Named after Michael Jordan, the gymnast Jordan Chiles is known to topple barricades and win her flowers. Since she was 6, she has been doing this, and there’s a high chance she will be continuing this soon. So does the legend’s name have any effect on her—in flouting the challenges? However, Chiles’s mom, Gina, had a deep-rooted wish while naming her daughter. She wanted her idol’s name to inspire her child to move forward in her life just like MJ. In the upcoming years, Mother’s wish came true. Especially at the Paris Olympics, Jordan Chiles experienced a special jerk. 

Nonetheless, the name helped her to “find that motivation” and “keep grinding” in her career so far. But in the French capital, the push was extraordinary. Even so, the ripple effect has a special reason. 

Jordan Chiles meets Michael Jordan just before her gymnastics test

In her conversation in the YouTube podcast ‘Chicks in the Office,’ Jordan Chiles spoke on her encounter with Michael Jordan and how that had motivated her to push her limit in the women’s artistic gymnastics floor exercise final. Although that meeting didn’t occur face-to-face, the 23-year-old received a text message from the legend before the Olympics. It was a surprise moment for her. Moreover, she had a lot of messages from her well-wishers at the same moment. That made the day for her. In the interaction, Chiles narrated that emotion: “That honestly, it felt really cool. I’m not gonna lie, like from all these people contacting me before I even left to ending my, literally, my floor routine.” Ultimately, she felt elated to think about her support base. Yet, MJ’s words still move her. 

Before moving to the French capital, Chiles shared the text she received from Michael Jordan while she was driving back from practice. It said, “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.” With that, there also came the cheeky part, “Btw love the name.” Since then, Chiles has not received any update from Michael Jordan. But those three lines felt to be enough to garnish her Olympic journey that once started from the Naydenov Gymnastics’ recreational class. 

Now, she is on the brink of starting her UCLA gymnastics journey again. But the moment has already made her happy. In the same interview, Jordan Chiles laid out, “I can kind of just look back and look at the little girl and be like, I’m so happy you didn’t quit… You made your chapters, you know, so it is pretty cool.” That inspiration part can be channeled, and from time to time, she has tried to be a beacon of hope for aspiring Black gymnasts. 

The payback to society by playing a motivational role

Throughout his career, Michael Jordan tried to stay motivational to others to inspire them to topple the mountains. Jordan Chiles has a similar role among the budding black gymnasts who could try to achieve her feat. At the Paris Olympics, alongside Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade in the floor exercise event, she made the first black podium in the women’s gymnastics history of the Games. However, her bronze medal from that final is still under a lot of ifs and buts. However, at the US Championships, she once contributed to forming the Black podium. 

At the US Championships 2022, Jordan stood on the podium with Konnor McClain and Shilese Jones, forming the historical all-Black podium. The feeling left her to say, “So, it just made me realize that the diversity in our sport is only getting bigger. Being part of that 9% definitely is something that I feel like is going to be more inspirational to the younger athletes that are the same skin tone as me or have the same hair as me.” She embraced her roots and would continue to do so while remaining at the forefront. That made her say, “We are who we are. Nobody can change that. No negative comment, no bully-bot, no nothing… This is what we stand for and this is who Team USA is.” Jordan Chiles is still firm on her path to bring about change. And here also, the legend stands beside her.