These days, Michael Jordan is married to model Yvette Prieto - but she's not the basketball
star's first wife.
Before they fell in love, Jordan was married to Juanita Vanoy for 17 years.
Here are a few things you probably don't know about Jordan's ex-wife.
Michael Jordan famously played for the Chicago Bulls, but his ex-wife was actually raised
in the city.
Born on June 13, 1959, Juanita grew up on the Southside and attended Christian Fenger
High School, and did some modeling work as a teenager.
When she met Michael, she was a loan officer looking to get her associate's degree.
And while she went on to enjoy the finer things in life when she married the man who would
become the NBA's biggest star, Juanita made sure that her children had a connection to
her roots.
"Living in the suburbs was a life that they got to enjoy because of their wealth, however,
it was important to me that they also experienced how I grew up."
News broke in 2006 that Michael and Juanita were headed for a divorce.
Sources close to the couple claimed that Michael had not been home much in the months leading
up to the split, according to the Washington Post, and Juanita's divorce filing said that
they had lived "separate and apart" for some time.
Another issue may have been the fact that Michael was allegedly unfaithful.
While the announcement came as a surprise to some, Juanita had reportedly previously
filed for divorce back in 2002, but then a month later, they announced they were reconciling
and withdrawing the petition.
Juanita was ultimately granted $168 million after her and Michael reached a divorce settlement
in 2007.
She also got their 8,000-square-foot penthouse, according to the Chicago Tribune.
She sold it in 2014 for $3.2 million, a tidy deal that she locked down herself as a licensed
real estate agent.
Obviously skilled at doing business within a pricey housing market, Juanita also scored
a mansion in Chicago's River North neighborhood for $4.725 million the same year she signed
her settlement with her ex, suggesting that she was ready to move on after their highly
publicized split.
And what better place to do so than in a multi-million-dollar new pad?
Both of Michael Jordan's sons followed in their dad's basketball-playing footsteps,
and while neither managed to become NBA legends like their dad, Jeffrey Jordan did play with
the University of Illinois, and Marcus Jordan took the court for the University of Central
Florida.
However, their mother Juanita wanted to make sure that they created identities independent
of their famous father.
"It was important to me that they learn not to try to be their dad."
Juanita says that she would insist that they not wear number 23, their dad's famous number,
which is something that she felt would help them establish their own identity.
Michael agreed that his children would face hardships when it came to establishing themselves,
and he acknowledged that during his Hall of Fame induction speech in 2009.
"You guys have a heavy burden.
I wouldn't want to be you guys if I had to."
Jeffrey and Marcus Jordan may have taken after their father when it comes to his love of
basketball, but his daughter Jasmine Jordan definitely took after her mother in terms
of physical appearance.
Jasmine hopped onto Instagram to celebrate "Grandparents Day" on September 8, 2019, dedicating
a special message to her parents to celebrate their first holiday as grandparents to her
baby boy.
Jasmine wrote,
"They're the greatest parents ever and I'm so grateful for them!
Keemie has incredible grandparents.
Blessed beyond measures."
Many of her followers couldn't help but notice how much she looks like her mother.
With the same eyes, nose, and sweet smile, it's clear that Juanita passed plenty of features
down to her daughter, which makes us curious if little Keemie looks like his grandma as
well.
Juanita is reportedly still friendly with her world famous ex.
In fact, when the pair split, some people who knew the long-time couple were surprised
by the news, despite the fact that the two had apparently been experiencing issues for
years.
Family friend Les Coney told People, quote, "I'm shocked and disappointed that their marriage
didn't work," adding that they're both "wonderful people" and that he had "no doubt they'll
be putting their kids first."
That, indeed, seems to have been the case since their split, which is one of the reasons
that they still talk.
Juanita told Crain's Chicago Business in 2013,
"Mostly our conversations are about the children.
Divorce was certainly new to me.
I had to learn that you have to communicate.
That it's not about you or your ex-partner.
It's about making sure the children are alright."
However, she did refer to Michael's marriage to his second wife, Yvette Prieto, with a
laugh, sharing,
"I don't remember him saying, 'By the way, I'm getting married.'"
Some things are surely easier to talk about than others when it comes to opening up to
your ex.
While enduring a divorce can be tough, Juanita appears to be enjoying her life these days,
years after her split from Michael.
The iconic athlete's ex-wife opened up to Crain's Chicago Business in 2013 in her first
interview since she ended her marriage with the NBA legend, saying she was in a good place
at the time.
Juanita explained,
"I wanted to simplify my life.
I got off boards, I downsized the way I lived.
I had to because I wasn't going to be in a huge house.
I really looked forward to the basic things: my children and my good friends."
Beyond that, Juanita reportedly collects art, practices yoga, and loves to travel.
Additionally, The Gazette Review claimed she's been in a new long-term relationship with
a man since 2006.
But the details on that new chapter in her life are a little harder to come by than her
time with Jordan, who was, and still is, one of the most famous people in the entire world.
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