Michael Jordan
Here is best of the best. Basketball legend Micheal Jordan,
Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 17, 1963.
His parents, James and Delores Jordan, moved to Wilmington,
North Carolina when he was still a toddler. Jordan has two
older brothers, one older sister, and one younger sister.
Jordan loved to play baseball when he was a child, and also played
some basketball and football. His love for basketball began
when his older brother, Larry, continuously beat him in
one-on-one pickup games. As with any challenge Jordan faces,
this determined Michael to become a better player.
Jordan played basketball for Laney High School in Wilmington, North
Carolina. Ironically, Jordan was cut from the varsity team
as a sophomore. Instead of giving up after failing to make
the team, Jordan used it to spur himself to greater
achievements, practicing hour after hour on the court.
“Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I
ought to stop, I’d close my eyes and see that list in the locker
room without my name on it,” Jordan said, “and that usually
got me going again.” He eventually made the team and led it to
the state championship.
Jordan accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of North
Carolina. As a freshman, Jordan’s ever-growing popularity
began when he scored the game-winning basket in the 1982
NCAA championship game against the Georgetown Hoyas. Jordan
was selected college player of the year in the 1983-84
season, and led the US Men’s Basketball Team to an Olympic
Gold Medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics under coach Bobby
Knight.
Jordan left college and entered the NBA in 1984, he was selected
third in the draft (First pick: Houston–Hakeem Olajuwon; second
pick: Portland–Sam Bowie) by the Chicago Bulls, a team that
had won only 28 games the previous season. Ironically, Jordan
played in his first game as a pro against Washington on Oct.
26, 1984. Jordan became an immediate impact in the league and
proved that he belonged among the elite players. He finished his rookie
season as one of the top scorers in the league, averaging 28.2
points per game, was named Rookie of the Year, and also made
the All-Star team. Jordan led the Bulls into the playoffs in
every season, but didn’t make the NBA Finals until 1991, where
he led the Bulls to their first of three consecutive NBA
Championships (1991, 1992, and 1993).
Jordan
played in the 1992 summer Olympics with the original Dream Team,
perhaps the greatest team ever assembled. It was the first time NBA
players were allowed to compete in the Olympics. Michael Jordan
averaged 12.7 points per game as the USA Dream Team went 6-0
to win the gold medal, Jordan’s second in his career.
There were some troublig events that followed his third NBA
Championship. Jordan’s father, James Jordan, pulled over
one night to take a nap on his way home, and was murdered
by a couple of armed robbers in North Carolina. The NBA
also began an investigation into allegations that Jordan
had illegally bet on NBA games. He was eventually cleared.
These events eventually caused Jordan to lose his motivation and the
sense of having to prove something as a basketball player, and
he felt it was time to step away from the court.
Jordan sought a new challenge, to play professional baseball. He
signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. He
was assigned to the Birmingham Barons, affiliates of the
Chicago White Sox, and played an outfielder position. His
presence in the minors grew large numbers in attendance, but
his batting was uncharacteristic of Jordan’s athletic skills.
In his first summer with the Barons, he batted .202 with 114 strikeouts
in 127 games. Later in the year he batted .252 with the
Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. By November of
1994, the Bulls had retired his number and erected a life-size
statue of him in front of the United Center.
On March 18, 1995, Jordan announced “I’m back!” He ended
his short-lived career with baseball and rejoined the Bulls near the
end of the 1994-1995 regular season, eventually losing to the
Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. “He
didn’t look like the old Michael Jordan, ” said Orlando’s
Nick Anderson.
Jordan once again had something to prove to the world, that he was
still the greatest basketball player to ever play the game, and
that he would be even greater in the season to come. Michael
Jordan led the Bulls to an astonishing 72-10 record, the best
regular season in the history of the NBA. Jordan led the league
in scoring with 30.4 points per game, was named the All-Star
MVP, the league MVP and the NBA Finals MVP, as they went on to
win their fourth NBA championship (1996). He was selected in
1996 as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance into the next two
seasons, winning two more consecutive championships (1997 and
1998), becoming the first team in NBA history to
repeat-the-threepeat (1991-1993, 1996-1998). Jordan earned
All-Star MVP and league MVP honors in 1998, led the league in
scoring in all three years of his comeback (1996, 1997, and 1998) and
won six NBA Finals MVP awards for every Finals the Bulls have
competed in.
The breakup of the Bulls dynasty by Jerry Krause led to Jordan’s
second retirement. Jordan stated he would not play basketball
for anyone else other than Phil Jackson, and mentioned he
would like to spend more time with his wife, Juanita, and
their three children, Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine.
Michael Jordan later joined the Washington Wizards as President of
Basketball Operations and part owner in January 2000. “I’m
going to have my imprints and footprints all over this
organization,” said Jordan. “I look forward to turning this
thing around. Right now we’re an underachieving team.” Jordan
disappointedly witnessed his team win 19 games in the 2000-2001
season, his first full season as President of Basketball Operations,
after winning only 29 games the season before. He completely
overhauled the roster, hired Doug Collins, a coach Jordan
played for once before in his early years with the Bulls, and
began the Wizards rebuilding phase. But no one had expected the
turn of events that were leading into the 2001-2002 season.
Michael Jordan’s burning competitive desire to succeed motivated him
to return once again as a basketball player, and turn the
Wizards franchise around. Jordan began training, informing the
media, at first, he was only doing it to lose weight. He worked
himself into basketball shape during the summer by holding
several invitation-only camps of pickup games with other NBA
players at a Chicago gym. Jordan suffered three setbacks during
his comeback summer workouts, raising questions as to whether his
38-year old body can endure a NBA 82 game schedule.
On September 25, 2001, Jordan added another chapter to what could
have been the perfect ending in his storybook career. He
announced that he would return to the NBA and play for the
Washington Wizards on a two-year
contract. “I am returning as a player to the game I love,” said
Jordan. “I am especially excited about the Washington Wizards,
and I’m convinced we have the foundation on which to build a
playoff-contention team.” Ironically, Jordan achieved another
moment in his spectacular career, scoring his 30,000th career
point on January 4, 2002 against his former team, the Chicago
Bulls. Unfortunately, Jordan was never able to lead his Wizards
into the postseason as a player. He retired for a third and final time
after playing his final game on April 16th, 2003.
There’s no question that Michael Jordan is the greatest player to
ever play the game, he has single-handedly redefined
basketball. No player in NBA history has achieved so much in
any amount of time. He is a five-time league MVP, a ten-time
scoring champion, a six-time Finals MVP, and houses six NBA
championships. This time Michael Jordan left the game of basketball
on his own terms. His comeback was to scratch an itch, and to teach
the younger players how the game is played. He finished his
career with 32,292 points, and a career average 30.12 ppg, the
best in NBA history. Jordan has now officially passed the torch
to the younger stars. “Now I can go home and feel at peace
with the game of basketball,” said Jordan.
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