Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a former American basketball player. He is widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time.[3][4][5] He won six championships and was the Finals MVP 6 times. He played for the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards. Jordan led the Bulls to a then-record 72 wins in the 1995–96 NBA season. Jordan earned the nicknames "Jordan" and "His Airness" due to his leaping ability, which was illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests. Jordan won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA, famously playing on the 1992 Dream Team. During the early part of his college career, he went by Mike Jordan, and he still uses Mike as a nickname to this year. Jordan is a billionaire, his net worth is estimated at $3 billion as of 2024. He is also the founder of Air Jordan shoe brand.
Family and early years
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York, he is the son of Deloris (née Peoples), who worked in banking, and James R. Jordan, Sr., an equipment supervisor. His family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina when he was a toddler.[7]Jordan developed a competitive edge at an early age. He wanted to win every game he played.
Jordan is the fourth of five children. He has two older brothers, Larry Jordan and James R. Jordan, Jr., one older sister, Deloris, and a younger sister, Roslyn. Jordan's brother James retired in 2006 as the Command Sergeant Major of the 35th Signal Brigade of the XVIII Airborne Corps in the U.S. Army.
Early career
As a sophomore at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, Jordan did not make his school's varsity (main) basketball team. This inspired him to work harder,[6] and he made the team the next year. In 1981, he went to the University of North Carolina to play. He averaged 10 points per game his freshman year, and 20 points per game his sophomore year.[7] Under coach Dean Smith's system, no player was allowed to average more than 20 ppg. North Carolina won the national championship in 1982, Jordan's freshman year. Jordan made the winning shot with 18 seconds left in the championship game. After Jordan's junior year in college, he said that he would be leaving college to play in the NBA. The Chicago Bulls chose him with the third pick in the 1984 NBA draft. He never served as a team captain in college.
NBA career
In 1993, after winning three NBA championships in a row, Jordan said that he would retire and switch to a career in minor league baseball.[8] He played for the Birmingham Barons, a minor league team in the Chicago White Sox's system, but hit only one home run during his whole baseball career. In 1995, Jordan announced that he would return to the NBA with a two word announcement: "I'm back".[9] He was back in time to play for the Bulls in the 1995 playoffs, but the Bulls lost in the playoffs before reaching the NBA Finals. However, the next three seasons after that, the Bulls won the championship. This included the 1995-1996 season, when the Bulls won 72 games in the regular season and only lost 10. In 1996, he starred in the live-action/animated comedy movie Space Jam as himself. Jordan retired for a second time in 1998, but was still not done playing. He would buy part of the Washington Wizards basketball team, and played for the Wizards from 2001 to 2003, and ended his playing career after that.
Game-winning shots
During his NBA career, Jordan had at least 29 game-winning shots on field goals or free throws when deciding a game in the last 30 seconds of the game. In addition to well-documented instances, he made a pair of free throws in a road game at New Jersey, on March 16, 1996.[10][11] While making the free throws, WGN play-by-play announcer Wayne Larivee remarked, "Michael Jordan, ice water in his veins".
Player Profile
Michael Jordan played mostly shooting guard. Other than a brief spell in April 1989 during which he played point guard, Jordan almost always played shooting guard during his time with the Chicago Bulls. He was widely heralded as the most skilled and accomplished basketball player of all time.
After retiring
Jordan is now the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets.[12] He was chosen to enter the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Michael Jordan Media
Jordan being defended by Mookie Blaylock (number 10) during a Bulls–Nets game in 1991
Jordan with coach Phil Jackson in 1997
Michael Jordan: Michael Jordan and the Wizards played the New York Knicks on Monday night, April 14, 2003. This was Michael's last home game at the MCI center before his retirement as a player. Left: Michael Jordan is on the basketball court during pregame warm ups. Right: This is a picture from a retro throw-back night with the Wizards. Retro jerseys night are a common theme in NBA games today.
James Worthy, Jordan, and Dean Smith in 2007 at a North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball game honoring the 1957 and 1982 men's basketball teams
Jordan (left) receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama at the White House
A National Guard Citizen-Soldier compares himself to 6-foot-6 Michael Jordan in Orlando, Fla., as the NBA legend and avid motorcyclist prepares to unveil the 2009 No. 23 National Guard Michael Jordan Motorsports Superbike to more than 2,100 cheering Citizen-Soldiers on Oct. 9, 2008. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)
References
- ↑ Men's Tournament of the Americas – 1992, USA Basketball. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ↑ Ninth Pan American Games – 1983, USA Basketball. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ↑ Michael Jordan, National Basketball Association. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
- ↑ Michael Jordan: A tribute: Praise from his peers, NBA's 50 greatest sing MJ's praises Archived 2002-02-14 at the Wayback Machine, Sports Illustrated, February 1, 1999. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
- ↑ Top N. American athletes of the century, ESPN. Retrieved May 3, 2007.
- ↑ Schwartz, Larry. "Michael Jordan transcends hoops". espn.com. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ↑ "Michael Jordan NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ↑ "BULLS: History of the Chicago Bulls". nba.com. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ↑ ""I'm Back" - Top 10 Michael Jordan Moments - TIME". time.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ↑ "National Basketball Association - Bulls vs. Nets". 10 February 2002. Archived from the original on 2002-02-10.
- ↑ LamarMatic (24 October 2016). "Michael Jordan (37pts/16rebs/5asts) vs. Nets (1996)" – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Michael Jordan Owner Press Conference". hoopeduponline.com. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
Notes
Other websites
Media related to Michael Jordan at Wikimedia Commons