If you thought being Michael Jordan 's child was easy, it was not. Not only did Mike's kids have to live up to high expectations, but they also had to deal with a strict parent in MJ. Jordan was known to be hard on his teammates, wanting them to be as competitive as he was. But he was also tough on his kids. That's what happened to Jeffrey when he went to college in 2007.
As the eldest, Jeffrey was the first to leave the Jordan household to go to college. Being away from home, MJ set a rule that they would consistently stay in touch.
"You got to call me every seven days or within those seven days cuz if you don't call me within those seven days, I'm going to be standing in front of you," said Mike in an interview with TODAY co-host Matt Lauer.
Jeffrey didn't want to get embarrassed
After playing high school basketball at Loyola Academy, Jeffrey was actively recruited by several small schools, but he wanted to play for a big school. So, he enrolled at the University of Illinois on an academic scholarship and played on the basketball team as a preferred walk-on.
Although the campus was just a few hours away from the Jordan residence, MJ ensured his son communicated regularly with him. Jeffrey didn't want his dad to embarrass him by showing up in front of his dorm doors, so he complied with his father's request.
"If it gets to the 7th day and I call him and I said 'Jeff, you know it's the seventh day, I haven't heard from you. I'd be there in the morning.' Ten minutes, he'd call back," added MJ.
Jasmine also experienced strict MJ
Jeffrey wasn't the only Jordan child to experience dad's strict rules. MJ's only daughter Jasmine once talked about MJ allowing only one brand of shoes in their house, the Jordan Brand . As a young girl, Jasmine said that she wanted to own a pair of stylish Skechers shoes but Daddy didn't allow it.
"It didn't matter what pair they were. It didn't matter who bought them. If they were in his house and they were on my feet, by the next day, they were in the trash," said Jasmine. "I used to beg him, 'Please, let me get the light-up Skechers!' Or the shoes with the wheels. He would let me wear them for a day, then the next day they would end up in the trash."
MJ said that his father's death made him value more his role as a father to his children. So after he retired for good in 2003, he made sure to use his extra time to be more hands-on with his children. Unfortunately for them, he got to implement his Jordan rules on them.
Related: The story of Michael Jordan's sons and how good they actually were at basketball
Local News
