Michael Jordan has always been in the news, so it is hardly surprising that he often pleaded with them for privacy on a few occasions. One such event came to light by one of the journalists in an ESPN documentary. They mentioned how the journalists respected and protected Jordan’s image in the media at the time when his first child was born before he married Juanita Vanoy.
Jordan and Vanoy met the same year that Jordan made his debut in the NBA after being picked by the Chicago Bulls in 1984. She was a part of his life before he won all the fame and yet refused to be a part of ‘The Last Dance’. The documentary that portrayed his life and the Bulls’ wins.
“We protected Jordan’s image because he asked us to”
Media have always been on that MJ payroll 💀 pic.twitter.com/0iKQU1qyOy
— Masked 🎭 (@MaskedInLA) January 14, 2023
The two were married for 17 years after calling it quits which resulted in the most expensive divorce. Over the course of their marriage, they welcomed three children namely, Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine. Among this, Jeffrey was born a year before Jordan and Vanoy walked down the aisle.
The Journalist spoke about Jordan’s special request and said, “We protected him more than I like to admit. When his first child was born, he hadn’t been married yet. He says to a couple of beat writers, including me, ‘I really would appreciate it if you didn’t put that in the newspaper'”. Further, they noted how they knew he was having a baby with Vanoy who later on became his wife.
Michael Jordan’s first son was born a year before he married Juanita Vanoy
Jeffrey Jordan who is the firstborn of Michael was born in 1988 whereas His Airness married Juanita Vanoy in 1989. Jeffrey co-founded Heir Inc. after failing to fulfill his father’s NBA dream. During the era that he was born, people were not open to the idea of welcoming a child before being married.
Moreover, Michael was relatively at the start of his career and had to protect his image. This prompted him to make a special request to Journalists to not post about this in the media. The Journalist mentioned, “We just simply protect him because he asked us and because we were concerned as well about what the public reaction would be”. This revelation not only reflects MJ’s concerns about his image but also his power in the media.
In the documentary, various Journalists came up to speak about their experience with the dominance of Michael in the media. It was not restricted to on-court but also off where he wanted to be presented in a good light. One of them also noted how they had to deal with the consequences. As and when Michael was not presented in the media the way he wanted.
However, this has been off the track recently as his son Marcus is all set to marry Larsa Pippen. She is the ex-wife of Bulls star Scottie Pippen. The feud between Michael and his former teammate Scottie is well-known. Further, with wedding plans revealed, Michael’s worst nightmare is coming true and letting Scottie have the last laugh.
