Larsa Pippen [1]'s love life has been front and center since the mid-'90s, when she wed NBA superstar Scottie Pippen [2] — though she's in the headlines now for a very different romance.
Larsa and Scottie — who share kids Scotty Jr., Sophia, Preston, and Justin Pippen — initially separated in 2016, according to E! News, [3] but went on to briefly reconcile in 2017, People reported [4]. They split for good in 2018. Since then, Larsa has gone on to date Marcus Jordan, the son of NBA legend Michael Jordan [5], Scottie's teammate for nearly a decade on the Chicago Bulls.
Over the years, Scottie and Michael's relationship seemed to flourish. However, things were different behind the scenes. In his 2021 memoir "Unguarded," Scottie opened up about how he felt about his career being overshadowed by Michael.
"They glorified Michael Jordan while not giving nearly enough praise to me and my proud teammates," he wrote, alluding to the fact that Michael's docuseries "The Last Dance [6]" didn't credit him or their teammates as much as he felt it should have. "Michael deserved a large portion of the blame. The producers had granted him editorial control of the final product. The doc couldn't have been released otherwise. He was the leading man and the director."
While Scottie's feelings about Michael were coming to light, "The Real Housewives of Miami" star Larsa and Marcus were beginning to spend time together, leading to their current romance [7]. Read on to learn more about Larsa and Marcus's relationship — and how Michael feels about his son's relationship with Larsa.
December 2022
The two were spotted kissing at an event during Miami Art Week.
February 2023
Larsa opened up about her relationship with Marcus during an interview on the "Tamron Hall Show" in late February, according to Entertainment Tonight [10]. During her conversation with Hall, Larsa noted that she and Scottie are on good terms despite their split, even calling her ex her "best friend."
"I can't basically explain how someone else feels," she said of Scottie. "I feel like I live my truth, I'm happy. I feel like we get along, he's my best friend."
Larsa went on to share how hard things can be when dating in the public eye post-split. "For me being someone who was married to an athlete, it's really hard. You get scrutinized a lot," she reportedly said during the interview. "People don't think you should have a life once you get divorced. They think once you're divorced, you're done. And I feel like I've overcome so many different obstacles because I feel like I should have love, I should be able to date who I want. I should be able to live happy and go wherever I want to go and not be judged every time I'm with someone."
As for Michael's thoughts on her relationship with his son, Larsa said Marcus' family is "happy" for them.
"When you're an adult, parents just want to see you happy," she explained. "We're in a great place, we motivate each other. We're really happy being together and I feel like that's the most important thing. I feel like a lot of people think that we've known each other our whole lives, which we have not. We literally just met at a party four years ago and we were just friends."
July 2023
Marcus's father, Michael, was spotted by a TMZ photographer [11] while out in Paris on July 3 and asked if he approved of his son's relationship with Larsa. Jordan shook his head and affirmatively said, "No."
July 2023
During a July 6 episode of their joint podcast, "Separation Anxiety with Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan," [12] the couple addressed Michael's comment, with Marcus asserting that it was a joke. "I know my dad, and obviously my whole family, we're so competitive, part of our DNA is to talk sh*t, it gets us going and gets us motivated. And when I saw it immediately I thought, 'He's playing.' He's joking, he's laughing. He's just being playful."
Larsa, on the other hand, was "embarrassed" by Michael's remarks — though Marcus told listeners his dad had reached out to the couple afterward to clear the air. Larsa also admitted that she understands her relationship with Marcus "probably is awkward" for her ex Scottie and Michael.
July 2023
The couple were spotted out and about on a golf course in Miami Beach on July 20, where they attended DJ Khaled's inaugural We the Best Foundation Classic.