A little piece of unknown history from Michael Jordan’s past popped up on the internet this week. So, obviously, Gilbert Arenas had something to say about it. And it was as unfiltered as ever. This one’s not about the GOAT debate or on-court statistical dominance. The latest commentary centers on how the Chicago Bulls icon allegedly navigated romantic relationships during his prime.
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This week on We Said What We Said, Melli Monaco, Gilbert Arenas, and Nick Young brought up a little piece of NBA lore that some would’ve missed. The conversation stemmed from a story shared on the II Dope Chics podcast, where the hosts recalled a friend’s past encounter with Jordan during his peak playing days in Chicago.
According to the story, Jordan provided no monetary gifts, designer accessories, or lifestyle perks, operating under the explicit belief that being in his presence was the ultimate reward. Arenas did not hesitate to endorse Jordan’s unyielding mindset.
Initially, when the crew was going to skip over the topic, Arenas emphatically declared, “We can do it.” You could tell from that how much Arenas backed His Airness’ firm stance against providing financial perks to women he dated.
“Sweetheart, Michael Jordan was right,” Arenas declared. “And I think all the players, all you rich men need to understand why he was great…”
Since Arenas bulldozed this topic through, Monaco and Young let him state his very explicit opinion.
“It’s Michael Jordan. She’s like, ‘Wait, hold on, sweetheart.’ Every [expletive] around here wants to be with me? I don’t need to give you [expletive]… You don’t need to buy no motherf—-ing Birkin bags.”
NSFW rant aside, when Melli asked whether athletes need that specific mentality to be successful, Arenas clarified that it comes down to maintaining a firm grasp on reality in relationships with famous and wealthy people.
“Not to be successful, for reality to be reality,” Arenas explained. “Have you seen the women these days on the internet? Like, ‘If you don’t do this and do that…’ Like, reality actually is the opposite. The reality is you should be grateful to go from a one-bedroom to a 20,000-square-foot home, that you should be grateful just a little bit… Like, you don’t have no demands on here. Like, we are who we are. There’s thousands that’s ready to come… That is the delusion of it. So I’m glad—I’m glad Michael Jordan was letting them know, ‘I’m Michael.'”
Arenas concluded his defense by tying Jordan’s legendary self-worth directly to his untouchable stature: “Just put them down. Just be walking around with me. That’s what it is. That’s why he the GOAT.”
Michael Jordan’s relationship history outside of his two marriages is not that well-documented. But there was a time when he did admit the problem when fame got into his personal life.
When Michael Jordan revealed his relationship approach
The ladies on II Dope Chics were discussing whether success, wealth, and ambition make a person attractive. And Michael Jordan does embody those things. They revealed a friend who dated MJ during his NBA career described it as, “He was just one where, you know, he didn’t give up no money, no, no, no, no perks, no nothing.”
While the hosts did question why Jordan would give anything, their friend told the hosts, “Her exact words was he felt that he was the prize… she felt that he thought that she should be grateful for the opportunity to be with him.”
Some of Michael Jordan’s ultra-guarded approach to dating was explained by the man himself in a famous 1989 interview with GQ Magazine. Jordan reflected on a brief relationship with actress Robin Givens in the ‘80s.
Jordan noted that within a few days of dating, he realized Givens was drawn to his rising status rather than who he was as a person. The GQ writer David Breskin described it as, “She (Givens) wasn’t dating men. She was dating growth industries.”
Shortly after their brief stint, Givens married heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson in 1988, a tumultuous marriage that famously dissolved within a year amid public legal battles and financial disputes. Watching Tyson’s public fallout reinforced Jordan’s initial instincts, prompting the 6x NBA champion to remark at the time, “I don’t trust no one except my mother.”
Jordan married his first wife, Juanita Vanoy, in 1989. The pair, who share three children between them, went on to finalize one of the most expensive celebrity divorces ever in 2006. In 2013, Jordan married Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto, with whom he has been ever since.