If Jordan Chiles is planning to return to elite gymnastics competition, she is pulling out all the stops.
Chiles, whose last elite gymnastics competition was the 2024 Paris Olympics, made a social media post captioned, “LA 2028... WHY NOT?” with a video narrated by Michael Jordan.
“Why again?” Michael Jordan says in the video. “Because the dream is still there. Why continue? Because there’s still more to give. Why now? Because not every chapter ends when people expect it to. Why her? Because she’s that girl. Some decisions don’t need permission. Just one more bet on herself. So when the world asks why she’s back for a third time, the answer is simple.”
The video ends with Chiles saying, “Why not?” and then flashing an LA 2028 grill.
“I’ve learned that there’s no timeline for when you’re supposed to be done dreaming,” Chiles said in a statement, according to ESPN.com. “LA28 has always been somewhere in the back of my mind, but I needed to take the time to figure out what coming back would mean for me and, more importantly, why I wanted to do it. LA28 isn’t about proving anything to anyone. It’s about betting on myself one more time, enjoying the journey and seeing just how far I can take this. I still love this sport, I still have more to give and getting the chance to potentially do that in L.A., the city I now call home, makes it even more special. I’m excited to see what’s possible when I bet on myself one more time.”
Chiles, who was named after Michael Jordan, has owned more than 100 pairs of Jordan shoes. The basketball legend also messaged Chiles before the Paris Games to wish her luck.
LA 2028… WHY NOT? ✨🇺🇸
— Jordan Chiles (@ChilesJordan) September 2, 2026
🎥Avery Hall
📸Jamie Bruce
✨️A Special Thank You to Normani, Winnie and THE Michael Jordan.https://t.co/H2XGVVHLmi
The post came a day after it was announced that Chiles will be a student coach next year for UCLA after winning four NCAA titles for the Bruins during her college career that wrapped up this past season.
Chiles, a 25-year-old from Vancouver, Washington, attended the Xfinity U.S. Championships last month in Phoenix, where she said “the wait is still on” about a possible comeback.
“I definitely am going on a lot of vacation, so stay tuned for that,” she said then. “I think right now my mind is just focusing on me, personally, mentally.”
Three of Chiles’ four teammates from Paris are definitely bidding for LA 2028 — Hezly Rivera, who last month repeated as U.S. all-around champion; Jade Carey, who was a student assistant coach at Oregon State last season, then returned to elite competition this season and Suni Lee, who announced her return to the gym in July and could return to competition as early as next spring.
Simone Biles has not announced whether she plans to join them in coming back.
There is precedent for a gymnast to become a coach and then make an Olympic team. Alicia Sacramone was a volunteer assistant at Brown in 2008 before competing at the Beijing Games that year.
