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Former basketball star Michael Jordan and ex-wife Juanita Vanoy.

Janelle Oswald, The Voice Writer

In the world of celebrity divorce settlements, the £25-million split of rock star Phil Collins and his estranged wife Orinaae Cevey ranks among the largest in the UK.

However, American basketball star Michael Jordan divorce settlement with his former wife, Juanita Vanoy, has rendered the most expensive celebrity divorce payout ever by Forbes.

As a basketball superstar, Jordan was always in a league of his own and his divorce settlement with his former wife of almost 18 years was an unprecedented settlement of more than US$168m (£80m).

No comparison

Jordan's divorce settlement makes other high-profile divorces such as Collins and Sir Paul McCartney seem like bargains.

Legal sources close to the 6ft 5in Jordan said that after 18 years of marriage, he wanted to get on with his life and was willing to pay a premium for an early end to his matrimonial woes. He was already a wealthy basketball star with the Chicago Bulls when the couple met on a blind date in 1984.

He proposed a few months later but Juanita initially turned him down. A year after their marriage in Las Vegas, he signed a prenuptial agreement that entitled her to half his fortune, but she has claimed only a third.

During the marriage, Jordan's warm personality and dazzling basketball skills lifted the game to new heights of popularity. He also pioneered lucrative sponsorships deals with McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Nike, which created the best-selling range of Air Jordan shoes.

The sports icon has recently been photographed with a series of young women while Juanita is involved with a banker 20 years younger than herself.