Is Michael Jordan Gay? No Way!

People are fascinated by the life and career of Michael Jordan. As the author of more than a dozen articles on MJ, I know they bring in the clicks! 

When it comes to their sports heroes, many people are interested in more than just the games. People want to know everything about the lives of the all-time greats. 

That leads many people to ask a simple question about the greatest basketball player ever: Is Michael Jordan gay? 

The answer could not be more clear: Michael Jordan is not gay! 

There have been three out, gay players in NBA history, but MJ is not one of them. Jordan married one woman during his basketball career, but then cheated on her repeatedly with other women. T

hen, after retiring from playing, he got married again: to another woman. Michael Jordan is not gay. Read on if you want more details.

Michael Jordan’s Background

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Michael Jordan was born in New York City to James and Deloris Jordan. His dad had been in the Air Force before Michael was born.

The couple had three children before Michael: James, Deloris and Larry. They left those kids in the care of family and moved to NYC so James Sr. could use the G.I. Bill and get training as a mechanic.

Michael was born while they were living in New York. But, shortly after his birth, they returned to North Carolina where MJ grew up. 

It was in North Carolina that Michael Jordan started playing basketball. He began playing against his older brother Larry in the family’s Wilmington, North Carolina driveway. 

He went on to become a high school basketball star in the state and chose to stay home at the University of North Carolina to play college ball.

At UNC Jordan became a household name across the country winning an NCAA basketball championship and an Olympic gold medal in 1984.

Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 after being drafted third overall. He wasted little time before becoming a worldwide star. 

Jordan’s early NBA years saw him scoring at ungodly rates but also saw his teams lose. 

He finally broke through with his first championship in 1991 before becoming a six-time champion with two separate threepeat title runs. 

But before those title runs, Jordan got married to his first wife. 

Michael Jordan’s First Marriage (to a Woman)

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In September of 1989, when he was an international superstar but not yet an NBA champion, MIchael Jordan married Juanita Vanoy at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

The couple would go on to have two sons, Jeffrey and Marcus, and a daughter Jasmine. 

While various reports dispute the general happiness of the marriage, one aspect of their marriage is very clear through legal records and other published reports: Michael Jordan was not very faithful to Juanita. 

To be exceedingly clear, he cheated, frequently it seems, with women. 

From 1989 to 1991 Jordan carried on an affair with Karla Knafel. Jordan paid her $250,000 to keep quiet after the affair. Details of the affair came out later in a lawsuit Jordan won to keep from having to pay her $5 million. 

Others later admitted to affairs as well, with one woman, Kylie Ireland, detailing the experience in this clip. 

By 2002, the marriage was in trouble and Michael and Juanita briefly announced they’d be separating. The couple got back together but apparently Juanita was pretty clear about the situation. 

According to later published reports, Juanita hired a private investigator to follow Michael over the next four years. That investigator found evidence of affairs with at least six different women. 

It should not come as a surprise that Juanita filed for divorce again in 2006. This time it happened. Due in no small part to MJ’s infidelity, Juanita got $168 million dollar divorce settlement. 

The point here is this: Michael Jordan married a woman. Then he cheated on her over and over again: with women! The evidence sure points to Michael Jordan not being gay. 

Michael Jordan’s Second Marriage (to a Woman) 

With his playing career and divorce behind him, MJ became an executive with the Washington Wizards, briefly returned to playing, then became an executive and finally owner for the Charlotte Hornets. 

His personal life evolved as well. MJ met Miami-born model Yvette Prieto, a woman, in 2008 at a club in her home city. 

The two dated and became engaged on Christmas of 2011 and then were married in April of 2013. MJ and Prieto had twin daughters in February of 2014. 

The pair continue to be married as of the publishing of this post. 

Is Michael Jordan Gay? 

The evidence seems clear: Michael Jordan is not gay. He married one woman and cheated on her extensively with other women while he was playing in the NBA. 

After his playing career and his first marriage ended, MJ got married once again to a woman. 

There is no evidence that Michael Jordan is gay and an overwhelming amount of evidence that he is not gay. 

See My Other Michael Jordan Posts

If you want to read more about Michael Jordan and his legendary career, check out my other MJ posts below. 

I wrote about where MJ is from here.

I wrote about when MJ started playing basketball here.  

I wrote about the 1992 Dream Team here. 

I wrote about MJ’s crazy Finals record here.

I wrote about MJ’s prime here. 

I wrote about MJ’s playoff record in depth here. 

I wrote about MJ’s first championship here.

I wrote about the only two times MJ missed the playoffs here.

• I wrote about MJ’s retirements here.

• I wrote about MJ’s enormous hands here.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Modified From Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan 1997 Steve Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0