The Olympic swimmer was just 2 years old when she met the basketball legend.

Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky is no stranger to hanging out with celebrities, like when she met basketball legend Michael Jordan at just 2 years old. In her new memoir, Just Add Water: My Swimming Life, Ledecky talks about growing up in Bethesda, MD, and how her early love for swimming eventually led to her making her Olympics debut at the 2012 London Games when she was only 15 years old. Now, after competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ledecky is the most-decorated female Olympic swimmer of all time.
“I was looking at some of the stories to talk about, and one that stuck in my head was that you met Michael Jordan when you were 2?” Jimmy Fallon asked Ledecky as he flipped through her book during her The Tonight Show appearance on September 3.

“It was at a Wizards game. He was just joining the ownership group, and my Uncle Jon was part of the ownership group of the Washington Capitals and Wizards,” Ledecky explained. “So I was at the game, and he [Jordan] started playing peek-a-boo with me while I was eating my popcorn… and I was completely unfazed.”

Katie Ledecky of Team United States poses on the podium during the Swimming medal ceremony after the Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final on day five of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 31, 2024 in Nanterre, France. Photo: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
“I actually knew that it was him. I just, I guess, was unimpressed. I don’t know why…” she said.

“Well, a kid with popcorn. Hello,” Fallon joked, as Ledecky added, “I just was more impressed by my popcorn.”

Thankfully, not only do we have Ledecky’s written account of her meeting the basketball icon, there’s video of it too, which she shared on The Tonight Show. In the adorable clip, a young Ledecky is sitting in a chair watching the game, chowing down on popcorn while Jordan is behind her closing his hands in front of her eyes, trying to play peek-a-boo with her. But Ledecky is too busy eating her courtside treat.

Ledecky actually previously shared this cute video on X (formerly Twitter) in April 2020. She posted the clip and wrote, “Grabbing my popcorn for tonight’s episodes of #TheLastDance. I can tell you one thing about Michael Jordan: He’s a tough peek-a-boo player, but he didn’t stand a chance against my popcorn.”

Will Katie Ledecky compete at the 2028 Summer Olympics?
Even though Ledecky has already made Olympics history, her time at the Games might not be over. Before their interview was over, Fallon asked the superstar swimmer if we could see her competing at the 2028 Summer Olympics in L.A., to which Ledecky replied, “Maybe. I hope so.”

“We would be honored to root for you,” Fallon said as the audience cheered.