Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky said she was “unimpressed” meeting Michael Jordan as a child.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday, the Olympic swimmer recalled playing peekaboo with the basketball legend as a toddler. While discussing her new memoir, Just Add Water—which was released in June—host Jimmy Fallon said the anecdote “stuck in my head.”

“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. “And so I was at the game, and he started playing peekaboo with me while I was eating my popcorn. And I was completely unfazed.”

She continued, “I actually knew that it was him. I just, I guess, was unimpressed. I don’t know why… I just was more impressed by my popcorn.”

The moment between the athletes was caught on camera and showed to the late night show’s audience. In the clip, Jordan sat behind 2-year-old Ledecky and covered her eyes with his hands several times.
Describing the moment, the Washington, D.C. native said, “Our friend Zach is sitting next to us. And you can even see right there, I said, ‘Michael Jordan.’ He said, ‘Do you know who that is?’ I said, ‘Michael Jordan.’

Jordan played in the NBA for 15 seasons from 1984 to 2003 and helped the Chicago Bulls win six NBA championships. He’s largely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players in history.
Ledecky has 14 Olympic medals, including nine gold, four silver and one bronze. Currently, she holds two world records—the women’s 800m freestyle with a time of 8:04.79 and the women’s 1500m freestyle with a time of 15:20.48.

The now 27-year-old made her Olympic debut at the age of 15 in 2012 at the London games. She went on to compete at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and most recently, Paris 2024. Despite appearing at the Olympics four times, Ledecky hinted she has her eyes set on Los Angeles 2028.

“I have to ask you, because everyone’s probably asking you,” Fallon said during the episode. “L.A.—the Olympics are coming home to the United States. You have so many fans here. Could we maybe see Katie Ledecky competing in one more Olympics?”

“Maybe,” the gold medalist responded with loud cheers. “I hope so.”

In an interview with CBS Mornings, Ledecky admitted that “many days are hard,” but she enjoys it.

“There are many races that are challenging, but I love it,” she shared. “I love being with my teammates. I love setting goals for myself and pursuing them.”