When you know your dad is an NBA legend, you automatically feel the need to prove yourself as your father’s child. And that must be how Michael Jordan’s sons felt too. MJ’s eldest son, Jeffrey Jordan sat down for an interview with his father back in 2007 and talked about his future in basketball.

However, while Jeffrey had the passion for the sport, his height was an impediment in his path. Standing tall at six-foot-one-inch, Jeffrey was relatively short for a big-league basketball player. Jeffrey had attended the University of Illinois through academic scholarship rather than sports. However, he managed to secure a spot in the college division 1 team as a walk-on.

During the interview, the interviewer once asked if Jeffrey was as driven as his dad, he answered that he wasn’t sure if he was. However, His Airness said that his son was ‘probably more’ driven than him.

It is very rare for a perfectionist like MJ to give out compliments like this, even if it be regarding his children. However, Jeffrey didn’t seem too bothered by the praise. He remained laser focused on his goal to make a name for himself outside the shadow of his father.

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When asked about his expectations, Jordan said that he taught Jeffrey to set his own expectations. Jordan never pressured his kids to pursue basketball and instead let them decide on their own. The interviewer then asked Jeffrey how he would deal with people’s high expectations from him for being the son of Michael Jordan.

“I guess the way I’ve been dealing with this since high school… It’s just, you gotta put it aside. Since I was young and playing basketball, every time I had a problem with expectations-people thinking I was supposed to be somebody I’m not, I always came to my parents first,” said Jeffrey.

Jeffrey Jordan once shared how a tackle from Michael Jordan got him multiple stitches

Michael Jordan has three children with his first wife, Juanita Vanoy. Their eldest son Jeffrey was born in 1988, youngest son Marcus born in 1990, and daughter Jasmine born in 1992. Jeffrey gave a short interview to promote The Last Dance a couple of years ago, where he said that his dad was competitive even when he would play with them. During one of their play sessions, Jordan tackled Jeffrey so hard that he had to get 30 stitches!

While Jeffrey played basketball in college, he did not pursue the sport as a career. He previously worked as an intern at Nike. Eventually, he became the head of the brand digital innovation for the Jordan Brand.

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Together with his siblings, Jeffrey co-founded Heir, a philanthropic foundation. Jeffrey also co-founded the Jordan Avakian Group, an investment company.