Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest player that the NBA has ever seen. From his debut game to the last one before his final retirement, Jordan put forward his best performance. However, it was not only his remarkable performance that made it to the headlines, as his infidelity was more often than not a topic of discussion. His link with model Karla Knafel remains the most prominent one.
Notably, Jordan and Knafel met in December 1989, when he was still married to his first wife, Juanita Vanoy. They were introduced by NBA referee Eddie F. Rush, who saw Knafel’s singing performance. The Bulls star was at the same hotel, and Rush made a phone call to him.
Knafel alleges that she refused to meet the legendary star, but he kept insisting, and therefore they ended up meeting at a Chicago hotel. Additionally, Knafel revealed that Jordan told her that his marriage to Juanita was just a “business arrangement”. Notably, Jordan had already started a family with Vanoy, as they had their first child out of wedlock in 1988.
Karla Knafel claimed that Michael Jordan is the father of her child
Michael Jordan’s relationship with Karla Knafel was shrouded in secrecy until she filed a case against him for se*ual relationship that ended in an unwanted pregnancy. As per Knafel’s statement, the two were together from 1989 to 1991.
Reports claim that she was seeking a whopping $5 million for child support and the emotional damage that she faced. However, the DNA test revealed that the child was not fathered by Michael Jordan. Therefore, the case was announced in favor of the six-time NBA championship winner.
Jordan specifically told ESPN they could not talk about Juanita, the divorce, or Karla Knafel.
If it was only about basketball why was gambling, Dennis Rodman’s trip to Vegas, and Jordan playing baseball included? Quit being a Stan for Michael Jordan. pic.twitter.com/YlkcghRqtj— Black Lives Matter Mike (@MikeBears2) May 18, 2020
Notably, this is not the only time when someone has claimed that their child is Jordan’s. A Georgia woman named Pamela Smith dragged Jordan to court over the birth of a love child. She stated that he was the result of her se*ual encounter with Jordan in 1995.
Michael Jordan paid $250,000 to Karla Knafel
In 2002, Michael Jordan not only went through an expensive divorce from Vanoy but also paid $250,000 to Karla Knafel to acknowledge the relationship. Even though Jordan never publicly addressed his relationship with Karla, the money paid to Knafel is suspectful. The Bulls star almost fell victim to an ex-girlfriend, even after paying this amount.
She could be among the six women that Vanoy allegedly caught Jordan cheating with during her 17-year-long marriage. Notably, Vanoy and Jordan had a turbulent marriage wherein Jordan more often than not made it to the headlines for wrongdoings. Even though he became the face of the NBA and had a legendary career, his off-court life somewhat affected his public image.