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espn.comCHICAGO -- Michael and Juanita Jordan are giving their marriage another try.
The Jordans, who announced last month they were divorcing after 12 years of marriage, said Monday they are attempting a reconciliation. Juanita Jordan also withdrew the divorce petition she filed Jan. 4 in Lake County Circuit Court.
"We have decided to attempt a reconciliation and our efforts to do so will be greatly enhanced if the privacy of our personal lives is respected," the couple said in a statement issued by Juanita Jordan's attorneys.
Attorneys for both sides confirmed the statement, and said there will be no further comment.
"Juanita's and Michael's joint statement says everything they have to say," said Frederick Sperling, an attorney for Michael Jordan.
In her original divorce petition, Juanita Jordan said past attempts at reconciliation had failed and future ones "would be impractical and not in the best interests of the family."
But when he was asked about the pending divorce last month, Michael Jordan expressed some hope of a reconciliation.
"That's something probably we'll work on," he said then. "I don't think I want to sit here and go through that. We have kids, obviously, and we want to make sure that's the focus. Outside of that, when the time comes, you guys will hear about it."
When Juanita Jordan filed for divorce, her petition sought custody of their three children; possession of their "marital residence," a 25,000-square-foot gated house in suburban Highland Park; an "equitable" share of their marital property; and a "fair and reasonable sum" for temporary and permanent maintenance. Under her petition, Michael Jordan would have been granted visitation rights with his children.
Last September, Fortune Magazine estimated Jordan's wealth at $398 million. In his final two seasons with the Chicago Bulls in 1997 and 1998, his salary topped $60 million.
When Jordan retired for the second time, he cited a desire to spend more time with his family, even joking that he would help with car pools. He maintained his home in the Chicago area even when he returned to basketball as a front-office executive with the Wizards last season.
But his decision to make another comeback as a player at age 38 has kept him in Washington most of the time and on the road, away from Chicago.
Michael and Juanita Jordan met at a Chicago restaurant during his second season with the Bulls and were married Sept. 2, 1989, in Las Vegas. Their children are Jeffrey, 13, Marcus, 11, and Jasmine, 9.
