Who is Michael Jordan?
Michael Jordan, also best known as ‘Air Jordan’, is a former American Basketball player. He is the greatest all round player in the history of the sports. He is best known for his widely famous dunk shot.
Michael Jeffery Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York to James and Deloris Jordan. From a very young age, he shared a special bond with his father; baseball was their first love. However, Jordan pursued basketball after getting inspired by his older brother Larry, his idol and fantastic athlete.
Early Life of Jordan
Jordan attended Laney High School in North Carolina where he played for the school’s junior team. Jordan performed exceptionally well in every game, and eventually, Jordan’s coaches noticed his talent. He was selected for the McDonald’s All American Team, the best of all high school basketball teams.
During 1981, Jordan was offered a scholarship by the University of North Carolina. He started training under the famous coach, Dean Smith. UNC won the NCAA Division I Championship in 1982, with Jordan scoring the final basket against Georgetown. He was named the ‘College Player of year’ by Sporting News in 1983.
Professional Player Journey of Jordan
In 1984, Jordan participated in his first Olympic Games as a part of the US Olympic basketball team, and soon after got drafted by the Chicago Bulls. He took the team to the play-offs and averaging about 33 points per game, Jordan was named the NBA’ Rookie’ of the Year and was chosen for the All Star game.
Jordan scored a place in the All-NBA Second Team. In 1985, Jordan successfully graduated with a degree in geography. Sadly, he suffered a foot inquiry in his second season. The Chicago Bulls won the game, but Jordan was out for 64 games that season.
The 1986-1987 season saw Jordan breaking major records. Jordan scored 40 or more points in nine consecutive games and 23 straight in one game, creating an NBA record. He was organised as the Slam Dunk Championship. Jordan scored 3000 points in a single season, becoming the first player to do since Wilt Chamberlain. He continued playing for the next seven years but surprisingly announced his ‘retirement’ in 1993 starting that he had lost the will to play game.
As a Baseball Player
During this break, Jordan pursued his dream of playing baseball. Sadly, he was not successful as a baseball player. In 1995, Jordan returned to the basketball scene. He made his comeback with the world’s shortest press release, consisting of only two words, I’m back. His comeback game was one of the highest rated televised games.
In the 1995-1996 season, the Bulls finished with a score of 72-10 earning Jordan his eighth scoring title. He won the MVP award again that year, and Jordan’s career continued to rise over the next few year.
Retired Again in 1998
Jordan retired again the 1997-1998 season he became the president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards in 2000. He ended up playing for the team for two years before retiring for good in 2003. In 2003, Jordan became the first person above the age of forty to score forty points in an NBA game.
Jordan collaborated with Nike to create his signature sneakers. Soon, the demand for his Air Jordan was unbelievably high. He also signed deals with other major companies like Gatorade McDonald, Wheaties, and MCI.
Accomplishment of Jordan
The well talented athlete received several NBA titles from 1984-1988 including, Defensive Player of the Year’ and “Slam Dunk Contest Championship’. In 1996, NBA named his as one of the fifty greatest players of all time.
Jordan has also been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2016, Jordan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
Jordan was involved with charitable work alongside his basketball career. From 2001 to 2014, Jordan held an annual charity golfing event known as the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational. The gathered donations were used to help out foundations like Make-a-wish, Cats Care and Opportunity Village.
Love life of Michael
In 1989, Jordan got married to Juanita Vanoy. But after seventeen years of marriage, the couple separated. He got married for the second time in 2013 to model Yvette Prieto. Jordan is the father of five children.