At 25, Jordan Chiles has already achieved more than many people do in a lifetime, largely because she has been training since she was 6. And she recently revealed how having a name similar to Michael Jordan’s fueled her drive to excel.

For those who don’t know, Jordan Chiles’ mother, Gina, was such a huge Michael Jordan fan that she couldn’t think of a better name for her daughter. And ever since April 15, 2001, Chiles has been carrying that iconic name while building a legendary journey of her own.

“When I was little, I never had imaginary friends. I always had imaginary dreams. I took his namesake very, very to my heart and wanted to be like, 'If he's Michael Jordan, why can't I be Jordan Chiles?'" the 25-year-old gymnast recently told NBC News.

And she truly lived up to that mindset. Chiles is not only a two-time Olympian and a gold medalist from the 2024 Paris Olympics, but also a four-time NCAA gymnastics champion.

She is also a New York Times bestselling author of the memoir, I'm That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams. She is the founder of a girls’ mentorship program and a former Time Woman of the Year honoree.

And if that still isn’t enough, Chiles is also a senior at UCLA and is set to graduate in June with a degree in African American studies.

And her admiration for the 63-year-old basketball legend has been obvious for years. During a 2024 Bleacher Report interview with Candace Parker, Chiles was asked about her Michael Jordan-inspired tattoo from 2023. She responded, “I do. It’s on my left arm, and it says 23.”

And for Chiles, even though she has over 30 tattoos, the number 23 stands out the most to her. That’s because it represents Michael Jordan’s iconic jersey number.

Chiles later revealed just how deep that connection goes. “I have a necklace that’s 23, all my shoes are Jordan, I have a jersey that’s 23." 

And surprisingly, Michael Jordan himself has also been following her journey closely enough, even to text her from his personal number.

Jordan Chiles Thought Michael Jordan’s Message Was a Prank at First

Just before leaving for the Paris Olympics in 2024, Jordan Chiles received a surprising text message from Michael Jordan himself. A few months later, she shared the story on the YouTube podcast Chicks in the Office.

“Okay, so I was driving. I was like, ‘Wrong number!’ I thought somebody was pranking me!” Chiles recalled. She had just finished her practice session and was talking to her best friend when a random number texted her.

At first, she completely ignored it. “I’m thinking it’s from Fashion Nova, ’cause you know Fashion Nova be sending you texts—‘sale, sale happening!’” But once she got home and finally checked the text, everything changed.

“I looked, and it was like, ‘This is Michael Jordan,’ ... I’m literally looking around the house, like, ‘Is anybody else seeing this?’” Still unsure, she immediately sent the message to her team.

After getting confirmation, Chiles replied, “Oh my gosh, thank you so much. I have no words. I’ll definitely cherish your name forever, trust me.” Michael Jordan simply responded, “Okay, good. Thank you.”

Having said that, do you think Jordan Chiles has honored the Michael Jordan name through her own achievements?

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Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Souvik Roy