Michael Jordan was Wrongly Accused of Offering Mistress $5 Million to Hide ‘Raunchy’ Affair from Ex-Wife Juanita Vanoy

Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy.
Credits: USA Today Sports.

Michae Jordan and Juanita Vanoy’s relationship was hardly an example of the ideal married couple. For one, Jordan was ‘the’ most popular athlete on the planet. No one compared to his fame. On the other hand, he had not been the best boyfriend or husband to Juanita when their relationship started.

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Granted they enjoyed a great run where Michael turned into the ideal husband around the time of his second retirement. But for the most part, he was indulging his vices the way a husband never should.

His relationship with singer Karla Knafel is a prime example of this. The relationship eventually backfired and Karla Accused Jordan of owing her $5 million. Fortunately, the truth prevailed over Karla’s lies.

Karla Knafel wrongly accused Michael Jordan of owing her $5 million

In 1989, just 3 months after his marriage to Juanita, Michael Jordan allegedly began an adulterous affair with Karla Knafel. The two reportedly stayed together until 1991, post which they split. MJ enjoyed a peaceful and perhaps happy domestic life after that.

He slowly distanced himself from the Jordan family and began favoring Juanita more. But the relationship was too big a cheque for Karla to not cash. She claimed that Jordan, during their relationship, had promised her $5 million to keep the details of her pregnancy anonymous. In fact, she alleged that he had even tried to convince her to get an abortion.

In October of 2002, Michael Jordan, after years of pressure from Karla, filed a suit against her. He claimed to have paid his former mistress $250,000. In return, Karla reinforced her claim that Michael owed her $5 million for keeping the affair and pregnancy quiet.

The ongoing investigation and paternity tests revealed that the child Karla delivered was in fact not even Jordan’s. She later accepted having another partner while in a relationship with the Bulls star.

The court swiftly denied all of Karla’s claims and supported Michael Jordan. He was not liable to pay a single penny to her. However, his relationship with Juanita Vanoy suffered as a consequence.

Juanita Vanoy and MJ eventually split in 2006

Even in 2002, things weren’t great between Juanita and Michael. Vanoy had already filed for divorce earlier that year in January. Though the two decided to work everything out, the damage was too much to repair.

They eventually split in 2006. Their divorce led to one of the biggest settlements in history. Michael paid Juanita $168 million. Goes to prove that even legends can be awfully wrong often.