Juanita Vanoy: Lifestory of Michael Jordan First wife

Publish date: 2024-05-06

Who is Juanita Vanoy?

Juanita Vanoy is a renowned American celebrity. Presently a businesswoman, Juanita Vanoy used to work as an executive secretary for the American Bar Association. Juanita Vanoy, who also has some modeling experience, got pushed into the limelight after her marriage and eventual divorce from basketball player Michael Jordan.

Table of Contents

Quick Facts

Full nameJuanita Vanoy
Also known asJuanita Jordan
BirthdayJune 13, 1959
Age64 years old
Sun signGemini
TraitsPositive: Independent, Curious, Social, and Intelligent
Negative: Double-faced, inconsistent, and deceptive
BirthplaceIllinois, Chicago, USA
NationalityAmerican
EthnicityBiracial
ParentsJohn Vanoy (father)
Dorothy L. Vanoy (mother)
SiblingsGwendolyn Hicks (sister)
Jacqueline Rogers (sister)
Rhonda Armstrong (sister)
Brebetta B. Vanoy (sister)
Margaret Vanoy (sister)
Height167 cm
Weight70 kg
Eye colorDark brown
Marital statusDivorced
SpouseMichael Jordan (Ex-husband)
ChildrenJeffrey Jordan (son)
Marcus Jordan (son)
Jasmine M. Jordan (daughter)
ProfessionBusinesswoman
Net worthUSD 200 million

Early life, parents, and siblings

Juanita was born on June 13, 1959. She was born in Illinois, Chicago, USA. As of 2023, she is 64 years old.

Juanita Vanoy’s parents are John Vanoy and Dorothy L. Vanoy in Illinois. Her father, John Vanoy, belongs to the Caucasian ethnicity, and her mother, Dorothy Vanoy, is Cuban.

She mostly spent most of her childhood in Southern California. In addition, Juanita also has five sisters. Their names are Gwendolyn Hicks, Jacqueline Rogers, Rhonda Armstrong, Brebetta B. Vanoy, and Margaret Vanoy.

Vanoy belongs to multiracial ethnicity. She is half Cuban and half Caucasian. Similarly, she is an American national. Juanita is also a follower of Christianity.

Juanita’s early education was gained at Christian Fencer High School.

Height, weight, and appearance

Juanita Vanoy stands tall at 167 centimeters. Likewise, she weighs a total of 70 kilograms.

Regarding her appearance, Juanita has brown-colored skin and dark brown eyes. She is a brunette with plump lips and a curvy figure.

Hobbies and interests

Juanita has been spending much of her time focusing on her business after her split from Michael Jordan. In her free time, the beauty likes to collect art, especially from African-American artists.

To stay fit, Juanita practices Bikram yoga. She also enjoys traveling to new and exotic locations. Some of her favorite holiday destinations are France, Italy, and London.

Relationships and dating history

Not much information is available regarding Juanita Vanoy’s past boyfriends and dating history before her marriage to Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy Marriage

Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy met each other for the first time at the Bennigan nightclub in Chicago when the former model was 25 years old.

Their meeting occurred during Jordan’s second season with the Chicago Bulls. He was recognized as an upcoming basketball player and had started receiving a lot of attention from women. However, Juanita ignored him, and this caused Michael to be interested in her.

Juanita and Michael were introduced to each other by a mutual friend who thought they would be a perfect match. Not long after their first meeting, Jaunita and Michael started dating each other. Their relationship became the talk of the town, and Michael proposed to his lady love on 31st December 1987at Nick’s Fish Market, Chicago.

Unfortunately, sometime after their engagement, Juanita and Michael decided to end their relationship. However, Juanita later realized she was pregnant, which caused the couple to rethink their decision.

Even before their wedding, Juanita gave birth to her son Jeffrey Jordan. At first, Michael Jordan did not believe that Jeffery was his son. Juanita then contacted an attorney named Michael Minton, who spoke to the Washington Post about how Vanoy sought a legal representative to get Jordan’s attention.

After this, Michael admitted paternity and married Juanita in November 1989 at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas. At the time of their wedding, Michael and Juanita’s son Jeffrey was ten months old. Michael gifted Juanita a five-karat marquise diamond on the day of their wedding.

Juanita Vanoy and Michael Jordan Divorce

Despite being married for over a decade, Juanita filed for a divorce in 2002, citing irreconcilable differences. Michael tried to win Juanita over, after which she withdrew her divorce petition.

The two of them tried very hard to make their marriage work, but unluckily, Michael and Juanita issued a joint statement in 2006 announcing their separation. According to the couple’s lawyers,

“A judgment for dissolution of their marriage was entered today. There will be no further statements.”

Nevertheless, Juanita and Michael remained friends. Their close friend Les Coney confirmed this and said

“When Juanita couldn’t get the stereo to work, he’s the first person she called, and Michael was right there.”

Current relationship

Juanita must have dated quite a few men after her divorce from Michael Jordan. However, owing to her private nature, none of those relationships were ever revealed to the public.

In the present, Juanita Vanoy is enjoying her singledom. However, many unconfirmed reports claim that Juanita has been with Key Reynolds since 2006. Unlike Juanita, Michael Jordan chose to remarry. He wedded model Yvette Prieto in 2013.

Children

Juanita Vanoy is the mother of three children she shares with her ex-husband Michael Jordan. Her first son Jeffrey Jordan was born on 18th November 1988.

Likewise, her second son Marcus Jordan was born on 24th December 1990. Michael and Juanita welcomed their daughter Jasmine Jordan on 7th December 1992.

Both of Juanita’s sons are basketball players just like their father. Jeffrey Jordan played the sport for the University of Central Florida Knights and the University of Illinois Fighting Illini.

On the other hand, Marcus Jordan played for the UCF Knights men’s basketball team. Jeffery is in charge of the brand digital innovation for Jordan Brand, and Marcus owns a boutique store called Trophy Room.

Juanita’s youngest child Jasmine previously worked as a basketball operations coordinator for the Charlotte Hornets. She now works at Nike as a Jordan Brand executive. She also created a new shoe for the Nike Air Jordan brand, the Air Jordan XI “Heiress”.

In a past interview, Juanita talked about her sons and said,

“When they were growing up, most coaches wanted them to wear No. 23. I insisted that they not do that. It was important to me. I wanted to make sure that their skills were going to be what they made them and that it was based on how hard they worked.”

Career

Juanita started her career as a model right after high school graduation. She started modeling for many reputable brands in her teenage years.

After this, Juanita gained much media attention due to her relationship with Michael Jordan. She then quit modeling and started working in a local bank as a loan officer.

Juanita worked for a short time in the banking sector before becoming the executive secretary of the American Bar Association. And also chose to foray into philanthropy and established the Michael and Juanita Jordan Endowment Fund, a charity organization.

Juanita Vanoy is also the president of Vanoy Jordan Enterprises LLC. Similarly, Vanoy has also worked in the real estate business.

About Michael Jordan

The former basketball player was born on 17th February 1963. Basketball legend Michael Jordan, considered one of the greatest of all time, is the owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets.

Jordan is a six-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. Likewise, he has won five MVP awards, fourteen NBA All-Star Game selections, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, three steals titles, three All-Star Game MVP Awards, and NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards in the year 1988.

Creating controversy, Michael Jordan was accused by Karla Knafel that he owed her USD 5 million in a breach of contract claim. She mentioned that Jordan had paid Knafel USD 250,000 to keep their relationship a secret and wrongly accused him of being the father of her child.

After his divorce from Juanita Vanoy, Michael Jordan married Cuban model Yvette Prieto. In 2007, they met for the first time in a nightclub and moved in together in a 5,500-square-foot Miami home in 2009. Jordan proposed to Prieto in 2011 and married at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in April 2013.

Their wedding was high-profile, with VIP guests like Tiger Woods and Spike Lee. Jordan and Prieto welcomed their twin daughters, Victoria Jordan and Ysabel Jordan, on 11th February 2014.

Recent news and controversies

Juanita Vanoy has lived a notoriously private life after her divorce. Due to this, she did not make any headlines in the past. However, news about Juanita surfaced after the release of Michael Jordan’s 10-part documentary called The Last Dance.

The documentary contained much information about Jordan’s early life, his controversies, and interviews with his friends and family members. Juanita, however, did not make an appearance on The Last Dance and many fans expressed their disappointment about it.

Nevertheless, Juanita’s daughter Jasmine explained,

“There’s no need to go down memory lane and bring up everything that has already happened when the proof is in the pudding. She was at the championship; she was at the retirement ceremony. We saw her in her glory in her best way. I don’t think there was a need to really rehash and go through it all.”

Juanita Vanoy Net worth and Lifestyle

As of 2023, Juanita Vanoy has a jaw-dropping net worth of approximately USD 200 million. The former model has been able to accumulate such an impressive net worth after her divorce from basketball player Michael Jordan.

According to reports, Juanita received USD 168 million as a divorce settlement from Jordan. Additionally, she also gained an undisclosed cash benefit from the home she shared with her ex-husband at Highland Park.

Owing to such remarkable net worth, there is no doubt that Juanita Vanoy’s lifestyle is just as lavish. She presently lives at her luxurious home in the exclusive Kingsbury Estate.

Social media

Juanita Vanoy leads quite a low-profile life. However, Juanita’s Twitter account offers some insights for fans wishing to glimpse her personal life. The businesswoman joined the social networking platform in November 2012.

Vanoy’s Twitter username is TheRealJuanitaJ, and her account is followed by 143 people. She does not follow any other accounts; her last tweets were made in 2013. This indicates that Juanita perhaps is no longer active on Twitter.

There are also a few accounts using Juanita’s name on Instagram. However, it is still unclear whether any of those accounts are Juanita’s.

ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo6%2FRoquim6NjsLC5jqOsmqaZqa5uwsCnprJlkp68br7EpZitoZ%2BjwKm1z6xknJmimrKzecCnm2amlal6uLvRrZ9o