?Protected Him More Than I?d Like to Admit?: Father Michael Jordan Restricted Media After First Son With Ex-Wife Juanita for a Curious Reason

NBA legend Michael Jordan has always been a fan favorite, presumably not for his rivals. However, he has been the poster athlete of the NBA for so many years. He was one of the most popular athletes ever who lived by example and refrained from doing anything controversial. But there were some allegations about his gambling habits over the years. However, millions of fans looked up to him around the world. They aspired to be Jordan. He arguably inspired almost every player in the NBA.

Jordan knew fans put him on a pedestal and think he was perfect. And he wanted to be a good role model for the children. But he was worried he would do something wrong that would damage his image forever. That was MJ’s biggest nightmare, not missing game winners or losing titles. He was always worried about what people thought about him and how he was perceived.

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The Chicago Bulls legend has openly admitted it as well. Even when ‘The Last Dance’ was released, he was worried that fans might think he was a “horrible guy” because of his actions with his teammates.

Michael Jordan wanted the help of the media

Michael Jordan is worried about his image a lot. However, always being in the spotlight is never easy. He has multiple times admitted that it is not easy being him. When you are expected to be perfect all the time, it might not be possible. After joining the league, Jordan was dating Juanita Vanoy at one point. In 1988 the couple welcomed their first child Jeffrey Jordan before they were married. So MJ did not want the media to write about it as per reports.

Long-time journalist Sam Smith was working for the Chicago Tribune at the time. He once revealed Jordan did not want reporters to write about his first son. “We protected him more than I?d like to admit,” Smith said. He continued, “When his first child was born, he hadn’t been married yet. He says to a couple of beat writers including me, ‘I really would appreciate it if you didn’t put that in the newspaper.'”

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So he and the other journalists did not write about it. “And we just simply protect him because he asked us. Because we were concerned as well about what the public reaction would be,” Smith added.

Then in 1989, Jordan and Vanoy tied the knot. They then had two more children, Marcus, and Jasmine Jordan. In 2006, Jordan and Vanoy were divorced.