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Michael Jordan is 'soft' as a grandpa, his daughter says

Nov 6, 2021, 21:14 IST
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Michael Jordan with his daughter, Jasmine Jordan-Christmas. Alexander Tamargo/WireImage
  • Michael Jordan is notoriously one of the fiercest competitors in the history of professional sports.
  • But when it comes to his family - specifically his grandson - His Airness is "soft," per his daughter.
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Michael Jordan is notoriously one of the fiercest competitors in the history of professional sports.

But when it comes to his family - and more specifically, his grandson - His Airness hardly resembles the ruthless operator fans saw on the court.

"Michael Jordan, the grandpa, is soft," Jordan's eldest daughter, Jasmine Jordan-Christmas, said in a video feature for Togethxr. "My son definitely has my dad wrapped around his finger."

Jordan holds then-toddler Jordan-Christmas during his retirement ceremony with the Chicago Bulls. Sue Ogrocki/Reuters

"He loves being a grandfather, and my son is his first grandchild," she added.

Jordan-Christmas joined Togethxr - the media and commerce company founded by Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird - for the latest episode of its "More Than A Name" series that has previously featured Maya Brady, Trinity Rodman, Asia Irving, Sydel Curry, Mimi O'Neal, and Brittney Middleton. No more than six minutes apiece, the short videos set out to explain each woman's value beyond the famous professional athlete with whom they share their last name.

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For Jordan-Christmas, succeeding as the first and only female Jordan Brand field representative has taken far more business acumen than one can derive from a last name. She says her "work ethic really speaks for itself."

Jordan suits up for the Chicago Bulls in 1996. AP Photo/Beth A. Keiser

"I love to work," Jordan-Christmas said. "I love knowing that, at the end of the day, my son gets to see me get up and go after it versus just sitting at home, riding on the coattails of my father. He instilled hard work and commitment, and it was all I saw."

"When people say that I'm only me because of who my father is, I laugh," she added. "There's not one person that has encountered or worked with me that would agree with that statement."

The fruits of that labor have come in the form of advocacy and tangible change for women in sports. Jordan-Christmas is striving to help "women specifically to know that they belong in the same room and sitting at the same table as I am." She also ushered in Jordan Brand's largest roster of WNBA athletes in its history this past year.

Jordan-Christmas in her office. Togethxr/YouTube

"It's definitely been my proudest moment," Jordan-Christmas said. "It's a historic and iconic moment for sure ... I've been able to really carve out my lane and really make a name for myself within the brand, whether that's from the lens of women's athletes and really putting them on the pedestal that they deserve or that's creating innovative product."

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"I'm gonna make sure that when I enter a room, you hear 'Jasmine' before you hear 'Michael Jordan's daughter.'"

Check out the full episode from Togethxr below:

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