Michael Jordan Paid $250,000 to Aspiring Hollywood Actress 10 Years Before Costly Divorce With Juanita Jordan

Michael Jordan has led a brilliant life. His success in basketball is second to none. He ended his career and marked himself as an NBA GOAT. His numbers, stats, achievements, trophies, and impact made him an absolute icon for all the generations to come. Moreover, he also still remains the richest athlete in the world. But one area in which he might think he could have smoothened a bit more was his love life.

Jordan had a few obstacles in his love life. With him being the star he is and the stature he has, it has always been important for him to protect his image. So to have a love life when most of the world knows him must have not been easy for him. Jordan has never been purely open or public about his personal life.

However, it is impossible to hide things from the public when there are always people and cameras focused on him. While he never publicly announced how many girlfriends he had over the years, it was always rumored that there were quite a few.

However, even among all of these girls, there was one public relationship that had quite the bumps for Jordan. His first public relationship was with Karla Knafel. It lasted for about 2 years through the years 1989-1991. But about a decade later, Jordan decided to sue the aspiring actress.

Also Read: Michael Jordan’s 5 Word Admission on “Loving” Ex-Wife Juanita Vanoy Despite 1 Big Flaw In Unearthed Video

Michael admitted in the lawsuit in 2002 that he had a relationship with Karla Knafel more than a decade ago. He had already paid her $250,000 when she threatened to go public. Later that year, Michael Jordan also had to go through a messy divorce with Juanita Vanoy, which involved costly settlements of around $168 million. Michael also paid around $2 million in legal fees.

The infamous story of Karla Knafel suing Michael Jordan and him suing her back

Karla Knafel’s lawyer claimed that she discovered she was pregnant with his child in November 1990. Jordan is said to have offered her $5 million that she would keep it a secret and not file a paternity suit. She, on the other hand, took him to court and sued him. MJ admitted to having a long relationship with her but denied promising to pay her that amount of money. Moreover, he filed a lawsuit against her for attempted extortion. 

Two DNA tests later revealed that MJ was, in fact, not the father of her child. Following which a judge ruled that he was not obligated to pay her $5 million. As a result, Karla was left penniless because the hush money provision infects the entire agreement. 

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The court found that Jordan and Karla’s entire agreement was void and unenforceable as a matter of law according to the judge.