Michael Jordan Biography

BIRTH: February 17, 1963, New York City, U.S.

Michael Jordan Biography : Chicago Bulls Basketball Player

Michael Jordan, also known as “Air Jordan”, is a former American basketball player. He is the greatest all-around player in the history of the sport. He is best known for his wildly famous dunk shot.

Michael Jeffrey 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 a fantastic athlete.

Jordan attended Laney High School in North Carolina where he played for the school’s junior team. Jordan played exceptionally in every game, and eventually, his coaches noticed his talent. He was selected for the McDonald’s All-American Team, the best of all high school basketball teams.

In 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 NCAA “College Player of the Year” two years in a row(1983-84) by the Sporting News.

In 1984, Jordan participated in his first Olympic Games as a part of the U.S. Olympic basketball team, and soon got drafted by the Chicago Bulls. He took the team to the playoffs and scored an average of 28.2 points. Jordan was named the NBA “Rookie of the Year” and was chosen for the All-Star game. He scored a place in the All NBA Second Team. In 1985 Jordan successfully graduated with a degree in geography. Sadly, he suffered a foot injury in his second season. The Chicago Bulls won the game, but Jordan was out for 64 games that season.

The 1986-87 season was one of breaking major records in his career. Jordan scored 40 or more points in nine consecutive games and 23 straight in one game, creating an NBA record. He was recognized as the Slam Dunk Champion. Jordan scored 3000 points in a single season, the first player to do so since Wilt Chamberlain. He continued playing for the next seven years but surprisingly announced his “retirement” in 1993. Following his father’s murder and the media’s outcry about his gambling, he stated that he had lost the will to play the game.

During his 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 1995-96 season the Bulls finished the season with a score of 72-10 earning Jordan his eighth scoring title. He won the MVP award that year, and Jordan’s career continued to rise over the next few years.

In 1999, Jordan retired once again. 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 was recognized as the most popular athlete in the world. He collaborated with Nike to create his signature sneakers. Soon the demand for his ‘Air Jordans’ was unbelievably high. He also signed deals with other major companies like Gatorade, McDonald’s, Wheaties, and MCI.

The talented athlete received several NBA titles from 1984-88 including “Rookie of the Year”, “Defensive Player of the Year” and “Slam Dunk Contest Champion”. In 2016, Jordan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. In 1996, NBA named him as one of the fifty greatest players of all time. He has also been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

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.

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.