“I’m Michael Jordan’s son,” were Marcus Jordan’s words at the time of his arrest for alleged possession of drugs. Only if he could remember these words before getting himself involved in the alleged mess. His father once walked away from his teammates to avoid even a slight chance of being associated with substance abuse. Based on the recent developments around Marcus, fans must’ve been forced to rethink the incident narrated by Michael Jordan in The Last Dance regarding his close encounter with drugs.

The legendary documentary had basketball fans glued to their screens back in 2020, reliving the incredible journey of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The first episode took us back to MJ’s early days. His rise from a college basketball star at North Carolina to an NBA rookie stepping into a struggling Bulls franchise.

Chicago had just endured a brutal 27-win season before drafting Jordan third overall in 1984. The team wasn’t just losing on the court. Off the court, it had a reputation for partying hard (IYKYK). Michael Jordan, fresh-faced and ambitious, quickly found himself in a situation that could have changed his career before it even began.

He shared a story in the documentary about a moment from his rookie preseason, which he believes took place in Peoria, Illinois. Looking to connect with his teammates, he went knocking on a hotel door—only to be met with an eerie silence inside. Then, after announcing himself as “MJ,” the door finally opened.

“I walk in and practically the whole team was in there. And it was like, things I’ve never seen in my life, you know, as a young kid. You got your lines over here, you got your weed smokers over here, you got your women over here,” Jordan recalled.

At that moment, his instincts kicked in. He wanted no part of it. All he could think about was how, if the place got raided, he’d be just as guilty as everyone else in the room. So he turned around and walked right out.

If only his son, Marcus Jordan, had exercised that same kind of judgment.

Details on the recent controversy surrounding Michael Jordan’s son Marcus

On February 4, 2025, Marcus found himself in serious trouble with the police in Maitland, Florida—DUI, possession of cocaine, and resisting arrest. According to a police report obtained by US Weekly, his Lamborghini SUV was discovered parked on train tracks after an apparent attempt to flee a traffic stop. The report further detailed how “the tires were halfway buried in the dirt/rocks from being spun repeatedly.”

And then came the moment. TMZ dropped footage of Marcus pulling out the ultimate Hail Mary: reminding the officers of his famous dad. “I’m Michael Jordan’s son,” he pleaded. “I am not doing anything wrong. I am just trying to get home, and I made a wrong turn.”

That argument didn’t exactly work. Per Fox News, Marcus admitted he’d been drinking earlier at Rachel’s Gentlemen’s Club—a steakhouse/strip club that’s, well, exactly what it sounds like. Officers described him as slurring his words with bloodshot eyes and obvious signs of intoxication. He was arrested and later released from Orange County Jail on Tuesday morning.

It’s a story that feels like a harsh irony. Decades ago, Michael Jordan made a split-second decision that kept him from potential trouble. His son, however, found himself on the other side of the law.