Juanita Vanoy was united with former basketball player legend Michael Jordan for more than a decade until they parted ways and went through one of the most discussed divorces in the history of a celebrity marriage.
When it is said, “All is well that ends well,” it exactly fits the life of Juanita Vanoy and her ex-husband, Michael Jordan. They were joyfully together until they split, and not even a four years delay period could repair the misunderstandings of their marriage between them.
By the conclusion of the union, the woman who was Michael Jordan’s wife, Juanita Vanoy, smiled to the bank, millions of dollars more wealthy, and 13 years after she ceased being Juanita Jordan, people still question her name. What is it about the woman who married the basketball legend? Read on to discover more about Juanita Jordan and Michael Jordan’s most valuable breakup in the history.
About Juanita Vanoy
Juanita Vanoy was born on June 13th, 1959. According to the 2021 calculation, she is sixty-two years now. She was brought up on the Southside of Chicago, Illinois, and studied at Christian Fencer High School. She is a former model and a former executive secretary for the American Bar Association.
Juanita Vanoy Gets Married To Michel Jordan
The former couple, Juanita Vanoy and Michel Jordan coincided at a Bennigan nightclub in Chicago during the second season of basketball with the Chicago Bulls. At the time, young Michael, who was known as MJ, was climbing up in popularity. As shown in a ’92 interview, the two met through a common friend who introduced them and believed they would be a perfect match.
Juanita and Michael started dating, and on September 2nd, 1989, then they got married in a Las Vegas ceremony. In the latter’s autobiography “Taking to the Air,” he wrote that he loved the former model for not approaching him like women did until he noticed her.
The marriage between the two flourished, and they brought up three children. The woman, who was known as the wife of Michael Jordan, took the responsibility of the home and the children and supported her husband as he became more successful.
Before Jordan and Vanoy Tied the Knot in 1989, They Encountered a Dispute
When Vanoy and Jordan got married in November of 1989, at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, they were already the parents of a son, Jeffrey Jordan, who was born the year earlier. Initially, Jordan did not acknowledge Jeffery was his son.
“She told me she was pregnant, unwed, and that the father of the child was Michael Jordan,” Vanoy’s lawyer Michael Minton said to The Washington Post about the meeting with her in July 1988. “She felt she could not get Michael’s attention or cooperation or response without the retention of a legal representative.” Jordan later “acknowledged paternity within a few months,” and when they tied the knot in Vegas, Jeffrey was at the wedding ceremony.
“I’m happy. It was a big move getting married,” Jordan said, according to The Washington Post. “It helped me mature.”
Vanoy and Jordan Welcomed Three Kids Together
Michael and Juanita welcomed a second son, Marcus, in 1990, while their daughter, Jasmine, was born in 1992. Both of their sons love to play basketball but did not pursue the NBA like their father. Jeffery is now in the management of the brand digital innovation for Jordan Brand while his brother Marcus is the founder of a boutique store named Trophy Room.
According to InStyle, Jasmine spent time with the Charlotte Hornets as a basketball operations coordinator but now serves as a Jordan Brand executive at Nike.
In a conversation with Crain’s Chicago Business, Vanoy talked about how she desired her kids to make their names for themselves.
“When they were growing up, most coaches wanted them to wear No. 23,” Vanoy said. “I insisted that they not do that. It was important to me. I wanted to make sure that their skills were going to be what they made them and that it was based on how hard they worked.“
Juanita Vanoy Filed for Divorce in 2002, But Finalized Until 2007
Since their marriage was almost completely scandal-free, followers and those closest to the former couple were surprised when they called it quits on their marriage in 2006.
People reported Vanoy initially filed divorce paperwork in 2002, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple attempted to reconcile, and she withdrew her petition for divorce a month later.
Four years later, in December 2006, Jordan and Vanoy announced their separation in a joint statement.
“Michael and Juanita Jordan mutually and amicably decided to end their 17-year marriage,” the couple’s lawyers said in a statement, according to People. “A judgment for dissolution of their marriage was entered today. There will be no further statements.”
According to Chicago Business, Vanoy received $168 million in the divorce settlement, one of the largest at the time.
To this day, neither of them has discussed what went wrong for them. “I’m shocked and disappointed that their marriage didn’t work. They clearly communicate,” family friend Les Coney told People at the time. “When Juanita couldn’t get the stereo to work, he’s the first person she called. And Michael was right there.“
Juanita Vanoy Net Worth
The divorce allowed the Chicago native to walk away from her 17-year marriage with $168 million and undisclosed cash compensation from the home she shared with her ex-husband at Highland Park.
Juanita Vanoy’s net worth estimation remains at the amount she received from the divorce, and she leads a luxurious lifestyle with a home in the exclusive Kingsbury Estate. As per the 2021 record, her net worth is estimated as $200 Million.
Most of Michael’s wealth at the time of the divorce grew from owning the Charlotte Bobcats, his endorsement deals, and the exclusive agreement he made with Nike for his Air Jordan sneakers. Some of the most expensive Jordans from his top-five category sell for as low as $25,000 and as high as $104,000.
Why Juanita Vanoy Was Absent from the Michael Jordan Documentary
The remarkable ESPN documentary, The Last Dance, has come to an extraordinary conclusion after five weeks. The 10-part documentary followed NBA legend Michael Jordan’s final year with the Chicago Bulls on their journey to win a sixth championship during the 1997-1998 season. The docuseries also chronicles Jordan’s profession as a whole and Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, and coach Phil Jackson’s highs and lows.
Though some facets of Jordan’s personal life were showcased, including the murder of Jordan’s father James R. Jordan, Sr., his brief retirement from basketball in 1993, and the issues surrounding his love for gambling, his home life was rarely discussed.
The Last Dance exhibited snippets of his older children, Jefferey, Marcus, and Jasmine, but his ex-wife, Juanita Vanoy, was rarely seen or discussed at all. Now Jordan’s eldest daughter, Jasmine Jordan, is explaining why.
Juanita Vanoy is Hardly Seen or Mentioned in ‘The Last Dance’
Jordan and Vanoy were together from 1989 through 2006, during the NBA star’s entire career with the Bulls. Vanoy gave birth to Jordan’s three oldest children, and she was always by his side at championships, his retirement, opening his restaurant, and at many significant moments in his life. Therefore, when she was mostly absent from The Last Dance, fans were more than a bit concerned.
However, in the past, Vanoy has openly talked about why she prefers to stay out of the limelight. “Mostly our conversations are about the children. I don’t remember him saying, ‘By the way, I’m getting married,’” she said in 2013. “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 all right.”
Jasmine Jordan Explained Why Her Mother was not in ‘The Last Dance’
With so many inquiries about her mother’s absence in the docuseries, Jasmine Jordan got honest about what happened behind the scenes. “At the end of the day you can ask my mom and she loved it,” Jordan revealed to ESSENCE Magazine. “There’s no need to go down memory lane and bring up everything that has already happened when the proof is in the pudding. She was at the championships, she was at the retirement ceremony. We saw her in all of her glory, in her best way. So, I don’t think there was a need to rehash and go through it all. She already lived it.”
Juanita Vanoy Today!
Besides her kids, Juanita Vanoy today is content, relishes the essential moments in life, collects art, especially from African-American artists, practices Bikram yoga, and enjoys traveling to Europe, visiting France, Italy London. She once stated that she holds no bitterness for the way things concluded with Michael. Still, while the six-time NBA champion has moved on and remarried Yvette Prieto, with whom he has identical twins, Victoria and Ysabel, Juanita Vanoy remains single but content.
