Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan was an American basketball player, he was acknowledged as

greatest player in basketball history. Micheal was born in Brooklyn, New
York, on February 17, 1963 to James and Delores Jordan.
The family moved from Brooklyn to Wilmington, North Carolina, when Michae
l was still a young child. Long before his basketball skills emerged, you
ng Michael liked to play baseball with his father. As a teenager, Michael
Jordan became well known in North Carolina for his baseball skills, and
he was named most valuable player (MVP) of the Babe Ruth League after his
team won the state championship.
Micheals interest in basketball grew as a kid when his elder brother Larr
y, continuously beat him in one-on-one pickup games. Somehow he got determ
ined to be a better basketball player.
Michael Jordan attended Wilmingtons Laney High School. Ironically, Jordan
was cut from the varsity team as a sophomore. Instead of giving up after fa
iling to make the team, Jordan used it to spur himself to greater achieveme
nts, practicing hour after hour on the court. "Whenever I was working out a
nd got tired and figured I ought to stop, I'd close my eyes and see that li
st in the locker room without my name on it," Jordan said, "and that usuall
y got me going again." He eventually made the team .Over his next two seaso
ns, he averaged 25 points per game. He began focusing on basketball, practi
cing every morning before school with his high school varsity coach. In his
senior season at Laney High, Jordan averaged a triple-double: 29.2 points,
11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists. He was selected to the McDonald's All-Ame
rican Team as a senior.
Jordan accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of North C
arolina. As a freshman, Jordan's ever-growing popularity began when he
scored the game-winning basket in the 1982 NCAA championship game again
st 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 Olym
pic 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--Sa
m Bowie) by the Chicago Bulls, a team that had won only 28 games the previ
ous season. Ironically, Jordan played in his first game as a pro against W
ashington on Oct. 26, 1984. Jordan became an immediate impact in the leagu
e and proved that he belonged among the elite players. He finished his roo
kie 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. J
ordan 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 con
secutive 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 play
ers 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 troubling 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 ill
egally bet on NBA games. He was eventually cleared. These events eventuall
y caused Jordan to lose his motivation and the sense of having to prove so
mething 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 m
inor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. He was assigned to the Bir
mingham Barons, affiliates of the Chicago White Sox, and played an outfield
er position. His presence in the minors grew large numbers in attendance, b
ut his batting was uncharacteristic of Jordan's athletic skills. In his fir
st 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 Ariz
ona 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 c
areer with baseball and rejoined the Bulls near the end of the 1994-1995 r
egular season, eventually losing to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Confe
rence Semifinals. "He didn't look like the old Michael Jordan, " said Orla
ndo's Nick Anderson.
Jordan once again had something to prove to the world, that he was still t
he 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 ast
onishing 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 wi
n 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 leagu
e in scoring in all three years of his comeback (1996, 1997, and 1998) an
d 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 secon
d retirement. Jordan stated he would not play basketball for anyone else
other than Phil Jackson, and mentioned he would like to spend more time w
ith his wife, Juanita, and their three children, Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine.
Michael Jordan later joined the Washington Wizards as President of Basketba
ll Operations and part owner in January 2000. "I'm going to have my imprint
s and footprints all over this organization," said Jordan. "I look forward
to turning this thing around. Right now we're an underachieving team." Jord
an 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 wit
h the Bulls, and began the Wizards rebuilding phase. But no one had expecte
d the turn of events that were leading into the 2001-2002 season.

Michael Jordan's burning competitive desire to succeed motivated him to re

turn once again as a basketball player, and turn the Wizards franchise aro
und. Jordan began training, informing the media, at first, he was only doi
ng it to lose weight. He worked himself into basketball shape during the s
ummer by holding several invitation-only camps of pickup games with other
NBA players at a Chicago gym. Jordan suffered three setbacks during his co
meback summer workouts, raising questions as to whether his 38-year old bo
dy 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 ret
urn 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 especia
lly excited about the Washington Wizards, and I'm convinced we have the fou
ndation on which to build a playoff-contention team." Ironically, Jordan ac
hieved another moment in his spectacular career, scoring his 30,000th caree
r point on January 4, 2002 against his former team, the Chicago Bulls. Unfo
rtunately, 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 ga
me on April 16th, 2003.

There's no question that Michael Jordan is the greatest player to ever pla
y 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 leag
ue 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 o
n his own terms. His comeback was to scratch an itch, and to teach the you
nger players how the game is played. He finished his career with 32,292 po
ints, 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 a
nd feel at peace with the game of basketball," said Jordan.