Jordan Chiles’ connection with basketball has been there… well, since birth! The reason is not difficult to understand, we suppose. Who can miss the famous surname? Yes, we are talking of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. If you are thinking it’s a mere coincidence, it’s not.

“She [Chiles’ mom Gina] felt the inspiration that he [Michael Jordan] gave to her, and that was just a really huge and beautiful thing. She just decided, ‘You know what? I’m going to make my child after him and see where life takes her,” Jordan had said to People in 2023 revealing the story behind her name.

Gina’s thoughts didn’t remain just a fantasy. Life has taken Jordan on the Olympic ways and she has already become an Olympic gold medalist as a part of the contingent that won the team competition in Paris. While the Olympic medal fiasco must have been a massive ordeal for Simone Biles’ gymnastics BFF, she’s slowly getting back to her feet. In the weeks after the Paris Games, the WCC gymnast has been spreading magic on the road with her Gold Over America Tour team. But amid everything, the basketball strangely keeps coming back to her.

In the days leading up to the 33rd Olympics, Jordan had a meet-up with the legendary Dawn Staley for the WWD shoot organized by Nike. The sports apparel maker got both Chiles and Staley to Paris to hype up the upcoming tournament, and the latter was genuinely astounded by the Olympian’s mentality.

“She’s magnetic, She takes inspiration from other disciplines and learns from their ‘secret sauce.’ I like to hear the story behind how she’s elevated herself to stay at the top of her game,” the ex-basketball player and current coach said about the Washington native. Now, her connection to the sport was once again rekindled as she got the chance to cross paths with another legend while waiting for her return to college for one last ride with the Bruins.

The name Natalie Nakase holds a special place among basketball fans of the country. Debuting for the San Jose Spiders in 2005 in the NWBL, Nakase paved the way for Asian-American basketball athletes in the USA and has only garnered more popularity as the coach of the Golden State Valkyries. In an Instagram post from October 25, the official Valkyries page shared how their HC got to meet up with the Team USA Jordan Chiles at the JPMorgan Chase Women’s Leadership Day in New York City recently.

“The category is: icons,” rightfully reads the caption of the post. In the image accompanying the post, Chiles and Nakase can be seen standing candidly side-by-side, both reveling in each other’s presence. The duo can hardly hold back their smiles, noting the high regard present at the scene. Considering that Nakase is also a UCLA alum herself, it was only natural that she felt even more pride to see another Bruins spread her wings on international stages.

Nakase, 44, has more than 16 years of coaching experience, including 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA and the past three seasons as first assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces. During that time, the Aces won consecutive league titles in 2022 and 2023. While this apparently was a chance encounter, Jordan’s appearance in a recent WNBA game was not.

On September 8, Jordan was found to be present alongside Paige Bueckers in the game between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty. Incidentally, the game was taking place during the New York Fashion Week (September 6 to 11), and the duo put their best foot forward to make themselves fashionable. So much so that the WNBA had to take their X to write, “Paige Bueckers and Jordan Chiles bringing the courtside DRIP 🤩.” Jordan loves to embrace such a connection to basketball, as she does for her connection with MJ.

According to Jordan, being named after one of the greatest athletes of all time has helped her “find that motivation” and “keep grinding” in her sport, says Chiles. “Keeping that grind, keeping that motivation, keeping that dedication, is something that’s always stuck with me, because I have big goals and I want to accomplish them.” With that, she also has a cherished wish.

“I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll actually be able to meet him [Michael Jordan] and just get his advice for being somebody that looks up to him, what he gives out,” Jordan had said to People. Well, the 2x Olympic basketball champion must have heard that. He came up with a heartwarming message for his namesake ahead of the Paris Olympics.

“Hey Jordan, this is Michael Jordan. I am so excited to watch you win a gold medal. Here’s to wishing you nothing but good luck, Let’s catch up afterwards. Hope to see you soon. MJ,” the legendary shooting guard had written while noting, “Btw, love the name.” Support poured in for Jordan from another basketball legend when she was dealing with the bronze medal debacle.

The LA Lakers power forward LeBron James took to his X and he has no words but just support to offer to Jordan. “♾!!!!!! 🤎🇺🇸,” King James had written resharing a post by USA Gymnastics that read, “Forever THAT GIRL ❤️.” Maybe all these acclaims have been what’s helped Chiles to retain her composure even as the world around her spiraled downward and now she is ready to add another chapter to her gymnastics career.

Overcoming stress, Chiles looks to new challenges

When the Paris Olympics were underway, Jordan Chiles had dropped a major hint about her return to collegiate gymnastics. “You never know. I might have the four letters [UCLA] across my chest. You might see me in ’28,” Chiles had said in an interview with Olympics,com. She finally spilled the beans after the Olympics.

On August 8, she told NBC’s Today Show that she’ll rejoin the University of California at Los Angeles’ women’s gymnastics team for the 2025 season.  “I am returning back to UCLA to represent the Bruins for my two remaining years of college. So, you guys will see me back in Pauley [Pavilion] this season,” Chiles had said.

Ahead of the Paris Olympics, Chiles had competed in the NCAA for two seasons. In those, she grabbed three medals at the 2023 NCAA championships, including event titles on the uneven bars and floor exercise. But, then, she returned to her Houston-area training base alongside Simone Biles under the watchful eyes of the coaches Laurent and Cecile Landi for a run at a return trip to the Olympics. After the gold in the team event and initially being awarded bronze in floor exercise, Chiles was understandably elated.

“I’m on cloud nine. This medal means everything to me. This is beyond words. I’m so proud of myself,” she had said. But that happy hours were short-lived.

Just five days after the UCLA star won her floor exercise bronze in the City of Love, the IOC handed Chiles a shocking directive. The Olympic Committee asserted that the American would have to hand over her hardware to Romania’s Ana Barbosu because the scoring from the Olympic event that was announced previously was flawed and that Chiles’ inquiry wasn’t raised within the specified one-minute window.

Naturally, she was heartbroken. But luckily, Chiles wasn’t left alone during the trouble, and the USA’s apex gymnastics body and Jordan’s teammates, including Simone Biles, did their best to use their voices to counter the IOC’s decision.

Amidst the chaos, Chiles took herself away from social media platforms to prioritize her mental health. Her mother and siblings kept lashing out against the unfair judgment that Jordan had to suffer, while rapper Flavor Flav and Democrat Representative Stephen Cohen did their best to help Chiles along the way.

Thankfully, the support she received gave Jordan the hope that this rough patch would also pass and she returned to the front with her Gold Over America squad to relive her love for gymnastics. And now, as she stands on the verge of creating NIL history in her last couple of years with the UCLA gymnastics team, Chiles has only one way to go: forward!