What Is Juanita Jordan's Net Worth?
Juanita Jordan is a former model most famous for being the ex-wife of NBA star Michael Jordan. As of this writing, Juanita Jordan has a net worth of $200 million. In 2006, Juanita received what was then the largest celebrity divorce settlement of all time. We'll detail the settlement terms later in this article.
Early Life
Juanita Vanoy was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 13, 1959. Juanita was raised on the south side of Chicago, Illinois by her father John Vanoy and mother Dorothy L. She has five siblings: Gwendolyn Hicks, Jacqueline Rogers, Rhonda Armstrong, Bernetta B. Vanoy and Margaret Vanoy. Vanoy attended Christian Fencer High School and later went on to American University.
STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images
Personal Life and Fame
She worked as a successful model and secretary for many years. She was working as a loan officer while also earning a degree when she met Michael Jordan at a Chicago Bennigan's restaurant in 1984. The two were introduced by a mutual friend. At the time, Michael was an NBA rookie heading into his second season with the Bulls. They met for a second time at a party a few weeks after they were introduced and instantly hit it off.
The pair began dating, and became engaged in 1987 after Michael proposed to Juanita at Nick's Fish Market in Chicago. The two subsequently broke off the engagement and it was almost a year before they began talking about marriage again. They eventually married on September 2, 1989, at 3:30 in the morning at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
At the time of their wedding they already had their first child, 10-month-old Jeffrey. Michael initially did not believe that he was the father of Jeffrey and Juanita had to go so far as to serve him with a legal paternity claim before Michael relented and the couple reconciled.
Juanita and Michael went on to have three children, two sons and a daughter; Jeffrey Michael Jordan (born 1988), Marcus James Jordan (born 1990) and Jasmine Mickael Jordan (born 1992). Both sons would go on to play college basketball but did not pursue the NBA. Today Jeffrey works for the Jordan Brand on the digital team. Marcus is the founder of a boutique store called the Trophy Room. Jasmine worked for a time for the Charlotte Hornets (her dad owns the team). Today she is an executive at Nike.
Juanita was famously pictured by Michael's side when he made his second NBA retirement announcement in 1998 after 13 seasons and six NBA titles:
JOHN ZICH/AFP via Getty Images
Divorce Settlement
Juanita filed for divorce in 2002. She withdrew the petition a month later after the couple reconciled. In 2006 the couple jointly announced they were splitting for good. Legal filings would later reveal that Michael paid Juanita a divorce settlement worth $168 million.
The settlement included a mix of property and assets. Michael retained ownership of their lavish custom-built 56,000 square-foot Chicago-suburbs home.
Years later Michael would try to sell the home for $30 million. He eventually cut the price to $14 million but has still not found a buyer. Michael and Juanita set the record for the largest celebrity divorce settlement ever at the time, though it has since been eclipsed.
In 2014, Juanita sold the seven-acre Lake Shore Drive Penthouse she had received in the divorce settlement for a cool $3.2 million.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Other Ventures
After the divorce, Juanita largely retreated from the public eye to focus on their children and philanthropy. She collects art, focusing on African American artists. She serves on the board of Reel Beauty Inc., Chicago non-profit that mentors young girls. She is also the co-founder of the charity Michael and Juanita Endowment Fund.
Juanita Jordan was featured in the TV series ESPN SportsCentury in 2000 and E! True Hollywood Story in 2006.
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