Michael Jordan Gets Brutally Honest About His Son Dating Larsa Pippen
NBA legend Michael Jordan finally shared his two cents about his son, Marcus Jordan, dating the "Real Housewives of Miami" star Larsa Pippen. And well, let's just say that his reaction wasn't exactly a slam dunk.
Dating rumors between Marcus and Larsa started in September 2022, when they were spotted having lunch together in Miami, as reported by TMZ. At the time, a source confirmed to Us Weekly that the two were indeed an item, dishing that "Marcus and Larsa are dating and have been spending more time together in recent weeks." It didn't take too long until the baller's son and the reality star became Instagram official, with Larsa even telling Tamron Hall that their relationship came to fruition naturally. "I didn't plan it like that. It wasn't like it was planned like that, I think we were just together a lot with our friends and it just happened," she said, noting that as opposed to what everyone had been assuming, she didn't meet Marcus until a few years ago. "I feel like a lot of people think that we've known each other our whole lives, which we have not," she explained. "We literally just met at a party four years ago and we were just friends."
Larsa also dished that they were "happy," but the same can't be said about Marcus' dad — the one and only MJ — who apparently disapproves of the relationship.
Michael Jordan is apparently against Marcus Jordan and Larsa Pippen's romance
Michael Jordan is famously known for refusing to say no to anything, but that's apparently what his reaction was when asked if he greenlighted Marcus Jordan and Larsa Pippen's relationship. While leaving a restaurant in Paris, a TMZ photographer asked the NBA Hall of Famer to share his thoughts about their romance, but he initially laughed it off. And when pressed further, his response tells you all that you need to know: "No!" The photographer attempted to clarify, asking, "You don't approve?" The athlete shook his head to double down on his answer.
Jordan's reaction is surprising, considering how Larsa previously claimed she gets along well with him and the rest of the Jordans. "I've recently been hanging out with them, but I don't really want to talk about them," she said in her interview with Tamron Hall. "I feel like it's not about, you know, my parents or his parents. They're all happy. Our whole family's fine." But it's also not surprising if you consider how Jordan and Larsa's ex, Scottie Pippen, have an ongoing beef. Despite being buddies on the court during their time in the NBA, their friendship soured after Pippen shared he felt disregarded by Jordan's "The Last Dance" documentary.
"They glorified Michael Jordan while not giving nearly enough praise to me and my proud teammates," he wrote in his memoir, "Unguarded" (via GQ). "Michael deserved a large portion of the blame... He was the leading man and the director." Perhaps Jordan's resounding "no" had more meaning than just disapproval of his son's new girlfriend?
Marcus Jordan's family was caught off guard by him dating Larsa Pippen
Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan's pairing was a surprise to many and apparently, the Jordan family needed some time to get used to the idea. "I don't think there was ever any hurdles, I just think there was some shock value to the fact that we were dating. Caught maybe some people on my side of the family off guard a little bit," Marcus shared on his and Pippen's podcast, "Separation Anxiety with Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan." Jordan added, "I think once people really got to understand and see us together, it made everything a little more comfortable. My parents want to see me happy. Your family wants to see you happy. That's all you could ever ask for."
Despite Michael Jordan's resounding disapproval, Pippen's children have nothing but love for Marcus. "[My kids], they love Marcus. Like, they love him and I feel like we talk about the same things. So when I'm talking to my older son Scotty about basketball, Marcus is in on the conversation. [Then when I am] talking to my son Preston about fashion, Marcus has a clothing store — he has a boutique — so he chimes in. It is just an easy fit for our family," Pippen revealed to Us Weekly. It's unclear if MJ's beef with Pippen is her 16-year age gap with his son or the fact that her ex publicly dissed him but family dinners are sure to be quite awkward from now on.