The buyer who finally put Michael Jordan out of his misery and snapped up his Chicago mansion earlier this month has revealed plans to honor the legacy of the NBA great.
Jordan’s 56,000-square-foot mansion in Highland Park, Illinois – a little over an hour from the center of Chicago – had been on the market for over a decade, with the Bulls hero slashing the price from $29million to $9.5m before finally making a sale.
Now, the new owner of the property has come forward. John Cooper, from Lincoln, Nebraska, has lived in Chicago for around 10 years and is a big fan of Jordan’s.
‘I remember seeing the home for sale and thinking how cool it would be for the person that buys the home,’ he told the Lincoln Journal Star.
‘My favorite player to watch was always Jordan. ‘He made shots that seemed impossible, and he got it done on defense too.’
Cooper, who is a partner at real estate company HAN Capital, recently celebrated his 42nd birthday at the property which, the publication says, included a game of basketball on the court that came with the house.
The buyer of Michael Jordan’s $9.5million Chicago mansion has been revealed
John Cooper, a partner of a real estate company, bought it and doesn’t plan to change a lot
The property is best known for the ’23’ on the gates that guard the mansion – a spot where fans have traveled to take pictures before.
And while he is putting his own touches to certain parts of the mansion, the numbers seem like they are going to stay where they are.
‘I’ll announce some exciting plans for the property in January,’ he said. ‘I do not have any major renovation plans.
‘I will honor the property’s legacy. This place is great just the way it is.’
Amenities for the mansion include nine bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, a cigar room, a library, an indoor gym, a circular infinity pool, a basketball court, a tennis court, and an iconic front gate with the number 23.
Jordan has primarily lived in his native North Carolina in retirement, although he was seen spending the summer with his wife, Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto, aboard a yacht in the Mediterranean.
Jordan brought an end to his 13-year reign as NBA team Charlotte Hornets owner by offloading his majority stake in the franchise to a group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin back in August of 2023.
The sale to Schnall and Plotkin was said to be worth a staggering $3billion, marking a colossal profit for the 61-year-old given he forked out $275million to purchase the team back in 2010.
Michael Jordan and wife Yvette Prietto attend the Cincoro Tequila launch in 2019
Amenities for the mansion include nine bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, a cigar room and a library
Cooper played basketball on the court that he now owns for his 42nd birthday
Jordan remains the wealthiest athlete in history after combining his iconic career in the NBA with some of the biggest commercial deals ever off the court.
The most famous of those brand partnerships is of course with Nike, with whom he’s partnered on the Jordan brand.
The former Chicago Bulls superstar’s most recent yearly royalty check with Nike was reportedly worth around $260m.
Two months ago, Jordan forked out $70million on a luxurious private jet that pays homage to his Nike connection.
Not long after spending $2m on a one-of-a-kind Italian sports car, Jordan splashed even more cash on a stunning new aircraft complete with a custom-made $500,000 paint job.
The six-time NBA champion’s jet is a Gulfstream 650ER, which holds the record for ‘the farthest fastest flight in business aviation history’.
