Even the chance to live in a house designed by an NBA great doesn’t seem to be enough to persuade purchasers to shell out $14.8 mιllιon for Michael Jordan’s Illinois estate.
Jordan has reportedly been attempting to sell the 7-acre Highland Park mansion for the past nine years, according to the New York Post. After acquiring complete possession of the home in January 2007, a year after divorcing his wife, Juanita Vanoy, he put it on the market for $29 mιllιon in 2012.
He and Vanoy paid $2 mιllιon for the house when they first bought it in 1991, the year he won the first of his six NBA titles while playing for the Chicago Bulls. Jordan initially advertised the house for $21 mιllιon , cut the price to $14.8 mιllιon in 2015, and then listed it again for $16 mιllιon the following year. Since then, despite finding no takers, he has maintained that price, even after ESPN’s The Last Dance documentary about him was released in 2017.
Jordan continues to pay a sizable sum in property taxes. The annual bill is over US$130,000, and according to Zillow, since he put the house up for sale in 2012, he has spent over US$2.5 mιllιon in property taxes.
The fact that the nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom house has been meticulously tailored to Jordan’s exact requirements—from the wrought iron gate with his jersey number 23 riveted to the front to the enormous fitness center and indoor basketball court—probably doesn’t help.
Over the course of four years, the NBA legend built the entire house from the ground up, completing it in 1995. The three-story, 56,000-square-foot house underwent yet another significant restoration in 2009. Five fireplaces, a wide skylight, a gourmet chef’s kitchen, a movie theater, a cigar room, a poker room, a wine cellar, and an outdoor tennis court are among the property’s amenities.
Additionally, there are three separate multi-car garages and a guesthouse with three bedrooms on the property. If the Bulls-branded gate wasn’t already private enough, Jordan reportedly planted 40-foot evergreens at the Heller Nature Center across the street to further obscure views of his house. However, there is no need to be concerned about the house deteriorating while it is still available. According to reports, the estate is still being maintained by the personnel who work there.
