Juanita Vanoy is the ex-wife of Michael Jordan, the legendary basketball player with who she shares three children named Jeffery Michael Jordan, Marcus Jordan, and Jasmine Jordan. Juanita is a 64-year-old former American model and businesswoman with a net worth of $200 million.
Juanita and Michael met as far back as 1984 when they happened to be at the same restaurant at the same time. They later started dating and went on to tie the nuptial knot in 1989. However, the union only lasted for 15 years before they decided to go their separate ways.
Summary of Juanita Vanoy’s Biography
- Full Name: Juanita Vanoy
- Gender: Female
- Date of Birth: 13th of June
- Juanita Vanoy’s Age: 64
- Ethnicity: Multiracial
- Nationality: American
- Zodiac Sign: Gemini
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Juanita Vanoy’s Husband (Wife): Michael Jordan
- Juanita Vanoy’s Children: Jeffery Michael Jordan, Marcus Jordan, and Jasmine Jordan.
- Juanita Vanoy’s Parents: John Vanoy and Dorothy L. Vanoy
- Siblings: Gwendolyn Hicks, Jacqueline Rogers, Rhonda Armstrong, Bernetta B. Vanoy, Margaret Vanoy
- Juanita Vanoy’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 4 inches
- Juanita Vanoy’s Height in Centimetres: 167 cm
- Juanita Vanoy’s Weight: 70 kg
- Juanita Vanoy’s Net Worth: $200 million
- Famous For: Being the wife of Michael Jordan
How Old Is Juanita Vanoy?
Juanita Vanoy was born in Illinois in the United States on the 13 of June 1959 and going by her date of birth, she is currently 64 years old. She spent a better part of her formative years in South Side, Chicago. Being born in the US makes Juanita an American by nationality, however, she has multi-racial ethnic background, with a Cuban mother and a Native American father.
Juanita’s dad has been identified as an American man who goes by the name John Vanoy. Nothing much is known about him, but he is said to be a Native American businessman, though the type of business he does is not known. Her mum, on the other hand, is a Cuban woman called Dorothy L. Vanoy, a homemaker.
Juanita Vanoy shared childhood memories with five siblings, including Gwendolyn Hicks, Jacqueline Rogers, Rhonda Armstrong, Bernetta B. Vanoy, and Margaret Vanoy. However, their order of birth is not known. Also, Juanita has never mentioned what they do for a living in the public space.
Before she met and married the legendary basketball player, Michael Jordan, Vanoy lived her life in obscurity, but she was said to be intelligent, hardworking, and classy. The details of her earliest academic journey are not documented, but when it was time for her to go to college, she chose to pitch her tent with DePaul University. However, her course of study and year of graduation are not known. She also attended the American University at some point, though the details are equally not known.
How did Juanita Vanoy Michael Jordan Meet?
The first time Juanita Vanoy and Michael Jordan crossed paths was in 1984 when the duo happened to be at a Chicago, Bennigan restaurant at the same time. Michael is one of the most popular basketball players to ever grace the National Basketball Association. At the point of their meeting, Juanita was 25 while Jordan was older.
It was not love at first sight for the couple, as they didn’t start dating immediately. The next time they would meet was at a mutual friend’s bash and that was when they decided to commence a romantic relationship.
The lovebirds dated for three years before Michael decided to take things a notch higher by popping the big question. They were at Nick Fish Market on New Year’s Eve of 1987 when Jordan asked for Juanita’s hand in marriage.
Though he got his answer in the affirmative, Michael and Juanita later canceled their engagement and during this period, they discovered that Juanita had already conceived the first child of their union, Jeffrey Michael Jordan, who was born on the 18th of November 1988.
Juanita Vanoy Became Michael Jordan’s Wife in 1989
On the 2nd of September 1989, Michael Jordan and his love interest, Juanita Vanoy, tied the nuptial knot. Nothing much is known about the type of wedding they had, but it is common knowledge that the ceremony took place in Las Vegas, precisely at the Little White Chapel.
Though the guest list was never made public, Micheal and Jordan had one very special guest at their wedding, Jeffrey Michael Jordan, their little son who was then-10 months old.
Following their exchange of vows, the couple went on to live together for over 15 years before they started experiencing marital issues.
What Happened Between Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy?
It was a story of marital bliss for Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy for the first one and a half decades of their marriage. The public got to know that they were experiencing friction in their union in 2002 when Juanita made it known that all was not well in her family. The mother of three went on to file for a divorce, though she never bothered to mention exactly what was wrong. The divorce document only read irreconcilable differences.
Before the divorce ball could be set rolling, Juanita and Michael managed to patch things up and the petition was eventually withdrawn. They went back to their lives as husband and wife but unfortunately, their reconciliation turned out to be short-lived. Whatever led Juanita to file for divorce the first time also made her do it the second time.
This time around, the duo didn’t bother with another reconciliation and allowed things to take their natural course. Their divorce was eventually finalized on the 29th of December 2006.
How Much Was Juanita’s Divorce Settlement
After the couple’s divorce was finalized, fans started hearing tidbits about their divorce settlement which was said to be done amicably. Reportedly, Juanita Vanoy received funds in excess of $168 million. The mother of three was the one who got their mansion in Chicago that spans over seven acres.
With the cash and the luxury property, Michael and Juanita’s divorce went down in history as one of the most expensive divorces on a global scale. During that period, it was also listed as the most talked-about separation and divorce of all time. To date, it still ranks as one of Forbes’ top 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces.
In addition to the funds and property, Juanita was the one who got custody of their three children and she did a great job of raising them into responsible adults.
Juanita Vanoy’s Children
As earlier mentioned, Juanita Vanoy and her ex-husband, Michael Jordan, welcomed the first child of their union, Jeffrey Michael Jordan, before tying the nuptials. He was born on the 18th of November 1988.
Just like his basketball player dad, Jeff started playing from his days in high school at Loyola Academy in Wilmette Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois Fighting Illini and the University of Central Florida Knights and played active basketball at both academic institutions.
Drafted into the National Basketball Association in 2007, Jeff started playing in the point guard position. He played in the NBA for the ensuing five years and retired from active play in 2012.
Jeff popped the big question to his girlfriend, Radina Anewa, and they wedded in May 2019.
The second child of Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy is Marcus Jordan, who was born on the 24th of December 1990. Marcus followed his father and big brother into basketball. He began his career in 2009 with the UCF Knights, playing with their men’s basketball team. His time as a professional player spanned from 2009 to 2012.
One notable fact about the Jordan boys is that neither of them matched their father’s fame in basketball.
The last child of Juanita and Michael is their daughter, Jasmine Jordan, who was born on the 7th of December 1992. Jasmin is far removed from her father and brothers, as she was never involved in sporting activities. Besides, she happens to be the one of those people that loves to live their life away from the prying eyes of the media and the general public.
Jasmine works in the footwear industry. She is with the Nike Air Jordan brand and takes the credit for creating its new shoe known as the “Air Jordan XI “Heiress”.
She became engaged to her fiancé, Rakeem Haleek Christmas, in June 2018 and shared the good news via Twitter. Barely one year later in, May 2019, the duo welcomed their first child, Rakeem Michael Christmas.
What Does Juanita Vanoy Do For A Living?
During her days in Illinois, Juanita Vanoy embarked on a modeling career immediately after she graduated from high school. During that time, she appeared in several photoshoots with a good number of fashion brands. Even after she became the wife of a man as rich as Michael Jordan, Juanita still took her modeling career seriously.
Meanwhile, before she began earning recognition as the girlfriend of the legendary basketball player, Michael Jordan, Juanita was employed at an Illinois-based bank where she served as a loan officer. This was after she graduated from college
She worked with the NBA before going into Business
During the 1990s, Juanita worked in several capacities in different institutions. There was a time she was with the American Bar Association working in her capacity as the organization’s executive secretary. She later became a writer for the Copley News Service, but this particular job was an on-and-off thing.
After she got married to Michael Jordan, Juanita Vanoy became a businesswoman, though the kind of business she was doing has never been disclosed.
In collaboration with the iconic basketball star, Juanita went on to launch two charitable foundations through which they gave back to society. They floated one donation fund and one Negro College Fund under the moniker, Michael and Juanita Jordan.
While the endowment fund was mainly for charity, the college fund targeted deserving students who were offered scholarships. Despite the fact that Michael and Juanita went their separate ways years ago, the two foundations they launched are still doing great things in society.
In addition to the above-mentioned, Juanita is associated with many other charitable organizations. A good example is the Chicago-based foundation that caters to the needs of children living with Sickle Cell disease.
She is Currently Exploring the Real Estate and Fashion Industry
Following her divorce from Michael Jordon, Juanita got a generous alimony from the divorce settlement and reportedly, she is wading into the real estate industry. She first put her Lake Shore drive-based penthouse on sale for the sum of $3.2 million and reportedly, she made a lot of profit from the deal.
Following this, she started receiving a lot of real estate deals and contracts and has been doing a lot of buying and selling on her own.
Juanita Vanoy’s LinkedIn profile revealed that she is also part of the fashion industry. She now has a clothing line known as Juanita Wear.
In recent times, the Illinois native has been spotted on the sets of television talk shows, including ESPN’s SportsCentury.
Juanita Vanoy’s Net Worth
After Juanita Vanoy received her alimony of $168 million from her ex-husband, Michael Jordan, she experienced a great boost in her net worth. Currently, she boasts over $200 million as her bottom line.
Apart from the money she made from her divorce settlement, the Illinois native has multiple sources of income. Among her major income generators were her days as a runway queen when she got involved in many photoshoots and other modeling gigs. Reportedly, she was raking in from $40,000 to $90,000 on an annual basis.
Another major money spinner for Vanoy is her clothing line which is reportedly doing well in the fashion industry.
After she succeeded in selling her penthouse at $3.2 million, the ex-wife of Michael Jordan has continued to earn good income from other real estate deals, though the details are not known.
Compared to what her ex-husband has, Juanita’s fortune is like a drop in the ocean. The retired basketball legend has amassed over $1.7 billion in net worth earned from his days as a basketball star and from multiple business ventures.
Has Juanita Vanoy Remarried?
Since she parted ways with Michael Jordan, Juanita Vanoy seems to be living her life as far away from the media and the general public as possible. No traces of her can be found on any social media platform, which has made it difficult to keep tabs on her recent hookups and breakups. In 2006, rumors rent the air that she started dating Key Reynolds, however, the speculations died down after it was discovered that it was all false.
Reportedly, Juanita settled down to raise her children as a single mother after her split from Jordan and has not engaged in any romantic relationship to date.
Now that her children are all grown up and forging their own parts in life, she is concentrating on running her businesses in both the fashion industry and the real estate field. Vanoy shuns media attention in her professional life, and is listed among the most humble celebrity wives/ex-wives in the US. She is now enjoying the love of her children and grandchild.
With that said, the story is quite different for the basketball legend, Michael Jordan. He met his current wife, Yvette Prieto, in 2008 and they exchanged wedding vows in 2013.
FAQs
How Old is Juanita Vanoy?
Juanita Vanoy is 64 years old. She was born on the 13th of June 1959.
Who is Juanita Vanoy’s Current Husband?
From What is obvious, Juanita never remarried after her split from Michael Jordan. The mother of three has remained single to date.
How Tall is Juanita Vanoy?
Vanoy stands at a height of 167 cm or 5 feet 4 inches.
Who are Juanita Vanoy’s Parents?
Juanita’ was born to American businessman John Vanoy and a Cuban homemaker, Dorothy L. Vanoy.
What is Juanita Vanoy’s Ethnicity?
Juanita comes from a multiracial ethnicity.