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Michael Jordan
Personal information
Born (1963-02-17) February 17, 1963 (age 61)
Brooklyn, New York City
NationalityUSA
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight216 lb (98 kg)
Career information
CollegeNorth Carolina
NBA draft1984: 3rd overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career1984–1993, 1995–1998, 2001–2003
PositionShooting guard
Career highlights and awards
ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year (1984)
USBWA College Player of the Year(1984)

Naismith College Player of the Year (1984)
John R. Wooden Award (1984)
Adolph Rupp Trophy (1984)
NBA Rookie of the Year (1985)
NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1988)
NBA MVP (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998)
NBA Finals MVP (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1997)
2000 ESPY Athlete of the Century
2000 ESPY Male Athlete Decade Award (1990's)
2000 ESPY Pro Basketballer Decade Award (1990's)

2000 ESPY Play of the Decade (for his right to left-handed scoop shot against Lakers in the 1991 Finals)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com
For other people named Michael Jordan, see Michael Jordan (disambiguation).

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. Widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he became the most effectively marketed athlete of his generation and was instrumental in spreading the appeal of the NBA (National Basketball Association) around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. He is currently a part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.

A remarkable force at both ends of the floor, "M.J." ended his 15 NBA seasons with a regular-season scoring average of 30.1 points per game, the highest in NBA history.[1] He won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, won 10 scoring titles, and was league MVP five times. He was named to the All-NBA First Team 10 times, All-Defense First Team nine times, and led the league in steals three times.[1]

Since 1983, he has appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated a record 49 times,[2] and was named the magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" in 1991.[3] In 1999, he was named "the greatest athlete of the 20th century" by ESPN,[1] and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press list of top athletes of the century.[4] His leaping ability, vividly illustrated by dunking from the foul line and other feats, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness."

Early years

Michael Jordan's jersey in the rafters of The Dean Smith Center.

Michael Jordan was born to James and Delores Jordan in Brooklyn, New York. Jordan's family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina when he was young and along with his three siblings, Jordan attended Ogden Elementary School, and later Trask Junior High School. Jordan then attended Emsley A. Laney High School, where he anchored his athletic career by playing baseball, football, and basketball. However, he was cut from the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year because at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) he was deemed underdeveloped. The following summer, Jordan grew four inches (10 cm),[1] and trained rigorously. Over his next two seasons, he averaged 25 points per game. In his senior season at Laney High, Jordan averaged a triple-double: 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists.[5] He was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team as a senior.[6]

Jordan earned a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina, where he majored in geography. As a freshman in legendary coach Dean Smith's team-oriented system, Jordan was named ACC Freshman of the Year as he averaged 13.4 ppg on 53.4% shooting.[7] He was an exciting if not dominant player, but the Tar Heels were led by All-American and future Hall of Famer James Worthy. Jordan made the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Basketball Championship game against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing.[1] After winning the Naismith and Wooden College Player of the Year Awards in 1984, he left Carolina early to enter the 1984 NBA Draft, and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round as the third pick overall, after Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie of the Portland Trail Blazers. Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986.[8]

he was born in 1990 and quit because he was bad and was a bad player and i was here 2007 yeah

After retiring as a player

Jordan on the golf course in 2007.

After his third retirement, Jordan assumed that he would be able to return to his front office position of Director of Basketball Operations with the Wizards. However, his tenure in the Wizards' front office had produced mixed results and some questionable decisions,[9][10] which included the drafting of the underperforming Kwame Brown,[11] and may have influenced the trade of Richard "Rip" Hamilton for Jerry Stackhouse (although Jordan was not technically Director of Basketball Operations in 2002).[9] On May 7, 2003, Wizards owner Abe Pollin fired Jordan as Washington's president of basketball operations.[9] The firing came as a surprise to Jordan, who said at the time, "I am shocked by this decision and by the callous refusal to offer me any justification for it."[9]

Jordan then kept busy by staying in shape, playing golf in celebrity charity tournaments, spending time with his family in Chicago, promoting his Jordan Brand clothing line, and riding motorcycles[12] (a passion which he could not indulge in as a player, due to NBA contract restrictions). Since 2004, Jordan has owned a professional closed-course motorcycle roadracing team competing in the premier Superbike class sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA).[13]

On June 15, 2006, Jordan became a part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats and was named "Managing Member of Basketball Operations." He is the largest individual owner of the team after majority owner Robert L. Johnson.[14] While with Charlotte Jordan has made a conscious effort to work behind the scenes and not be used as an instrument to market the team.[15]

The Olympics

Olympic medal record
Men's basketball
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles Team
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona Team

Jordan played on two Olympic gold medal-winning American basketball teams: as a college player in the 1984 Summer Olympics, and in the 1992 Summer Olympics as a member of the original "Dream Team", with other legends such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, John Stockton, David Robinson, and Patrick Ewing. It is often rumored that Jordan influenced the U.S. Olympic Committee to keep guard Isiah Thomas off the roster due to personal differences such as the aforementioned "freeze-out" in the 1985 All-Star game or the bitter rivalry that developed between the Pistons and Bulls in the late 80's to early 90's.[16] Although Thomas' exclusion may actually have been more a testament to the quality of the other guards on the team. In any case, it was a star-studded roster that cruised through pool play and the medal round, restoring America at the top of the basketball world.

Jordan, Ewing and fellow Dream Team member Chris Mullin are the only American men's basketball players to win Olympic gold as amateurs (all in 1984) and professionals.

Player profile

Jordan was a shooting guard who was also capable of playing small forward. Jordan was known for being one of the greatest clutch performers of all time. He decided countless games with last-second heroics (e.g. The Shot) or sheer grit (e.g. Flu Game). His competitiveness was visible in his trademark trash talk.[17][18] Jordan was also known for his fanatical work ethic.[19][20]

On offense, Jordan featured a complete offensive game. The winner of back-to-back Slam Dunk titles could aggressively slash to the basket and seemed to get to the line at will: his 8,772 free throw attempts are 9th all time.[21] Then, he often posted up his opponents and scored with his trademark fadeaway jumpshot, using his 40+ inches of vertical jump to "fade away" from block attempts. Hubie Brown stated that this move alone made him nearly unstoppable.[22] Jordan's 5.2 assists per game,[7] also prove his willingness to defer to his teammates. Finally, in later years, he extended his shooting range to become a three-point threat, rising from a low 9 / 52 rate (.173) in his rookie year into a stellar 111 / 260 (.427) rate in 1996-97 season.[7] Jordan was also a very good rebounder (6.2 per game),[7] for a backcourt player.

On defense, Jordan's contributions were equally impressive. His 2,514 steals are second all-time behind John Stockton.[23] In addition he set records for blocked shots by a guard,[24][25] and combined this with his ball-thieving ability to become a fearsome weakside help defender. Jerry West said that for all Jordan's records and statistics, he was most amazed that Jordan was "the best defensive player in the league."[26]

Jordan's legacy

By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.
— introductory line of Jordan's nba.com/history biography [1]
There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us.
—Magic Johnson [1]

Michael Jordan's basketball talent was clear from his rookie season. His dunks, tenacious defense and ability to score amazed fans and opponents. After Jordan poured in a playoff-record 63 points against the Boston Celtics in 1986, Celtic superstar Larry Bird described him as "God disguised as Michael Jordan." [27]

Jordan led the NBA in scoring 10 seasons, tying Wilt Chamberlain for consecutive scoring titles with seven in a row, but was also a fixture on the All-NBA Defensive Team, making the roster nine times. Jordan also holds the top career and playoff scoring averages of 30.1 and 33.4 points per game,[1] respectively. By 1998, the season of his Finals-winning shot against the Jazz, he was feared throughout the league as one of the game's best clutch performers. In the regular season, Jordan was the Bulls' primary threat in the final seconds of a close game and in the playoffs, Jordan would always demand the ball at crunch time.

With 14 MVPs (5 regular-season MVPs, 6 Finals MVPs, and 3 All-Star MVPs), Jordan is arguably the most decorated player ever to play in the NBA. Jordan finished among the top three in regular-season MVP voting 10 times. (Magic Johnson did so nine times; Larry Bird, eight times; Chamberlain, seven times; and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, nine times.) Jordan was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.

Many of Jordan's contemporaries label Jordan as the greatest men's professional basketball player of all time.[26] An ESPN survey of journalists, athletes and other sports figures ranked Jordan the greatest athlete of the 20th century, above icons such as Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali.[1]

Jordan's high flying acrobatic endeavors, vividly illustrated in his back-to-back slam dunk contest championships in 1987 and 1988, influenced a generation of young players. In addition, commentators have dubbed a number of next-generation players "the next Michael Jordan" upon their entry to the NBA, including Anfernee Hardaway, Grant Hill, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade.

Personal life

Jordan is the fourth of five children. He has two older brothers, Larry and James, one older sister, Delores, and a younger sister, Roslyn. He married Juanita Jordan in September 1989, and they have two sons, Jeffrey Michael and Marcus James, and a daughter, Jasmine. Michael and Juanita filed for divorce on January 4 2002, citing irreconcilable differences, but reconciled shortly thereafter. They filed for divorce again on December 29 2006 commenting that the decision was made "mutually and amicably". [28][29]

On July 21 2006, a Cook County, Illinois, judge determined that Jordan did not owe a former lover, Karla Knafel, $5 million.[30] Knafel claimed Jordan promised her that amount for remaining silent and agreeing not to file a paternity suit after Knafel learned she was pregnant in 1991. A DNA test showed Jordan was not the father of the child.[30] Knafel's attorney, Michael Hannafan, said his client also will appeal this latest ruling.

Jordan currently lives in Highland Park, Illinois, [31] and both of his sons attend Loyola Academy, a private Roman Catholic high school located in Wilmette, Illinois. [32] Jeffrey is a member of the 2007 Graduating Class, while Marcus is a member of the 2009 class. Jordan's brother James R. Jordan was the Command Sergeant Major of the 35th Signal Brigade of the XVIII Airborne Corps in the U.S. Army.[33]

Jordan is a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, [34] and has the letter omega (Ω) branded on his chest.[20]

Media figure and business interests

Jordan is one of the most marketed sports figures in history. He has been a major spokesman for such brands as Nike, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, Gatorade, Hanes, McDonald's, Ball Park Franks, Rayovac and MCI. He first appeared on Wheaties boxes in 1988, and acted as their spokesman for several years.[35] Jordan has appeared in several campaigns for the clothing company, Hanes.[36] Including their Hanes "Go Tagless" campaign in the early 2000's, and again in 2005 where he appeared in advertisements for Hanes, in a campaign entitled "Look who we've got our Hanes on now".[36] Jordan has had a long relationship with Gatorade appearing in over 20 commercials for the company during their relationship.[36] Most famously he appeared in their "Like Mike" commercials in which a song was sung by children wishing to be like Jordan. [36] For many years, Jordan has also been the real-life mascot for Nestlé Crunch, appearing on the products and in their advertising.

Nike created a signature shoe for him, called the Air Jordan. One of Jordan's more popular commercials for the shoe involved Spike Lee playing the part of Mars Blackmon who attempted to find the source of Jordan's abilities and became convinced that "it's gotta be the shoes."[36] The hype and demand for the shoes even brought on a spate of "shoe-jackings" where people were robbed of their sneakers at gunpoint. Subsequently Nike spun off the Jordan line into its own company named appropriately the "Jordan Brand." The company features an impressive list of athletes and celebrities as endorsers.[37][38] The brand has also sponsored college sports programs such as those of North Carolina, Cincinnati, Cal, St. John's, Georgetown, and North Carolina A & T.

File:JJam.JPG
Jordan and the Looney Tunes in Space Jam

Jordan has also been connected with the Looney Tunes cartoon characters. A Nike commercial shown during the 1993 Super Bowl XXVII featured Jordan and Bugs Bunny playing basketball against a group of Martian characters. The Super Bowl commercial inspired the 1996 live action/animated movie Space Jam, which starred Michael and Bugs in a fictional story set during his first retirement. They have subsequently appeared together in several commercials for MCI.

Jordan's income from the endorsements has been considerable and is estimated to reach several hundred million dollars. In addition, when Jordan's power at the ticket gates was at its highest point the Bulls regularly sold out every game they played in, whether home or away.[39] Due to this Jordan set records in player salary by signing annual contracts worth in excess of $30 million US dollars per season.[40]

On July 10 2006, Jordan was sued by Allen Heckard for defamation and permanent injury and emotional pain and suffering to the tune of $416 million because Heckard "gets comments about his resemblance to basketball superstar Michael Jordan and he's fed up with it".[41] Heckard also sued Nike founder Phil Knight for the same amount.[41] The lawsuit was later dropped.[42]

Career achievements

Main article: Career achievements of Michael Jordan
Plaque chronicling the career achievements of Jordan at the United Center.

Jordan won numerous awards and set many records during his career. The following are some of his achievements:[1]

Awards

  • 14 time All-Star
  • Five time MVP — 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998
  • Olympic Gold Medal Winner — 1984, 1992
  • Rookie of the Year — 1984
  • Defensive Player of the Year — 1988
  • 11 times All-NBA — 10 times first team, 1 time second team
  • Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996

Records

  • Most scoring titles — 10
  • Highest career scoring average — 30.1
  • Highest career scoring average playoffs — 33.4
  • Most consecutive games scoring in double figures — 842
  • Highest single series scoring average NBA Finals — 41.0 (1993)
  • Most NBA Finals MVP awards (6)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j nba.com/history, Michael Jordan, accessed January 15, 2007
  2. ^ dtmagazine.com, Magazine of the Week Sports Illustrated, November 28, 1983, accessed January 16, 2007
  3. ^ CNNSI.com, December 23, 1991 Cover, accessed January 16, 2007
  4. ^ tarheelblue.cstv.com, ESPN Selects Michael Jordan As Athlete Of The Century, accessed January 16, 2007
  5. ^ Sportscenter, ESPN, air date February 2, 2007
  6. ^ nytimes.com, PLUS: BASKETBALL; A McDonald's Game For Girls, Too, accessed January 16, 2007
  7. ^ a b c d databasebasketball.com, Michael Jordan entry, accessed January, 16 2007
  8. ^ britannica.com, Michael Jordan, accessed January 16, 2007
  9. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Pollin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Brady was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wilbon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ deseretnews.com, Michael Jordan is now riding superbikes, accessed January 16, 2007
  13. ^ Dorina Clarke, AMA SB: Michael Jordan's Team, motorcycle-usa.com, March 5, 2004, accessed February 26, 2007
  14. ^ nba.com, Michael Jordan to Become Part Owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, accessed January 15, 2007
  15. ^ espn.com, Jordan writes state of Bobcats letter to fans (AP report), accessed February 21, 2007
  16. ^ Stephen Metcalf, The Devil Wears Nikes, accessed January 16, 2007
  17. ^ sportingnews.com, A suspension for talking trash? Mamma mia!, accessed January 16, 2007
  18. ^ usatoday.com, Pregame talk amounts to taking out the trash, accessed January 16, 2007
  19. ^ nba.com, Michael and Me, accessed January 16, 2007
  20. ^ a b Sally B. Donnelly, Great Leapin' Lizards! Michael Jordan Can't Actually Fly, But, January 9, 1989
  21. ^ basketball-reference.com, Leaders Career FTA attempted, January 16, 2007
  22. ^ nba.com, Hubie Brown on Jordan, accessed January 15, 2007
  23. ^ basketball-reference.com, Career steals leaders, accessed February 23, 2007
  24. ^ nba.com, What Does He Do for an Encore?, accessed January 16, 2007
  25. ^ cnn.com, Numbers you need to know about Michael Jordan, accessed January 16, 2007
  26. ^ a b cnn.com, Praise from his peers, accessed January 15, 2007
  27. ^ Cite error: The named reference nbagod was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ espn.com, Jordan, wife end marriage 'mutually, amicably' (AP report), accessed January 15 , 2007
  29. ^ people.com, Michael Jordan, Wife to Divorce After 17 Years, accessed January 15, 2007
  30. ^ a b usatoday.com, Judge says Jordan not obligated to pay ex-lover, accessed January 16, 2007
  31. ^ yahoo.com, Basketball great Michael Jordan and wife divorce (AP report), accessed January 15, 2007
  32. ^ msnbc.com, Heir Jordan out to prove he can play like Mike (AP report), accessed January 15, 2007
  33. ^ freerepublic.com, Michael Jordan's big brother ends Army career, accessed January 16, 2007
  34. ^ birdnest.org, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., accessed January 16, 2007
  35. ^ tripod.com, Michael Jordan Wheaties boxes, February 23, 2007
  36. ^ a b c d e espn.com, Jordan's 10 greatest commercials ever, January 16, 2007
  37. ^ forbes.com, Michael Jordan, accessed February 23, 2007
  38. ^ jumpman.com, Team Jordan, accessed January 16, 2007
  39. ^ espn.com, Cashing in on the ultimate cash cow, accessed January 16, 2007
  40. ^ findarticles.com, Michael Jordan signs deal with Bulls worth more than $30 million, accessed January 16, 2007
  41. ^ a b wbbm780.com, Oregon Man Sues Michael Jordan Over Resemblance, accessed January 20, 2007
  42. ^ Holly Danks, Man throws in towel on Jordan lawsuit, August 1, 2006, accessed February 26, 2007
Wikiquote has quotations related to Michael Jordan.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Michael Jordan.
Preceded by ACC Male Athlete of the Year
1984 		Succeeded by
Preceded by ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year
1983-84 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Ralph Sampson
 Naismith College Player of the Year (Men)
1984 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Ralph Sampson
 John R. Wooden Award Winners Men (Men)
1984 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Ralph Sampson
 Adolph Rupp Trophy
1983-84 		Succeeded by
Patrick Ewing
Preceded by
Ralph Sampson
 NBA Rookie of the Year
1984-85 		Succeeded by
Patrick Ewing
Preceded by NBA Defensive Player of the Year
1987-88 		Succeeded by
Preceded by NBA Most Valuable Player
1987-88
1990-91 and 1991-92
1995-96
1997-98 		Succeeded by
Magic Johnson
Charles Barkley
Karl Malone
Karl Malone
Preceded by
Isiah Thomas
Hakeem Olajuwon
 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player
1991, 1992 and 1993
1996, 1997 and 1998 		Succeeded by
Preceded by NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player
1988
1996
1998 		Succeeded by
Karl Malone
Glen Rice
Shaquille O'Neal/Tim Duncan

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