It’s fair to say that the past few months have been pretty exciting in TV land.
From Stan’s gut-wrenching screen adaption of Normal People, to the brand new season of Dead to Me on Netflix, and Amazon Prime’s hilarious sci-fi series, Upload, we’ve been pretty lucky when it comes to at-home entertainment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
But perhaps the most anticipated series to drop during this time period has been The Last Dance.
Watch the trailer for The Last Dance below. Post continues after video.
The 10-part documentary series, which is currently available to watch on Netflix, takes an in-depth look at the career of Michael Jordan, with a focus on his last season with the Chicago Bulls.
Complete with never-before-seen footage, interviews with 100 people close to the team, and interviews with Jordan himself, the miniseries has been praised internationally by viewers and critics alike.
But despite the incredible access ESPN Films and Netflix had in making The Last Dance, some notable parts of Michael Jordan’s story were barely touched on.
For instance, the palatial home that Jordan is interviewed in throughout the series isn’t actually his real home – the 57-year-old wouldn’t allow camera crews to enter his home in Jupiter, Florida.
“He said that his home is his sanctuary,” The Last Dance director Jason Hehir said.
“I asked to get on his private plane to shoot him going to a Nike meeting and he didn’t want people on his plane. There are certain aspects of his life that wants to keep private.”
Likewise, Jordan’s wife and children are very rarely mentioned or featured in the miniseries.
Although some have questioned whether Jordan wanted to keep his family life private, director Jason Hehir shared that he simply wasn’t interested in interviewing Jordan’s wife or kids.
Listen to the latest episode of Mamamia’s daily entertainment podcast, The Spill, below. Post continues after podcast.
“I wasn’t interested in the opinion of any wife or kids in this,” he told The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch.
“We had the storytellers we wanted and I felt like we had the story covered from every angle.”
Here’s what we know about Michael Jordan’s five children.
Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy
After meeting through mutual friends and dating for two years, Michael Jordan proposed to Juanita Vanoy on New Year’s Eve in 1987.
When the pair were married at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas in November 1989, the couple already had their first son, Jeffrey Jordan, who was born in 1988.
When Jeffrey was first born, Jordan initially didn’t believe that he was his son.
“She told me she was pregnant, unwed, and that the father of the child was Michael Jordan,” Vanoy’s attorney Michael Minton told The Washington Post, recalling their meeting in 1988.
“She felt she could not get Michael’s attention or cooperation or response without the retention of a legal representative.”
Several months later, Jordan "admitted paternity" of Jeffrey.
In 1990, the couple welcomed a second son, Marcus, before welcoming their daughter, Jasmine, in 1992.
In 2002, Jordan and Vanoy filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, before soon reconciling.
In 2006, however, they filed for divorce again.
"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."
It's reported that Vanoy received a $168 million settlement, which was one of the largest celebrity divorce settlements ever at the time.
Michael Jordan and Yvette Prieto
On Christmas 2011, Jordan proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Yvette Prieto, who he had met in a nightclub.
Jordan and the Cuban-American model were married in April 2013, and in February 2014, Prieto gave birth to identical twin daughters named Victoria and Ysabel.
The twins are now six years old, but the couple doesn't share photos of their two girls.
Where are Michael Jordan's adult children now?
Jeffrey Jordan, now 31 years old, played basketball like his father – but not professionally.
He now works for the Jordan brand, leading the brand's digital innovation.
Much like Jeffrey, Marcus Jordan, now 29 years old, also played basketball while growing up, including during his time at the University of Central Florida.
Marcus now runs his own company, an online boutique called Trophy Room, which largely sells Jordan-based fashion.
The youngest child of Jordan and Vanoy, Jasmine Jordan, is now 27 years old.
Speaking to Today, Jasmine shared how she learned about her father's fame.
"I was like 10, 11 years old when I finally just Googled him and was trying to understand why everyone was so obsessed, why everyone didn't think he just had a regular job like I did," she said.
"It definitely took a minute for it to hit me, but no joke, I Googled him and was like, 'Okay, now I get it.'"
Jasmine met her partner, Rakeem Christmas, an American professional basketball player when she was studying sports management at Syracuse University.
The pair now have a son together, Rakeem Michael Christmas, who was born in 2019.
Speaking to the Dish Nation podcast, Jasmine shared what it was like for Jordan to become a grandfather for the first time.
"It definitely took [Jordan] a little while to embrace that grandpop name and that role," Jasmine.
"He literally wanted my son to call him ‘Michael’ for the first year. And I was like, ‘No, we’re not doing this.’
"It’s like, you’ve got to accept it. You are a grandfather. It is what it is. So now he’s officially like embracing it, but it’s definitely a journey and he just loves my son. So it’s awesome to see them get together."
The 27-year-old works alongside her brother Marcus for the Nike Jordan brand.
How Michael Jordan's children reacted to The Last Dance.
Despite not making much of an appearance in The Last Dance, Jordan's adult children have been watching the series.
Speaking to NBA.com, Jasmine shared that she has been texting her dad with questions while watching the series.
"I'm definitely texting him nonstop. I think there hasn't been an episode, a Sunday where I haven't been like, 'This happened – let me know your thoughts,'" she said.
Speaking to Today, Jeffrey Jordan shared that it has been "amazing" to watch the show with the "rest of the world".
Michael Jordan's documentary, The Last Dance, is available to watch on Netflix.
Feature Image: Instagram.
Sign up for the "Mamamia Daily" newsletter. Get across the stories women are talking about today.
Top Comments
It would have been a very weird way to grow up, that's for sure, but hope Michael doesn't require obeisance of his family.