Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan
	Jordan in 2014
No. 23 – Charlotte Hornets
	Owner
Personal information
Born	February 17, 1963 (age 61); New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
High school	Emsley A. Laney; (Wilmington, North Carolina)
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	216 lb (98 kg)
Career information
College	North Carolina (1981–1984)
NBA Draft	1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
	Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Pro career	1984–1993, 1995–1998, 2001–2003
League	NBA
Career history
1984–1993,; 1995–1998	Chicago Bulls
2001–2003	Washington Wizards
Career highlights and awards
	6× NBA champion (1991–1993, 1996–1998); 6× NBA Finals MVP (1991–1993, 1996–1998); 5× NBA Most Valuable Player (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998); 14× NBA All-Star (1985–1993, 1996–1998, 2002, 2003); 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1988, 1996, 1998); 10× All-NBA First Team (1987–1993, 1996–1998); All-NBA Second Team (1985); NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1988); 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1988–1993, 1996–1998); NBA Rookie of the Year (1985); NBA All-Rookie Team (1985); 10× NBA scoring champion (1987–1993, 1996–1998); 3× NBA steals leader (1988, 1990, 1993); 2× NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (1987, 1988); No. 23 retired by Chicago Bulls; No. 23 retired by Miami Heat; 3× AP Athlete of the Year (1991–1993); Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year (1991); NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team; NCAA champion (1982); Consensus national college player of the year (1984); 2× Consensus first-team All-American (1983, 1984); ACC Player of the Year (1984); 2× First-team All-ACC (1983, 1984); ACC Rookie of the Year (1982); No. 23 retired by North Carolina Tar Heels; 2× USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (1983, 1984); Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016);
Career NBA statistics
Points	32,292 (30.1 ppg)
Rebounds	6,672 (6.2 rpg)
Assists	5,633 (5.3 apg)
	Basketball Hall of Fame as player
	FIBA Hall of Fame as player
Medals
	Men's basketball
	Representing the United States
	Olympic Games
	FIBA Americas Championship
	Pan American Games

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 72-10 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
Plaque at the United Center that chronicles Jordan's career achievements
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.
Jordan on the U.S. Olympic team in 1992
Jordan dunking the ball, 1987–88
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 on a golf course in 2007
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)