(ThyBlackMan.com) After NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan was engaged to long-time girlfriend Yvette Prieto this week, a lot of folks in the black community looked at their computer screens with a crooked neck. Not that anyone is particularly interested in the personal life of Michael Jordan, but some were trying to make sense out of why this 48-year old super-bachelor from a messy divorce that led to one of the largest payouts in history would ever go anywhere near a wedding ceremony. But as I mention in my book, “Financial Lovemaking,” love makes us all do crazy things, and even Mike is not immune to the power of love (aka, “Mother Nature’s crack pipe”).
I must confess that the first question being asked by many of our YourBlackWorld readers was “Who cares?” It’s not that anyone has any particular reason to be concerned about Michael Jordan’s personal life. But 
personally, I love finding all the teachable moments that lie within interesting current events, and the financial/relationship choices of prominent black male athletes can make for an interesting exercise in professorial thought.
Beyond the “who cares?” crowd, most people had other questions that went beyond the obvious. After seeing all the comments on the issue on our Facebook page, I thought I’d share a few questions some people had about the new Mr. and Mrs. Michael Jordan:
1) Has he lost his damn mind?
Kobe Bryant is set to lose half of his $300 million fortune in his pending divorce. Mel Gibson is about to pay his wife a cool $425 million to get out of his marriage. Some might wonder why a man with millions of women worshipping the ground he walks on would ever consider signing onto something that could cost him so dearly. But Michael Jordan didn’t get rich by being stupid, which then leads us to the next question.
2)What kind of prenup did she sign?
It’s not a matter of asking whether Michael Jordan had his future wife sign a prenup, that’s a foregone conclusion. The only question to ask, actually, is how much Michael Jordan would be willing to give his wife in a divorce settlement. The man who was smart enough to create a shoe that has black kids stabbing one another in order to get a pair is probably savvy enough to protect his money from the dark side of love.
So, given that this poor woman is willing to sign on for a lifetime with His Airness, we must then ask the next question…..
3) Does his future wife know what she’s getting into?
Let’s be real…Michael Jordan has, well, a reputation. He’s known for being a bit of a narcissist with a deep-seated inferiority complex, and he gave arguably one of the worst, most self-centered Hall of Fame induction speeches in history. Only a truly “interesting” person would fly in the boy (now a man) who took his position on the JV basketball squad and force him to present his Hall of Fame Induction plaque. Michael Jordan was not honoring this man, he was seeking to humiliate him.
You also have to wonder what kind of husband Michael Jordan would be. It’s no secret that Mike loves the ladies and (in my best Pootie-Tang/Chris Rock voice) “lawud knows the ladies be loving Mike.” At the age of 48, has he sown enough oats to settle down and be a good boy in his marriage? Only time will tell.
4) Is she white, Latino, or what?
No, she’s not white and she’s not African American. She’s Cuban. But did you really expect Michael Jordan to marry a black woman? Given the track record of so many black male professional athletes, most “sistuhs” are getting used to seeing black male athletes pass them right up when it’s time to walk down the aisle. To be honest, if I were a black woman, I’d find this trend to be a bit insulting – I’m not sure which pro athlete held the meeting to decide that black women were not as pretty as women of other backgrounds.
But hey, love is love, and we can’t judge the authenticity of another person’s relationship. Mike gave his best years (and nearly all of his money) to a black woman, so he can’t be accused of ignoring black women entirely.
5) How old is she? Isn’t she like an infant or something?
No, she’s not an infant, but she’s 16-years younger than Mike. She’s the ripe old age of 32…not quite R. Kelly territory, but young enough to meet expectations. When she was in kindergarten, Mike was graduating from college. When she finished high school, Mike had retired from the NBA. The age gap can seem kind of disturbing when you put it that way, but a 32-year old woman is entirely understood when she chooses to settle down with a multi-millionaire of almost any age.
In Mike’s tortured quest to hold onto his fading youth, the young pretty wife can keep the old “playa playa” young at heart. Most men understand that one, at least a little bit. Even 68-year old Robert De Niro is still having newborn babies, and Larry King has a child in middle school, so I guess anything is possible.
Good luck with this marriage Mike, I hope it works out. Do I have a prediction regarding whether they’ll make it or not? Well, I’ll tell you what I think after the divorce…..just kidding….maybe not – I’m not going to say another word.
