Michael Jordan, a basketball superstar’s longtime family home in Highland Park is on the market, but it’ll cost a bit more than the latest must-have pair of Air Jordans.
And no, it’s not $23 million.
It’s listed for $29 million, furnished, putting it in rare air as the highest-priced home listing in the Chicago market.
The secluded compound, built in the mid-1990s and renovated in 2009, encompasses more than 56,000 square feet and includes nine bedrooms, 15 full baths, four half baths and five fireplaces spread between a main house and a connected guesthouse. The property also includes an indoor-outdoor entertaining and pool area, an outdoor tennis court, a putting green, a deep water pond and three climate-controlled garages that hold 15 cars.
And then there’s the attached indoor basketball complex. The facility, completed in 2001, has a full-size regulation basketball court with cushioned hardwood floors, adjustable backboards and baskets, and a sound system tuned to provide the right acoustics in the court space.
“The target buyer is someone who would appreciate the privacy and luxury of the property, as well as its myriad and exceptional features and amenities,” said listing broker Katherine Chez Malkin of Baird & Warner Real Estate.
Property taxes on the home were $165,224 in 2010, according to public records.
Chez Malkin said Jordan is the sole owner of the home, which is his main residence. “Michael is selling for a variety of reasons,” Chez Malkin said. “He has many homes and has decided to downsize.”
It’s unclear how much time he spends in Highland Park. In late 2010, real estate web sites reported that Jordan had purchased a mansion in “The Bears Club,” an exclusive golf resort community developed by golfer Jack Nicklaus, in Jupiter, Fla., for more than $12 million.
If the Highland Park home sells for anywhere near its asking price, it would be by far the most expensive, publicly listed home sale in the Chicago area. In July 2007, a Lake Bluff home sold for $16 million, according to Midwest Real Estate Data LLC, the local multiple listing provider.
Jordan lived in the home with his then-wife, Juanita, and their three children. The Jordans divorced in late 2006, after 17 years of marriage. Juanita Jordan bought a newly built, 23-room mansion in Chicago’s River North neighborhood in mid-2007 for $4.7 million.
Jordan became part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats NBA franchise in 2006, and then became majority owner in 2010. The Hall of Famer and six-time NBA champion was the first ex-player to own a team.
mepodmolik@tribune.com | Twitter @mepodmolik
