The buyer of Michael Jordan's Highland Park, Chicago mansion has been revealed – and of course he's a self-storage investor! John Cooper, a partner at Lincolnwood-based HAN Capital, is the man who now holds the keys to the mansion of the former Chicago Bulls legend.
Jordan put the home up for sale in 2012, never thinking it would take more than 12 years for it to sell. Plus, Cooper snagged it for one-third of its original asking price. That's right, the 56,000-square-foot home, which was originally listed at $29 million, went for "just" $9.5 million (the price was reduced multiple times over the year, and Jordan even tried to sell it at auction but no buyer was willing to pay the minimum of $13 million at the time).
Cooper made the purchase on his 42nd birthday. According to The Chicago Tribune, Cooper was drawn to the Bulls and especially Jordan after moving to the Chicago area over ten years ago. “I remember seeing the home for sale and thinking how cool it would be for the person that buys the home,” Cooper said.
According to its Zillow listing, the home features nine bedrooms, 15 full bathrooms, four half-bathrooms, a dry bar and a wet bar. The property includes a tennis court, a pond, a basketball court, a private in-ground pool, and what a 2013 auctioneer called a “gentleman’s retreat” — complete with the original doors from Chicago’s Playboy mansion.
Cooper also told the paper his first weeks owning Jordan’s former home have included games of golf and basketball with friends. He also said he will keep the home’s history intact by keeping Jordan’s iconic jersey number, 23, on the front gate. “I will honor the property’s legacy,” Cooper said. “This place is great just the way it is.”