“It Was Important to Me That They Learn Not to Try to Be Their Dad”: Ex Wife Juanita on How Michael Jordan Influenced Even His Own Kids’ Career

Being the kid of a superstar dad or mom is not a cakewalk. It’s not as easy as it seems. A singer’s son is expected to be a singer as well, an actor’s, an actor, and a superstar basketball player’s, basketball player. This puts a lot of pressure on the kids. Sometimes they fail to establish their identity and get lost in being identical to their parents. NBA superstars like Michael Jordan and LeBron James’ sons and daughters might face the same issue.

With their fathers’ legacy so profoundly engraved in how the game is played, the pressure on them to come through must be a lot. How do the parents deal with the anxiety of their kids during this time?

Sons of Michael Jordan and the anxiety to wear number 23

Michael Jordan had three kids in his first marriage with Juanita Vanoy. With two sons and one daughter, they were a happy family. Growing up, Jeffery and Marcus had seen their dad play and make an impact on the basketball community. Thus, even they decided to start playing and used to play well. But, at the same time, being MJ’s kids, life wasn’t so easy for them.

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The expectations and pressure to deliver were always on them just because of their lineage. They were asked to become someone they weren’t. Someone no one else can be- ‘Air Jordan.’ Once, when asked about parenting to Juanita, she brought up the same issue that the kids faced.

She said that when in the eighth grade, both of them used to play ball and everyone had high expectations from them. Adding to the pressure of the usual expectations from them, their coaches also asked them to wear number 23. They did this because of their father’s number 23. Juanito got very upset with this and used to tell them to do otherwise.

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According to her, it was important for them to be original. In her words, “It was important to me that they learn not to try to be their dad.” This shows us how the children need to deal with the pressure and how they have to do some things against their will as well.