Michael Jordan’s 56,000-square-foot 7-acre site looks huge even from the air.
Concierge Auctions; Stephan Savoia | AP via Business Insider
Anyone approaching from the ground can immediately tell that this estate belongs to the legendary No. 23, Michael Jordan – and that may be what’s stopping it from selling. “It’s clearly his home,” said Bruce Bowers of Bowers Realty Group. “…There is a lot of work that would have to be done to make it your own.”
The house’s price has fallen several times and is now going for $14.9 million, or about $265 per square foot — that’s a long way from its original price of $517 per square foot. The exact price is $14,855,000, and the numbers in that price add up to 23 – Jordan’s basketball jersey number.
The long driveway from the gate and the mature trees ensure that the house has complete privacy.
Jordan had the house—and the surrounding property—built from scratch to his personal taste.
The outdoor space turns out to be spectacular. There is a tennis court…
… an infinity pool with a grass island in the middle …
… which sits in the middle of a large patio …
… and down on the lawn is a putting green.
The putting green is complete with Jordan Brand flag sticks.
There is also a pond full of fish.
While the outdoor space is expansive and undoubtedly impressive…
… the inside is equally spectacular. When guests first walk through the front door, they are greeted by this view, including a piano in the background.
The piano room also doubles as one of the many sitting rooms in the house.
And here’s a look at another sitting area called the “great room” – this isn’t the only great room in the house, though.
Jordan’s luxurious taste is even reflected in details such as doorways. The set of doors seen below is from the original Playboy Mansion in Chicago.
They lead into a games room with a pool table.
Since this is the former home of Michael Jordan, there is of course a full basketball court. It is the center of the house.
The court has the name of the legend on both ends …
…and the Jumpman logo on center court, with his children’s names – his daughter’s name is not visible.
While on-court guests wait their turn, they can hang out in this seating area.
By going to the dining room, guests could eat at this ‘Baghdad table’.
That grid on the table top is based on the streets of Baghdad.
Detailed dining areas are somewhat themed. Here we see a beautiful skylight that is perfectly placed above the kitchen table.
In one of the dining areas just off the kitchen is a large aquarium built into the wall.
The house has nine bedrooms…
… and 19 bathrooms. 19!
There is also a cigar room, which is intricately decorated with a detailed ceiling.
Even the railing in the cigar room is decorated.
The cigar room also has many card tables where we presume Jordan played some high stakes poker games – after all, he is known for his love of gambling.
The house also features a full gym.
Jordan’s Bulls teammates worked there every morning, according to an interview shared by Concierge Auctions.
Another luxurious part of Jordan’s estate is the expansive wine cellar.
The upstairs library is said to be MJ’s favorite room. It features a drop-down movie screen.
Between the house and the patio is another TV room with a 110-inch screen.
This area used to be an indoor pool. Jordan renovated it after moving in, adding sliding walls on both sides that can make the meeting room indoors or out, depending on the mood and weather.
There are numerous media rooms throughout the house. Even the seemingly random nooks like this one below have TVs.
The property also features a three bedroom guest house…
…which has its own family room and kitchen.
MJ has lived in the main house for 19 years.
The house is fully furnished, although some pieces may be a little dated.
Despite how great the house looks, it has been on the market since 2012. Jordan tried to auction the house in 2013, but the $13 million minimum bid was never met.
Jordan said, “Many of the world’s most sought-after items are sold at auction and Concierge Auctions is the absolute leader when it comes to auctioning one-of-a-kind real estate.”
MJ’s estate went unsold despite attempts to get creative, including marketing to rich people in basketball-mad China.
In 2015, the real estate agent who was then in the process of selling the house promised that the buyer would also receive every edition of Air Jordans in his or her size, but that didn’t work either.
Adam Rosenfeld, of luxury real estate startup Mercer Vine, told Marketwatch in 2016 that Jordan probably struggled to sell the house because of all the personalized customizations.
Rosenfeld said the house just isn’t in an area where wealthy celebrities look for homes, either. Gail Lissner of Integra Realty Resources called the area “much more modest” than what Jordan’s ownership suggests.
However, you don’t have to worry about the house rotting while it remains unsold. The house is still occupied by staff Jordan has hired to keep it looking fresh.
Jordan still pays a lot of property taxes. The annual bill is over $130,000, and Zillow estimates that he has paid more than $2.5 million in property taxes since he launched it in 2012.
One problem is that Jordan feels that his celebrity status adds value to the house, but according to Stephen Shapiro of the Westside Agency, people no longer pay for a house just because someone famous owns it.
“But you know who thinks a house is worth more because a celebrity has lived there?” said Shapiro. “The celebrity trying to sell it.”
Another problem is the location. Most homes in this price range in this area are closer to Lake Michigan, a few miles east of Jordan’s former home. “Buyers at that level in that area usually want to be closer to the lake,” Missy Jerfita of Berkshire Hathaway Homes Services told The Real Deal.
Since putting his home in Chicago on the market, Jordan has since bought a lake house in North Carolina in a golf course community.
The house is in Cornelius, about a 30-minute drive from the Charlotte Hornets arena – Jordan owns the NBA team. MJ bought the house for $2.8 million after it was originally listed for $4 million.
Zillow
Jordan also reportedly bought a house on a golf course in Jupiter, Florida, for $4.8 million in 2013 and spent $7.6 million on renovations.
He also owns an apartment in downtown Charlotte, in the same building as Cam Newton. The apartments reportedly cost between $1.5 and $3.5 million.
Most recently, Jordan listed his 10,000-square-foot home in Park City, Utah, for $7.5 million. Experts think it will likely sell faster than the Chicago compound.
He continues to wait for a buyer for the house in Chicago. Of course, MJ is valued at $1.9 billion, so he can afford to wait for the right owner to drop by his old Chicago digs.
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