Deloris Jordan is best known as the mother of legendary basketball star, Michael Jordan. She is also a philanthropist and an author among other things. She is the co-founder of the Michael Jordan Foundation, the founder of the James Jordan Foundation, and an advocate for children and families. She featured in ESPN documentary ‘Last Dance’ that focuses on the life of Michael Jordan.
Despite all the fame of her son which she has contributed to and her own fame, much about her personal life has remained hidden from the public. Here is a closer look into the life of Michael Jordan’s mother.
Who is Deloris Jordan?
As already stated, she is known as Michael Jordan’s mom. She was born Deloris Peoples in September 1941 in Rocky Point, North Carolina. She got her education from Charity High School in Rose Hill, North Carolina.
While she was a teenager, she met James R. Jordan Sr. who was still a student at the institution. He would later join the Air Force and after he returned from his station, they got married and moved to Brooklyn where her husband learned to become a mechanic at G. I. Bill while she worked at a bank.
The couple moved back to North Carolina when crime began to take center stage in Brooklyn to raise their children. With her husband, they had 5 children including Hall of Fame Michael Jordan.
Deloris lost her husband in the hands of two teenagers in 1993. She later founded the James Jordan Foundation in honor of him. The foundation’s scope is to help young people find a path out of poverty with various programs and school partnerships.
Facts You Didn’t Know About Deloris Jordan
1. She Featured in ESPN Documentary Of Michael Jordan
The documentary which focuses on the life of Jordan featured his mother who started by reading a letter sent her by Michael while in college before becoming famous. In the letter, he asked her to send him money for phone bills and stamp. While she didn’t feature in many episodes of the documentary, she is still one of the most loved.
2. Her son Michael Jordan the Greatest and Richest Basketball Players of All Time
Michael Jordan who was born on February 17, 1963, has been named the greatest basketball player of all time. He was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) six times, 1988 NBA Defensive Player Of The Year. He also broke records of all time and became the Greatest North American athlete of the 20th century, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as well as the FIBA Hall of Fame among other accolades.
Her son is a businessman and has remained the richest former professional athlete in the world with a net worth of $2.1 billion.
3. She is A Bestselling Author
Deloris has her focus on a number of things including writing which would later make her a bestselling author of children’s books. She is the author of A Child’s Book of Prayers and Blessings: From Faiths and Cultures Around The World; Dream Big: Michael Jordan and the Pursuit of Excellence; Baby Blessings: A Prayer for the Day You Were Born; Michael’s Golden Rules; Did I Tell You I Love You Today; Family First: Winning the Parenting Game; and Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream (co-authored by Roslyn Jordan).
4. She allegedly belittled her husband
Her daughter Deloris E. Jordan accused her in her book ‘Spilling Family Secret’ to have belittled her husband on different occasions while they were growing up. She further said their marriage was filled with conflict and one day, she thought her father had killed her mother after the older Deloris blacked out.
5. How she met her husband
She met her husband while a teenager in high school. Although the senior Jr. used to play basketball with Deloris’ brothers, she had never met him until 1954 at a school basketball game.
and three years later they started a family after he returned from his Air Force station. The two had 5 children and continued to be married until he was murdered in 1993.
See Also: Yvette Prieto- Bio, Height, Net Worth, 5 Unknown Facts About Michael Jordan’s wife
6. How was Michael Jordan’s father murdered?
Events leading to the death of James Jordan began on July 22, 1993, when he travelled to Wilmington, N.C. for the funeral of an old coworker. He also went around visiting old friends and catching up. Later in the night, he started driving to Charlotte with the hopes of catching a flight to Chicago the next day. Tired, he decided to get some sleep somewhere on the way. Unfortunately, two teenagers saw him there and shot him to the chest before making off with the car.
His body would be found three weeks later, August 3, in a swamp in South Carolina and it would take a month to finally identify the decomposing body.
Although there are theories that he was murdered because of Michael Jordan’s gambling, there hasn’t been any proof that her son’s gambling had anything to do with it. The killers, Daniel Green and Larry Demery, were apprehended, charged to court, and were given a life sentence with parole.
7. Deloris Jordan runs a foundation in her late husband’s honor
Following the tragic passing away of her husband, she started the James Jordan Foundation to honor him. The foundation focuses on helping students and families in the foundation’s partner schools during difficult times. She has been described as an advocate for youths and families.
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