Michael Jordan's decades-long career as the king of the basketball court is world renowned. Outside of his life with the Chicago Bulls and short spell with the Washington Wizards, the star has been married twice, has five children, and is also a grandparent.
Michael's life and career was explored in the Netflix documentary The Last Dance, but neither his first nor second wife appear in the series after its director Jason Hehir said he "wasn't interested in the opinion of any wife or kids". So, who are they? And what is there to know about the famous basketballer's love life? HELLO! has all the info below...
© Getty ImagesWho is Yvette Prieto?
Michael Jordan is currently married to 44-year-old Yvette Prieto. The New York City-born basketball player met the Cuban-American model who is 16 years his junior at a nightclub around a year after he finalized his divorce from his first wife, Juanita Vanoy, in December 2006.
Yvette and Michael moved in together in 2009 and got engaged at Christmas two years later. In April 2013, the pair tied the knot in Florida, with a ceremony rumored to have cost more than $10 million and guests including Tiger Woods, Usher and Robin Thicke.
© Meg OliphantRather than requesting any gifts or donations towards their future life together, the already billionaire couple collected for charity. Money raised went to the education focused James R. Jordan Foundation which was named in honor of Michael's father, and Michael and Yvette also donated their wedding flowers to the Jupiter Medical Center in Florida.
© Getty ImagesIn February 2014, Yvette and Michael welcomed their identical twin daughters Ysabel and Victoria.
Is Michael still with Yvette?
Yes! The couple are still an item after over ten years of marriage, and almost 15 years of being together. Though they keep their personal lives as private as possible and avoid social media, both have been spotted hanging out together through their friends' channels.
© Earvin 'Magic' Johnson on InstagramIn July 2023 it was revealed the couple had been vacationing in Capri, Italy, along with several other famous couples including Samuel L Jackson and his wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Earvin 'Magic Johnson and his wife Earlitha 'Cookie' Kelly.
Who is the basketball star's ex-wife?
Michael Jordan met his first wife Juanita Vanoy, a loan officer, after a Bulls game in 1985. In 1992, Juanita appeared in an interview explaining how a mutual friend had introduced them to one another. Michael proposed to Juanita on New Year's Eve in 1987 after two years of dating, and the pair went on to tie the knot in 1989 in Las Vegas, a year after they had welcomed their first son Jeffrey Jordan.
© Getty ImagesTheir second son Marcus was born in 1990, and their daughter Jasmine was born in 1992. However, after 17 years of marriage, Michael and Juanita went their separate ways. It's believed Juanita filed for divorce in 2002, citing irreconcilable differences, but withdrew her application a month later as the couple made a final attempt to stay together. Nonetheless, four years later in 2006, Michael and Juanita came to a mutual decision to split. Juanita is believed to have received an amazing $168 million in the divorce settlement.
Why did he divorce Juanita?
It's unclear why Juanita and Michael divorced as neither of the pair have publicly spoken about their reasons. Therefore, beyond knowing the legal specifics that they split due to "irreconcilable differences" there's not much else we know.
© Getty ImagesIt is however believed that Michael Jordan's apparent former gambling addiction plus potential affairs might have been behind Juanita's eventual decision to split from her partner. The couple's official statement from 2006 merely read: "Michael and Juanita Jordan mutually and amicably decided to end their 17-year marriage. A judgment for dissolution of their marriage was entered today. There will be no further statements."
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