When I was a kid, my family lived within a five-minute drive of the most famous basketball player on the planet. Back then, he resided in a (relatively) modest house, albeit with an extra-deep basement that had a basketball court in it. This was before Michael was the international franchise he is now, before he was married, before his son Jeffrey was even alive, well before he built this monstrosity (that I believe now belongs to his ex-wife). Back then, it wasn’t unusual for my brother to be driving me somewhere and we would pass by Michael’s street and see him playing pick-up games with the neighborhood kids. In fact, one time we gathered up enough courage to stop and ask Jordan for his autograph. He gladly obliged (and yes, I still have it).
Perhaps Michael Jordan is “moving” to my neighborhood (not really, but close enough) again. The hottest rumor in Champaign is that the father of the world’s most famous college basketball walk-on has purchased a home in Trails at Brittany, the same luxury southwest Champaign subdivision where Bruce Weber and Ron Zook sleep at night. I actually heard this tale from a friend who recently moved there, but even she didn’t know if it was true. There is no record of a Michael Jordan in the Champaign County taxpayer property record search, but he may have bought the property using a trust or something else. Or, it might just be too early for the sale to have registered there. There is a huge glut of luxury homes on the market here, especially in T@B, so I’m sure (giggle) he would be able to get a good price on one. After all, the man needs a place to crash after Illinois basketball games, and somehow I don’t think the Hilton Garden Inn would cut it.
But the people who may be the most excited about this urban legend are the folks over at illiniboard.com, who dissect every move the basketball program makes. Perhaps this (alleged) purchase may be a sign that another Jordan, Jeffrey’s younger brother Marcus — also a Division I prospect — plans to join the U of I family? Stay tuned.
4 responses so far ↓
prairie biker // September 24, 2007 at 6:35 am
That’s a pretty cool pad. It’s just a half mile to the west from my uncle’s house.
prairie gourmet // September 24, 2007 at 9:30 am
Well, the same rumor has been going around in my small town only that he has purchased a house at Bayles Lake/Lake Iroquois area. It is also said that Oprah’s assistant already owns a house there now, and believe me, there’s lots of folks transplanted from Chicago there too.
Don // September 25, 2007 at 8:30 am
“Jordan Heirs To Perform In Champaign?”
sarah // November 20, 2007 at 11:58 pm
the same rumor has been going around in mahomet that he’s purchased former Governor Jim Edgar’s Mansion just outside of Pine Tree.
Leave a Comment