We Finally Know Who Bought Michael Jordan’s Megamansion, And It Makes Total Sense
Real estate executive John Cooper has purchased Michael Jordan’s iconic mansion in teh Chicago area for $9.5 million, a meaningful reduction from the $50 million spent on the estate. Jordan’s mansion, which spans 56,000 square feet, features unique elements that reflect his status as a basketball legend, including a regulation-sized basketball court with the “Air Jordan” logo and a gate adorned with his jersey number, 23. Cooper, a long-time Bulls fan from Lincoln, Nebraska, expressed his admiration for Jordan, stating that he plans to honor the mansion’s legacy without making significant renovations. Despite its allure, the property was on the market for 12 years due to its highly customized nature, which was deemed “too unique for most buyers.” Cooper’s acquisition comes at a time when the house reportedly showed signs of wear, but he remains committed to preserving its significance as part of basketball history.
It took a while, but it finally happened.
According to the Lincoln Journal Star, 42-year-old real estate executive John Cooper, a native of Lincoln, Nebraska, has purchased basketball legend Michael Jordan’s sprawling, Chicago-area mansion for the relative bargain price of $9.5 million.
As one might expect, practicality did not dictate Cooper’s decision to buy the 56,000-square-foot property.
“My favorite player to watch was always Jordan,” Cooper said. “He made shots that seemed impossible, and he got it done on defense, too.”
Indeed he did.
Michael Jordan’s insane mansion is up for sale, take a video tour here https://t.co/7nSzqIsVmf pic.twitter.com/Cjj6AmLbaH
— SoleCollector.com (@SoleCollector) October 26, 2015
To say that Jordan dominated professional basketball in the late 1980s and 1990s would hardly do his career justice. The 14-time all-star, ten-time scoring champ, and five-time league MVP led the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive NBA championships on two different occasions (1991-93 and 1996-98).
Moreover, each time he led his team to a championship, Jordan won the NBA Finals MVP.
Thus, Jordan’s now-former mansion stands as a kind of monument to the player’s on-court achievements.
For instance, the mansion’s gate features a giant “23,” Jordan’s jersey number for most of his career.
The mansion also includes a regulation-sized basketball court, adorned with the world-famous “Air Jordan” logo at midcourt. That same logo of Jordan soaring through the air, basketball in his outstretched hand, appears elsewhere in the home, including its digital thermostat.
Cooper, a Bulls fan who moved to Chicago more than ten years ago, plans no significant changes.
“I do not have any major renovation plans. I will honor the property’s legacy. This place is great just the way it is,” he said.
Ironically, Cooper only succeeded in purchasing the home because not everyone agreed with his assessment of the property’s greatness.
Saturday on the social media platform X, the financial news outlet Benzinga noted that Jordan had the mansion on the market for 12 years and then sold it for less than 20 percent of the $50 million he spent building it.
Benzinga called the property “too unique for most buyers” and noted that “[e]ven the biggest names can’t escape market realities.”
Michael Jordan’s $50M mansion sat on the market for 12 years, and after several price drops, it sold for just $9.5M—less than 20% of what he spent building it! 🏠
Why? The ultra-customized 56,000 sq. ft. estate was too unique for most buyers.
The lesson? Even the biggest names… pic.twitter.com/DNHYxP2Buz
— Benzinga (@Benzinga) December 28, 2024
Indeed, Jordan’s difficulty in selling the home even made news down under.
According to Australia’s realestate.com.au, viral 2024 videos on social media showed the abandoned property in poor condition.
“In the footage, the indoor basketball court appears to have had significant flooding, while the kitchen was seemingly trapped mid-renovation, with cupboard doors on the ground and pieces of wood and trash throughout the room,” the Australian real estate outlet noted.
Nonetheless, kudos to Cooper for wanting to preserve the icon’s home.
INSIDE MJ’S HOUSE: Originally listed in 2012, Michael Jordan’s $14 million Chicago area mansion has still not sold. 😱😱
MJ once offered a pair of every edition of signature Air Jordans as an incentive to prospective buyers.
🎥 IG: beverlyhillsrealestate pic.twitter.com/KQQKmQBI9c
— Sole Retriever (@SoleRetriever) January 21, 2023
After all, one could hardly overstate Jordan’s impact on Generation X, millennials, and American culture in general.
If you grew up watching or playing basketball in the 1990s, then you saw Jordan’s #23 jersey everywhere. That included outdoor basketball courts in the summer in my small western Pennsylvania hometown.
NBA basketball in the 1980s featured the playmaking elegance of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Larry Bird, and Julius “Dr. J.” Erving.
Late in that decade, however, the two-time champion Detroit Pistons changed the game with a style of play that emphasized defense and toughness.
Jordan overcame both Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers and the Pistons in part by combining the two styles. On offense, Jordan developed into a relentless and unstoppable force with a flair for the dramatic. But he also established a reputation for toughness and made the league’s All-Defensive team nine times.
In short, kids and young players across America wanted to “Be Like Mike.”
Congratulations to Cooper for having both the means and the desire to preserve part of that legacy.
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