Jeffrey Jordan
Birth dateNovember 18, 1988 (age 37)
Birth placeChicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height6 ft
Height in1
Weight lb180
High schoolLoyola Academy (Wilmette, Illinois)
College
Bbrcbb/players/jeff-jordan-1

Jeffrey Michael Jordan (born November 18, 1988) is an American former basketball player who played for the University of Illinois and the University of Central Florida. The oldest child of basketball player Michael Jordan, he is the cofounder of Heir Jordan,[1] a philanthropic foundation that he runs with his younger brother Marcus.

High school

Jeffrey Jordan was the subject of local and national media attention as a high schooler,[2][3][4][5] and had three of his high school games shown nationally on ESPN in 2007.[6] At Loyola, he was a starter for three years and was All-Catholic League twice.[7] He was chosen for the 2007 Jordan Brand Classic.[8]

College

Jordan graduated from Loyola Academy on May 26, 2007. He received scholarship offers from Valparaiso and Loyola University Chicago, and was actively recruited as a preferred walk-on by Davidson, Penn State, Northwestern, and the University of Illinois.[9][10] Jordan decided to play as a preferred walk-on at the University of Illinois and enrolled at the university in 2007 as a psychology major with an academic scholarship.[11] On January 22, 2009, it was announced by the university that Jordan would receive a full athletic scholarship.[12][13]

On June 24, 2009, Jordan announced he was leaving the University of Illinois’ basketball team to focus on school and his "life after basketball".[14] During the summer of 2009, he interned at Nike.[15] Jordan later decided to return to the team,[16] but after the 2009–10 season, he received a release to transfer to the University of Central Florida alongside his brother, Marcus.[17][18]

In January 2012, Jordan left the UCF team for "personal reasons".[19]

Personal life

Jordan is the oldest child of Michael Jordan and his first wife, Juanita Vanoy, who married when Jeffrey was an infant and divorced when he was in high school,[20][21] sharing custody of Jeffrey and siblings Marcus and Jasmine.[22] Through his father's second wife he has twin half-sisters, Ysabel and Victoria (born February 9, 2014).[23]

Jordan lives in Portland, Oregon, where he entered Nike, Inc.'s management-training program after college.[24] In 2020, he co-founded the Jordan Avakian Group, a Chicago-based consultant group.[25]

Jordan married Radina Aneva in May 2019.[26]

On September 24, 2021, Jordan was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona for assaulting hospital staff.[27]

In the 1996 film Space Jam, which starred Michael Jordan as himself, Jeffrey Jordan was portrayed by Manner Washington.[28]

References

  1. ^ "Heir Jordan". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  2. ^ espn.com, Junior Jordans at Nike Camps have pedigrees, accessed January 19, 2007.
  3. ^ sportsillustrated.cnn.com, SI on Campus.com Archived November 3, 2012 at the Wayback Machine, accessed January 19, 2007.
  4. ^ https://msnbc.com, Heir Jordan out to prove he can play like Mike, accessed January 19, 2007.
  5. ^ "Heir Jordan out to prove he can play like Mike". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2005-07-10. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  6. ^ espn.com, MJ the dad watches his sons make their mark, accessed January 19, 2007.
  7. ^ "Jordan's Son Hopes to Play for Illinois". The Washington Post. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  8. ^ Ackert, Kristie (22 April 2007). "It's Heir Jordan At MSG". New York Daily News. p. 76. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  9. ^ https://chicagotribune.com, Penn State joins battle for Jordan, accessed April 7, 2007.
  10. ^ chicagotribune.com, (Face)book it: Illini Jordan's preferred choice, accessed April 26, 2007.
  11. ^ fightingillini.com, Jeff Jordan Archived October 21, 2007 at the Wayback Machine, accessed October 29, 2007.
  12. ^ "Walk-on Jordan earns scholarship from Illinois". ESPN.com. January 22, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  13. ^ "Jeff Jordan". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  14. ^ Gould, Herb (June 24, 2009). "Jeff Jordan leaves basketball program". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on July 28, 2009.
  15. ^ "Jeffrey M. Jordan Discusses Legacy, Sneakers And New Business Ventures". Forbes. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  16. ^ fightingillini.com, Jordan Returns to Illini Archived October 26, 2009 at the Wayback Machine, accessed October 16, 2009.
  17. ^ The Associated Press (May 21, 2010). "Jordan's Career at Illinois Ends". The New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  18. ^ Brennan, Eamonn (June 1, 2010). "Jeffrey Jordan lands at Central Florida". ESPN. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  19. ^ "Florida and Sun". FOX Sports. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  20. ^ Kornbluth, Jesse (17 May 1993). "Michael Jordan". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  21. ^ "Basketball great Michael Jordan and wife divorce". Reuters. 30 December 2006. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  22. ^ "Michael Jordan, wife divorce after 17 years". The Seattle Times. 29 December 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  23. ^ Golliver, Ben (11 February 2014). "Michael Jordan, wife Yvette welcome birth of twin daughters". SI.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  24. ^ "Juanita Jordan: 'I'm in a good place'". ChicagoBusiness.com. November 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  25. ^ "Detroit tech startup WaitTime partners with Jordan Avakian Group". Crain's Detroit Business. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  26. ^ Cahill, Dan (4 January 2018). "Michael Jordan's son announces engagement". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  27. ^ Vagnozzi, Alexa (2021-09-25). "PD: Michael Jordan's son accused of assaulting hospital staff in Scottsdale". KSAZ-TV. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  28. ^ "Sports Legend Revealed: Did Eric Gordon of the Clippers play Michael Jordan's son in 'Space Jam'?". Los Angeles Times. July 7, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2024.