"If this is actually him, I'm throwing my phone through window" - Jordan Chiles recalls receiving sweet message from Michael Jordan before Paris 2024

Jordan Chiles recently shared her reaction to a message from Michael Jordan which she received ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The basketball legend had sent his best wishes to the American artistic gymnast for the quadrennial games.

Chiles had a bittersweet campaign at the Paris Olympics. Her contributions were invaluable in helping the USA women’s gymnastics team secure the gold medal.

However, her individual journey ended in heartbreak when she was asked to return the floor exercise medal, which she had initially earned, following a successful appeal by the Romanian Gymnastics Federation. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) gave the ruling in favor of the Romanian Federation.

Chiles recently made an appearance at the ‘Chicks in the Office’ podcast following the bronze medal controversy. In a conversation with the hosts of the show, Maria Ciuffo and Francesca Mariano, she talked about the day when she received a text from an unknown number, which turned out to be Michael Jordan's. Here's what she said (from 1:39.00 onwards):

“I was like somebody has my number and is pranking me. So, I’m driving back from practice and it was a really good practice. So, I'm in a good mood. I’m on the phone with my best friend. All of a sudden I’m like where did this random number?”

Chiles then went on to express what she felt during that very moment, adding,

“I’m like let me see what this message is really about. I look and it was like this is Michael Jordan and said the whole thing. I was like hold on. I had to look around. I literally was by myself in the house looking around like is anybody else seeing this and so then I sent it to people.”

The 23-year-old immediately asked her team to verify if it was actually the basketball icon's number, as she could hardly believe it at first.

“I sent it to my team and I was like y’all could somebody confirm this or something because if this is actually him, I am throwing my phone through the window. There’s no way,” she mentioned.

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What was Michael Jordan’s message to Jordan Chiles before the Paris Olympics?

Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Simone Biles, Jade Carey, and Sunisa Lee at Paris Olympics 2024 (Photo via Getty Images)

Jordan Chiles' name was inspired by her mother's admiration for Michael Jordan. Before departing for Paris, she received a personal message of encouragement from the basketball legend. Here's what the message read:

“Hey Jordan, this is Michael Jordan. I am so excited to watch you win a gold medal. Here's to wishing you nothing but good luck. Let's catch up afterwards. Hope to see you soon. MJ.”

After Chiles’ team confirmed that the message was indeed from Jordan, the former responded to the text. Here's what she said about it (1:40.09 onwards):

“I was like oh my gosh, thank you so much. I have no words. I’ll definitely cherish your name forever.”

While Jordan Chiles has earned two Olympic medals, including a gold in 2024 and a silver in 2020 in the women's team event, Michael Jordan played a pivotal role in the USA men's basketball team's gold medal victories in the 1984 and 1992 Olympics.