NBC Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View
NBC Insider Late Night

Baby Katie Ledecky Was Adorably Unfazed Playing Peek-a-Boo With Michael Jordan

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

By Christopher Rudolph
Katie Ledecky on Playing Peek-a-Boo with Michael Jordan and Viral Fan Moment at Paris Olympics
Video thumbnail
Now Playing
5:59
Highlight
Katie Ledecky on Playing Peek-a-Boo with Michael Jordan and Viral Fan Moment at Paris Olympics
Video thumbnail
4:09
Highlight
Perfume Genius: It's a Mirror
Video thumbnail
4:39
Highlight
Hailee Steinfeld on Josh Allen Engagement, Singing in Front of Elton John and Sinners
Video thumbnail
6:37
Highlight
Password with Elton John, Brandi Carlile and Hailee Steinfeld
Video thumbnail
6:43
Highlight
Elton John and Brandi Carlile Met Through a Letter and Went into the Studio with Nothing Prepared
Video thumbnail
13:11
Highlight
Trump's Tariffs Send Stocks Crashing Amidst World Panic, OnlyFans Considers Bid on TikTok
Video thumbnail
9:36
Highlight
Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler Talk Creating Black Panther and Reuniting for Fifth Film, Sinners
Video thumbnail
10:35
Highlight
Olivia Munn Started Marriage to John Mulaney on a Lie; Talks Your Friends and Neighbors
Video thumbnail
8:40
Highlight
Bon Iver Talks Collabs with Taylor Swift and Charli xcx and New Album SABLE, fABLE (Extended)
Video thumbnail
3:26
Highlight
Wet Leg: catch these fists
Video thumbnail
8:08
Highlight
Trump Divulges Elon Musk Is Exiting His Admin Soon, Cory Booker Holds 25-Hour Trump Protest
Video thumbnail
7:55
Highlight
Amanda Peet Jokingly Called Her Husband a "Freak" After First Date, Talks Your Friends and Neighbors
Video thumbnail
5:40
Highlight
Preacher Lawson Stand-Up: Getting Booed, Stealing His Brother's Jokes
Video thumbnail
9:59
Highlight
Kevin Bacon Was Inspired by John Belushi’s Wild Animal House Parties, Talks The Bondsman (Extended)
Video thumbnail
3:20
Highlight
First Drafts of Rock: Summer of '69 (w/ Kevin Bacon)
Video thumbnail
9:55
Highlight
Trump Jeopardizes U.S. Alliances with All-Country Sanction Threats Ahead of "Liberation Day"
Video thumbnail
5:27
Highlight
Louis McCartney Teaches Jimmy How to Do Vecna's Voice, Talks Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Video thumbnail
9:20
Highlight
Trump Is Serious About a Third Term, “Couldn’t Care Less” About His Tariffs Raising Prices

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. 

How to Watch

Watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC weeknights at 11:35/10:35c and next day on Peacock

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.

RELATED: All About Swimmer Katie Ledecky's Record-Breaking Performance at the Paris Olympics

"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 holds her gold medal at the 2024 Olympics

"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."

RELATED: See the Epic Steph Curry TikTok Jimmy Fallon Captured Before Team USA's Olympics Win

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.

Sponsored Stories
Recommended by Zergnet