Air Goes Out of Jordan Marriage

By Stephen M. Silverman

Tuesday January 08, 2002 01:00 PM EST

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Michael Jordan is used to being on the court, not in one. Still, the basketball superstar's wife of 12 years, Juanita, has filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences," reports the Chicago Tribune. In papers submitted Friday to Waukegan, Ill., circuit court, Juanita, 42, requested permanent custody of the couple's three adolescent children, as well as possession of the family's 25,000-sq.-ft. mansion in Chicago's upscale Highland Park area and half of the couple's property. (In 1998, "Forbes" magazine listed Jordan's annual income at nearly $70 million.) Jordan, 38, the former Chicago Bulls star who now plays with the Washington Wizards, also has a reportedly $50 million stake in the Wizards. Jordan could not be reached for comment on Monday. In her six-page legal petition, Juanita described her husband as "a well and able-bodied man who is capable of making suitable provisions for the support and maintenance" of his family.