April, Jeffrey said despite having a famous father, his upbringing was pretty normal.
"And it probably was normal to an extent," he continued. "Relationship-wise, you’d go through your normal battles with your siblings, your mom, your dad, everything like that. But in a social aspect, it was far from normal or anything you could imagine."
Jeffrey began his college ball career at the University of Illinois before transferring and eventually graduating from the University of Central Florida (UCF). Though he never played in the NBA, he still has a heavy presence within his pop's empire: Per Forbes, he's the head of the digital innovation team for the Jordan Brand.
"I conceptualize and test new technologies, trends, platforms (such as Esports, Podcasts/Audio content, etc.) to enhance the marketing power and the cohesiveness of our marketing campaigns," he explained to the economics site about his role. "My job basically is to answer the question, “How can we utilize cool, new, exciting digital trends to tell our brand stories?"
2. Marcus
Born on Christmas Eve in 1990, Marcus James is Jordan's second son with ex-wife Juanita Vanoy. Like his older brother, Marcus played basketball at UCF. During his time as a Knight, Marcus was the subject of controversy when he refused to wear Adidas sneakers, on the court, opting instead to wear his father's signature Nike Air Jordans instead. Per the L.A. Times, that decision reportedly cost the school millions, as they were under contract with Three Stripes and not The Swoosh.
Marcus is the founder of Trophy Room, an online store that sells mostly Jordan Brand fashion, drawing inspiration from the Jordan family trophy room.
3. Jasmine
The final child Jordan has with Vanoy, Jasmine Mickael was born December 7, 1992. Though she is also focused on sports, Jasmine did not play basketball during her time at Syracuse. She studied sports management at the New York institution and like Jeffrey, also works for the Nike Jordan Brand. According to In Style, she plays a crucial role in helping to select colorways for upcoming sneaker launches.
"Being Michael Jordan's daughter comes with a ton of assumptions that people tend to make right off the bat," she told the site about some of the misconceptions people have of her. "I get why people would think that I play basketball, that I'm spoiled, or whatever it may be. There's always some negatives and positives involved. It took me realizing, at the end of the day, that I know who Jasmine is, and those people making assumptions and having their own preconceived notions about me don’t. I actually enjoy being able to debunk some of those assumptions by letting people get to know me so they can separate, yes, I am my father's child, but I'm also Jasmine."
In 2019, she gave birth to her father's first grandchild, a boy named Rakeem Michael Christmas. She splits her time between Oregon, Chicago and North Carolina.
4. Victoria and Ysabel
Jordan and current wife Yvette Prieto Jordan welcomed identical twin girls Victoria and Ysabel on February 9, 2014. They are growing up in the Jordan's permanent resident of South Florida, but not much is known about the two beyond that.
Michael Jordan's impact will be continued to be discussed for decades on end. Though his adult children aren't poised to earn Finals rings themselves, they're certainly making sure they carry on his legacy in whatever capacity they can.
