The 5,202 square meter mansion in Highland Park of Chicago Bulls legend and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan has found a buyer after 12 years on the market. The home was first listed for 29 million dollars in 2012 and has been sold for 14.8 million, confirmed Katherine Malkin, the real estate agent in charge of the sale.
The mansion, built in 1995 after Jordan announced his return from his first basketball retirement, features nine bedrooms and 19 bathrooms, along with a basketball court, a cigar room, a tennis court, and a pool, as advertised on the Zillow real estate market.
After Jordan's marriage to Juanita Vanoy ended in divorce in 2006, the family-style house underwent a renovation to transform it into a bachelor pad. It includes a 500-bottle wine cellar with a tasting room and a custom wood-decorated cigar lounge. There is also a putting green with a golf hole in the property's side yard.
The mansion's renovation to suit Jordan's tastes may be one reason why it took so long to find a buyer, says an expert. "It's a very special building both in size and how it's built," said James Kutill, managing director of the Chicago branch of Integra Realty Resources, to the 'Chicago Sun' newspaper. "Finding someone who can truly enjoy that property is not easy," he added.
The selling price was reduced several times, with the last change in 2015. That year, Jordan was willing to include 29 pairs of his signature Jordans for whoever met the selling price. "It's a very unique property in a very high-end market segment," said Kutill. "It's not easy to market. It's not easy to find someone who truly appreciates what Michael Jordan wanted in a home." "This is not a normal property," Kutill said. "I had never heard of a property being on the market for so long in my career."