The parents of Michael Jordan had working-class jobs, with his father as a general electric supervisor and his mother as a bank teller. However, Jordan’s remarkable success in the NBA made him a globally recognized figure. He acknowledged the challenges of adapting to his newfound fame in the early stages of his basketball career.
A recently rediscovered interview from 1998 reveals Michael Jordan engaging in a candid and transparent conversation with Vanity Fair, delving into the impact of fame on his personal life.
Michael Jordan found it difficult to handle fame
With an impressive record of six championships and a billion-dollar brand, MJ has successfully sustained his prominence in the public spotlight for over four decades.
“My life was changing, and so was the way people saw me. At home, I was a father and a husband, but outside, I was known as MICHAEL JORDAN. Yet, it felt like everyone else had a clear understanding of what that meant, except for me,” Jordan said to Vanity Fair.
“That experience of being a husband and a father provided a balance and a focus away from basketball. I could have gotten myself in trouble, I don’t know what kind of trouble, but if I had been single, playing basketball, and making a lot of money, I could have made some wrong decisions,” Jordan added.
After spending decades in the limelight, it appears that MJ is now seeking a life away from the glare of public attention. Surprisingly, the recent announcement of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame excluded the name of Michael Jordan, despite his highly successful tenure at the University of North Carolina. The list did include other renowned athletes like James Worthy and Johnny Dawkins, making Jordan’s absence all the more unexpected.