Many basketball fans have wondered if DeAndre Jordan, the NBA champion and three-time All-NBA player, is related to Michael Jordan, the six-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer. The rumor that they are family members has been circulating for years, but is there any truth to it? In this article, we will explore the evidence and the origin of this claim, and reveal the answer to the question: is DeAndre Jordan related to Michael Jordan?
The Source of the Rumor
The rumor that DeAndre Jordan is related to Michael Jordan seems to have started in 2010, when John Paxson, the former General Manager of the Chicago Bulls, stated that DeAndre Jordan is Michael Jordan’s nephew. Paxson made this statement during a radio interview with ESPN 1000 in Chicago, when he was asked about the Bulls’ interest in signing DeAndre Jordan, who was then a restricted free agent with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Paxson said: “He’s a young kid who has some potential. He’s also Michael’s nephew. I don’t know if people know that. He’s got some genes in him that are pretty good.”
However, Paxson did not provide any evidence or details to back up his claim, and no reliable sources have confirmed it. It is unclear why Paxson made such a statement, and whether he was joking, misinformed, or deliberately spreading misinformation. In any case, his statement seems to be the main source of the rumor that DeAndre Jordan is related to Michael Jordan.
The Evidence Against the Rumor
There is no credible evidence to suggest that DeAndre Jordan and Michael Jordan are related by blood or by marriage. They do not share a common surname, and they have different backgrounds and origins.
DeAndre Jordan was born on July 21, 1988, in Houston, Texas. His parents are Hyland and Kimberly Jordan. He has a brother named Brett and a sister named Coryne. He attended Episcopal High School and Christian Life Center Academy in Texas, before playing college basketball for Texas A&M University
Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. His parents are James and Deloris Jordan. He has four siblings: Larry, James Jr., Roslyn, and Deloris. He moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was a toddler, and attended Emsley A. Laney High School. He played college basketball for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Michael Jordan does have several nephews and nieces from his siblings, but none of them are named DeAndre or have any connection to him. His brother Larry has three sons: Justin, Jeffrey, and Marcus. His brother James Jr. has two sons: Jamel and Jawaan. His sister Roslyn has two sons: Rakeem and Rashad. His sister Deloris has two sons: Joshua and Johnathan.
It is possible that DeAndre Jordan may be distantly related to Michael Jordan through a marriage or another branch of the family, but there is no concrete evidence to support this claim. According to Metro League, “It remains speculative without reliable evidence.” Therefore, based on the available information, we can conclude that DeAndre Jordan is not related to Michael Jordan.
The Conclusion
The rumor that DeAndre Jordan is related to Michael Jordan is false and baseless. There is no credible evidence to support this claim, and it seems to have originated from a statement made by John Paxson in 2010 that was never verified or corroborated by any reliable sources. DeAndre Jordan and Michael Jordan have different surnames, backgrounds, origins, and family members. They are not blood relatives or in-laws. They are simply two great basketball players who happen to share a passion for the game.
