Michael Jordan finally has a buyer for his mansion near Chicago.
Don Juan Moore/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images
Michael Jordan's mansion may have finally found a buyer after about 12 years on and off the market.
Jordan listed the property for $29 million in 2012. It was most recently priced at $14.9 million.
The 56,000-square-foot home, which has custom nods to Jordan throughout, sat abandoned for years.
Michael Jordan's mansion in the suburbs of Chicago has sat abandoned for years.
But the house may soon be lived in once again.
The nine-bedroom home, which has been on the market on and off since 2012, is now listed as "contingent" on Realtor.com. (That designation means Jordan may have accepted an offer, but the sale depends on the prospective buyer meeting certain conditions.)
Fourteen years ago, when the legendary Chicago Bulls shooting guard listed the Highland Park, Illinois, mansion for sale, he asked $29 million. In 2015, he reduced the price to $14,855,000, but the listing had remained active.
The house is full of many nods to Jordan's basketball career, like his number 23 on the front gate of the property, his famous Air Jordan logo on the flag sticks on his putting green, and, not surprisingly, a basketball court with that same logo in the middle.
Even after various gimmicks, like offering a complete set of Air Jordans with purchase, the house sat abandoned after Jordan left Illinois for his home state of North Carolina.
Below, we take a closer look at a house once considered basically unsellable. Most images are from footage provided by Concierge Auctions, which held an unsuccessful auction for the house in 2013. Katherine Malkin of Compass, who is listed as the current seller's agent, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Michael Jordan's 56,000-square-foot, 7-acre compound in Highland Park, Illinois, looks massive even from the air.
Concierge Auctions
Anyone who approaches from the ground can tell right away that this estate belongs to the legendary No. 23, Michael Jordan — and that might be what's kept it from selling for so long.
Zillow
"It's clearly his home," said Bruce Bowers of Bowers Realty Group, adding: "There's a lot of work that would have to be done to make it your own."
The price of the house has dropped several times.
Concierge Auctions
It was most recently listed for $14.9 million, or about $265 a square foot — a far cry from the original price of $517 a square foot.
The exact listing price was $14,855,000, and the digits in that figure add up to 23 — the number on Jordan's basketball jersey.
The long drive from the gate and the full-grown trees ensure that the house has privacy.
Concierge Auctions
Jordan had the house — and the surrounding property — built from scratch to his personal tastes.
Concierge Auctions
The outdoor amenities are extensive. There's a tennis court ...
Concierge Auctions
... an infinity pool with a grass island in the middle ...
Concierge Auctions
... which lies in the center of a large patio ...
Concierge Auctions
... and down on the lawn, there's a putting green.
Concierge Auctions
The putting green comes complete with Jordan Brand flag sticks.
Concierge Auctions
There's also a pond stocked with fish.
Concierge Auctions
While the outdoor space is sprawling and undoubtedly impressive ...
Concierge Auctions
... the inside is equally grand. When guests first walk in the front door, they are greeted by this view, which includes a piano in the background.
Concierge Auctions
The piano room doubles as one of many sitting rooms in the house.
Concierge Auctions
And here's a look at another sitting area dubbed the "great room."
Concierge Auctions
Jordan's luxurious taste even shows itself in details like doorways. The set of doors seen below are from the original Playboy Mansion in Chicago.
Concierge Auctions
They lead to a game room with a pool table.
Concierge Auctions
Of course, since Michael Jordan designed the home, there is a full-size basketball court.
Concierge Auctions
It's the centerpiece of the house.
The court has the NBA legend's name at both ends ...
Concierge Auctions
... and the Jumpman logo at center court, surrounded by the names of his children — his daughter's name is out of view.
Concierge Auctions
While guests wait for their turn on the court, they can hang out in this sitting area.
Concierge Auctions
Moving along to the dining room, guests were able to eat at this "Baghdad table."
Concierge Auctions
That grid seen on the tabletop is based on the streets of Baghdad.
Concierge Auctions
Elaborate eating areas are found throughout the house. Here, a beautiful skylight is positioned over the kitchen table.
Concierge Auctions
In one of the dining areas just off the kitchen, there is a large aquarium built into the wall.
Concierge Auctions
The house has nine bedrooms ...
Concierge Auctions
... and 19 bathrooms.
Concierge Auctions
There is also a cigar room, which has a patterned ceiling.
Concierge Auctions
Even the railing in the cigar room has flourishes.
Concierge Auctions
The cigar room also has card tables, where we're guessing Jordan played some high-stakes poker games.
Between the house and its patio is another TV room with a 110-inch screen.
Concierge Auctions
This area used to be an indoor pool.
Concierge Auctions
Jordan renovated it after he moved in and added sliding walls to both sides that can make the space either indoor or outdoor depending on the weather and the host's mood.
There are media rooms throughout the house. Even seemingly random nooks have TVs.
Concierge Auctions
The property also boasts a three-bedroom guest house ...
Concierge Auctions
... which has its own family room and kitchen.
Concierge Auctions
Jordan himself lived in the main house for 19 years.
Concierge Auctions
The house comes fully furnished, although some of the pieces may be a tad dated at this point.
Concierge Auctions
Despite how awesome the house seems, it's been on the market since 2012. Jordan tried to auction the house in 2013, but the minimum bid of $13 million was never met.
Zillow
Jordan enlisted Concierge Auctions to run the 2013 auction.
In 2015, the agent working to sell the house at the time promised that the buyer would also receive every edition of Air Jordans in his or her size — but that didn't work, either.
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Luxury real-estate agent Adam Rosenfeld told Marketwatch in 2016 that Jordan likely struggled to sell the house because of all of its personalized customizations.
Rosenfeld said the house also isn't in an area where wealthy celebs often look for houses. Gail Lissner of Integra Realty Resources called homes in the Highland Park area near Chicago "much more modest" than Jordan's property.
Jordan has had to pay property taxes while the home has been on the market. The annual taxes in 2022 were $148,018, according to the Realtor.com listing.
Zillow
Jordan may have felt his celebrity status added value to the house. But, according to Stephen Shapiro of the Westside Agency, people do not pay more for a house just because somebody famous owned it.
Another issue is the location. Most of the homes in this price range in this area are closer to Lake Michigan, a few miles east of Jordan's former house. "Buyers at that level in that area tend to want to be closer to the lake," Missy Jerfita of Berkshire Hathaway Homes Services told The Real Deal.
Since Jordan put his Chicago home on the market, he has purchased a lakefront house in North Carolina in a golf-course community.
Zillow
The house is in Cornelius, about a 30-minute drive from the Charlotte Hornets' arena — Jordan bought the franchise for $275 million in 2010 and sold it for $3 billion in 2023.
Zillow
MJ purchased the house for $2.8 million after it was originally listed for $4 million, according to Fox Sports.
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 a full-floor condo in downtown Charlotte, in the same building as NFL quarterback Cam Newton. Condos there reportedly went for between $1.5 and $3.5 million.
In 2019, Jordan listed his 10,000-square-foot home in Park City, Utah, for $7.5 million. Agents think it will likely sell faster than the Chicago compound.
MJ is estimated to be worth $3.2 billion, according to Forbes, so he could afford to wait for the right buyer to come along for his old Chicago digs. That moment may finally have arrived.
Jordan Brand via Getty Images
Tony Manfred contributed to this post and it has been updated.
