Michael Jordan’s ‘The Last Dance‘ was an instant hit after being released in April 2020. The docuseries consists of 10 episodes wherein Jordan’s last season with the Chicago Bulls has been covered. While the majority of the focus was his time with the Bulls, it also had parts of his personal life. One of the things that fans worldwide were quick to notice and point out was the absence of Juanita Vanoy and Yvette Prieto.
Vanoy was Jordan’s first wife with whom he shares three of his kids, namely, Jeffrey Jordan, Marcus Jordan, and Jasmine Jordan. The two were married from 1989 to 2007, their 17-year-long marriage ended in an expensive divorce. Vanoy met Jordan a year after he got drafted into the NBA by being picked by the Bulls. She was by Jordan’s side throughout his professional basketball career.
Jordan retired for the final time in 2003 and divorced his now ex-wife 4 years later. Hence, she could have provided her perspective in the documentary if she had been a part of it. Furthermore, after divorcing Vanoy, Jordan walked down the aisle with Prieto 6 years later. The two recently crossed the milestone of being together for a decade. Notably, their prenup agreement made waves yet again shortly after this celebration.
Jordan and Prieto share two twins together whom they keep away from the public. Prieto wasn’t present in Jordan’s life while he was playing for the Bulls. However, being the current wife of His Airness, fans expected to witness her in the docuseries. To the surprise and disappointment of many, neither Jordan’s ex-wife nor his current was a part of ‘The Last Dance’.
Jason Heir wasn’t interested in Juanita Vanoy and Yvette Prieto’s opinion
The absence of Juanita Vanoy and Yvette Prieto from the docuseries is because of the choice of the director, Jason Hehir. He spoke to the Athletic regarding his decision and candidly revealed that he simply didn’t want their opinion. Hehir said, “I wasn’t interested in the opinion of any wife or kids in this”. He continued, “We had the storytellers we wanted and I felt like we had the story covered from every angle”.
Notably, Jordan’s sons, Jeffrey and Marcus were interviewed in the last episode of the docuseries. The director kept to his decision when it came to Vanoy and Prieto as well as other team members’ wives and children. Further, Jordan’s friend-turned-enemy Scottie Pippen didn’t like the angles that were covered either.
However, he had a different reason as he believed that the documentary focused more on Jordan than the Bulls’ wins. Their famous feud began from here. Furthermore, Hehir is not the only one who spoke about the absence of Michael’s ex-wife and current wife. Jasmine also has revealed in one of her interviews why her mother Vanoy refused to be a part of it.
Despite the absence of some of the most important people in Jordan’s life, the docuseries is much celebrated to date. Numerous people came up and expressed how they felt about the documentary. Even though there was a backlash, in the end, no one can deny the impressive accomplishments of the Bulls.
