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Introduction
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. He became the most effectively marketed athlete of his generation and was instrumental in spreading the appeal of the National Basketball Association around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. He is currently a part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Born in Brooklyn, New York City, "M.J.", considered a remarkable force at both ends of the floor, ended an NBA career of 15 seasons with a regular-season scoring average of 30.12 points per game, the highest in NBA history (marginally ahead of Wilt Chamberlain's 30.06). He won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls (during which he won all six NBA Finals MVP awards), won 10 scoring titles, and was league MVP five times. He was named to the All-NBA First Team 10 times, All-Defensive First Team nine times, and led the league in steals three times. With all these things taken into account, Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time.
Since 1983, he has appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated a record 49 times, and was named the magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" in 1991. He has also appeared on the cover of SLAM Magazine nine times (a record), including as the cover athlete for the magazine's 50th and 100th issues. In 1999, he was named "the greatest athlete of the 20th century" by ESPN, and was second only to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press list of top athletes of the century. 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
Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, the third son of James and Delores Jordan, who moved the family to Wilmington, North Carolina when Michael was young. Jordan attended Ogden Elementary School and then Trask Junior High School. Jordan has two older brothers, one older sister, and one younger sister, and was the only one of his siblings who did not hold a steady job as a teenager. Jordan was a poor student through his years at Emsley A. Laney High School, and received several suspensions. But he evolved into a A+ student and a three-sport star in football (at quarterback), baseball, and basketball.
He was cut from the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year because at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) he was deemed underdeveloped, but over the summer he grew four inches (10 cm) and practiced even harder. Over his next two seasons, he averaged 25 points per game. He began focusing on basketball, practicing every morning before school with his high school varsity coach. In his senior season at Laney High, Jordan became the only high-school player to average a triple-double: 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists. He was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team as a senior.
Jordan earned a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in geography. As a freshman in coach Dean Smith's team-oriented system, Jordan was an exciting, but not dominant, player. Nonetheless, he made the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Basketball Championship game against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing. After winning the Naismith College Player of the Year award in 1984, he left school early to enter the NBA Draft, and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round as the 3rd pick overall, after Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Jordan returned to UNC to complete his degree in 1986.
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