Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York on February 17, 1963. He was the fourth of five children born to James and Deloris. James Jordan was a mechanic and 'Deloris Jordan was a bank teller. Soon after Michael's birth, James and Deloris felt that the streets of Brooklyn were unsafe to raise a family, so they moved the family to Wilmington, North Carolina. As a youngster, Michael immediately became interested in sports. However, it was baseball not basketball that was his first love. He would play catch in the yard with his father, who loved baseball. He soon started to play basketball to try and follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Larry, whom he idolized growing up. At Laney High School, as a sophomore, he decided to try out for the varsity team but was cut because he was raw and undersized. The following summer, he grew four inches and practiced tirelessly. The hard work paid off as he averaged 25 points per game in his last two years and was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team as a senior. Following high school, he earned a basketball scholarship from North Carolina University where he would play under legendary coach Dean Smith. In his first year, he was named ACC Freshman of the Year. He would help lead the Tarheels to the 1982 NCAA Championship, making the game-winning shot. After winning the Naismith College Player of the Year award in 1984, Jordan decided to leave North Carolina to enter the NBA draft. Although he decided to leave college early, he would later return to the university in 1986 to complete his degree in geography. In the 1984 NBA draft, he was selected with the third overall pick by the Chicago Bulls. As a rookie for the Bulls, he made an immediate impact, averaging an amazing 28.2 points a game, including six games where he scored 40+ points. He was selected to the NBA All-Star Game and named Rookie of the Year. This would just be the beginning of a career filled with awards and accolades. In the upcoming years, he would go on to win five regular season MVP awards, six NBA championships, six NBA finals MVP awards, three All-Star game MVP awards, and a defensive player of the year award. In 1993, tragedy struck Jordan's seemingly perfect life. On July 23, 1993, his father, James, was murdered off Interstate 95 in North Carolina. Two locals had robbed him, shot him in the chest and threw his body in a swamp. Three months later on October 6, 1993, following a run of three consecutive NBA championships, Jordan announced his retirement from basketball citing that "he no longer had the desire to play." Now "retired" at age 33, it was uncertain what Jordan would do next. Would he take a year off out of the public eye to grieve and then come back to the Bulls? Would he go out and look for a white collar job in the field of geography, his college major? Or would he take up a completely different hobby like golf? In early 1994, Jordan decided to take up a new hobby alright. However, it wasn't golf. It was baseball. Despite not playing baseball since high school some 13 years ago, he signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox in 1994. He played one unspectacular season for the Double-A Birmingham Barons. On March 18, 1995, Jordan, a man of few words since his retirement, sent two important words to media sources everywhere: "I'm Back". He celebrated his return to the NBA by doing what he always did best: winning. Although the Bulls would lose in the playoffs to the Orlando Magic, it was obvious that Jordan was still the same superstar player. He would go on to lead the Bulls to three more consecutive NBA championships and etch his place in the history as the "NBA's greatest player of all-time". On January 13, 1999, Jordan re-announced his retirement, saying that "he was 99.9 percent sure that he would never play again". Soon after, Jordan became part owner of the Washington Wizards. Near the start of the 2001-02 season, there were hints that Jordan may try another comeback to the NBA. On September 25, 2001, Jordan confirmed those rumors, announcing that he would once again return to the NBA as a member of the Wizards. His two seasons in Washington were mediocre at best. His statistics were solid and he showed some flashes of his old self but he could not lead the Wizards to the playoffs and missed several games due to injury. He retired for good following the 2002-03 season and was subsequently dismissed as president of the Washington Wizards. In June 2006, he became part owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Later that year, he filed for divorce from Juanita, his wife of 17 years. They have three children together.
Attended the University of North Carolina, 1981-84.
Picked third by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 NBA Draft, behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie.
Salary: approximately $80 million per year from endorsement deals, peak of $33 million from the NBA in the 1997-98 season.
Has his own line of sportswear called Jordan, a division of Nike. The brand began with the Air Jordan I shoe in 1984.
Chosen by the NBA as one of its 50 greatest players of all time in 1996.
Chosen by People Magazine as one of The Most Intriguing People of the Century.
Professional basketball player in the NBA, 1984-93, 1995-98, 2001-03.
Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world.
In 1999, ESPN voted him as the greatest athlete of the twentieth century.
In 2000, he was named part owner and director of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards basketball team.
His fathers murder on July 23, 1993, was instrumental in Jordans first retirement before the 1993-94 season.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist in mens basketball, in 1984 in L.A. and 1992 in Barcelona (as part of the celebrated original Dream Team).
In January 2002, wife Juanita filed for divorce in circuit court in Waukegan, Illinois, citing "irreconcilable differences." She sought permanent custody of the couples three children, their 25,000-square-foot home in Highland Park and half the couples property. She withdrew the divorce papers a month later only to re-file them seven years later.
Fortune estimated at $400 million. A virtual endorsement cash cow, no athlete has had a larger impact on the economy.
Began shaving his head when he started going bald.
Grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Attended Laney High School in Wilmington, NC. The gymnasium is now called the "Michael Jordan Gym" in his honor.
Buys custom-tailored shirts monogrammed with "Michael" or "MJ".
Moved past Wilt Chamberlain for third-place all-time on the NBA scoring list [23 January 2003].
Third of five children.
Children with ex-wife Juanita: sons Jeffrey Michael (b. 18 November 1988) and Marcus James (b. 24 December 1990), and daughter Jasmine Mickael (b. 7 December 1992).
Has a tattoo of the Greek letter Omega over his heart, representing Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, of which he is a member.
Fired by the Washington Wizards due to player dissension, the team finishing 37-45 two years in a row, and dissonance in the organization involving Jordans people. Jordan was hired on 19 January 2000 as chief executive and president of basketball operations. Owner Abe Pollin gave him free rein to run the Wizards, and Jordan eventually bought a percentage of the team. He got $10 million in severance. (7 May 2003).
In a 1988 game against the Utah Jazz, he dunked over John Stockton , who was 6 1" and 175 pounds. A Jazz fan heckled him, saying, "Why dont you dunk on somebody your own size?" The next trip down the floor, Jordan dunked again, this time on 6 11", 285-lb. center Melvin Turpin. He then turned to the fan and said, "Was he big enough?".
Wore the #23 for his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls, and the Washington Wizards. Sometimes wore the #45 because it was his older brother Larrys number in high school.
Neither of his parents are more than 5 9" tall.
In Space Jam , he tells the Looney Tunes that he used to wear his UNC shorts under his Bulls jersey in every game he played in. He really did do this, as a good luck charm.
Has numerous records and awards under his name and career, including most points in a single playoff game (63), most scoring titles , highest scoring average (31 points per game), and most three pointers in one quarter of a playoff game (5).
Known as the worlds greatest clutch player in basketball for his numerous shots and high-flying moves to win games. He eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers twice from the NBA playoffs due to last-second shots, and won his last NBA championship with a steal and a shot.
The Chicago Bulls all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals. The only category he doesnt hold is blocks, still held by Artis Gilmore. His #23 is one of four retired numbers for the Bulls (along with Bob Love s #10, Scottie Pippen s #33 and Jerry Sloan s #4).
While most are familiar with his obvious #23 and the #45 he wore when he returned from a brief baseball career in 1995, Jordan also wore #12. However, he wore it in only one game--in 1990 after an Orlando Magic Arena employee stole his uniform. It was a back-up jersey and did not even feature a last name. He scored 49 points in the game, leading the Bulls win over the Magic.
While his baseball career was considered a sham and widely criticized, his performance was not as poor as depicted in the press. While he only batted.202 with 3 Home Runs and committed 11 errors, he also had 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, and 6 outfield assists. He led the Birmingham Barons with 11 bases-loaded RBI and 25 RBI with runners in scoring position and two outs. With those statistics, he may have been the best clutch hitter on that team.
On 14 June 1998, Jordan made a shot that won the Chicago Bulls their 6th NBA championship in 8 years. "Jordan Hits the Last Shot" was ranked #2 in TV Guides list of the "25 Most Awesome Sports Moments (of the last 15 years)". [17 July 2005 issue]
His 37.1 points per game season average during the 1986-1987 season was the third highest in history. The first two were both held by Wilt Chamberlain.
Contrary to popular belief, Jordan does not hold the regular season single game scoring record. Wilt Chamberlain has the highest at 100, followed by Kobe Bryant at 81, David Thompson at 73 and David Robinson at 71. Jordans single game-scoring high was 69 points, making his the fifth highest single-game scoring record in history.
His 1992 playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers, where he had 35 first-half points and nailed six three-pointers in a row, has been claimed by many as "the closest anyone has ever come to playing a perfect game of basketball." Ironically, Jordan was bypassed in the 1984 draft by the Trail Blazers, who picked Sam Bowie instead, a move that has gone down in history as one of the biggest draft-day blunders.
Participated in three NBA Slam Dunk Contests, winning two of them.
Reinvented some of the traditions and rules in basketball. Started the trend of the long-length shorts. He claims he wore them that length so he could cover up his North Carolina shorts, which he always wore during his pro career. However, his style caught on, and soon mostly everyone wore their shorts at a longer length. A new rule also was invented were a player could take one extra step if he was in the process of shooting, passing, or driving to the hoop. This was because of how Jordan would do this quite often in his career without getting a traveling call.
Jordans rookie three-point average was 17%, but rose to almost 43% by his 1995-96 season. Initially known for poor defense, rebounding and assists, Jordan became a regular on the NBA All-Defensive Team, was one of the few guards to win a Defensive Player of the Year award and, in 1988-89, averaged eight assists and eight rebounds to go with 35 points, the closest a player has come to averaging a triple-double since Oscar Robertson did.
During his record performance of 63 points against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, Larry Bird claimed that Jordan was "God disguised as Michael Jordan".
Played with the Chicago Bulls for 14 years, 1984-1998, and with the Washington Wizards for 2 years, 2001-2003.
Topped "Forbes" magazines "The 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces", with an estimated settlement of $150 million.
In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year at $31 million.
Lives in Chicago.
Inducted into the ESPN Chicago Hall of Fame in 2011 (inaugural class) with Walter Payton , Ernie Banks , Dick Butkus , and Mike Ditka.
Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Appeared, with Charlie Sheen , in a commercial for "Hanes" underwear.
Bought part-ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Charlotte Hornets) from majority owner Robert L. Johnson in June 2006. Jordan became the majority owner in 2010.
His wedding to Yvette Prieto cost an estimated $10.1 million.
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian award, by President Barack Obama , in a live televised ceremony held in the East Room of the White House, on November 22, 2016, along with twenty other recipients, the the largest, and final Medal of Freedom ceremony of Obamas presidency. At this ceremony, the twenty-one recipients, in alphabetical order, included: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Elouise Cobell (posthumous award given to her son), Ellen DeGeneres , Robert De Niro , Richard Garwin , Bill Gates , Melinda Gates , Frank Gehry , Margaret Hamilton (as Margaret H. Hamilton), Tom Hanks , Rear Admiral Grace Hopper (posthumous award given to her niece), Michael Jordan , Maya Lin , Lorne Michaels , Newton Minow , Eduardo Padron (as Eduardo Padrn), Robert Redford , Diana Ross , Vin Scully , Bruce Springsteen , and Cicely Tyson.
As of 2016, with all his endorsement and promotion deals, properties, companies, investments, and other assets his net worth is an estimated $1.14 billion.
Lives in a 56,000 square foot mansion is valued at $29 million, which has a state of the art gym, an NBA regulation size basketball court, a tennis court, a putting green, and a three bedroom guest house.
Third richest African American.
Prieto gave birth to identical twin daughters named Victoria and Ysabel.[February 2014].
Married Yvette Prietoon at the Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church.[ April 2013].
You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. -- GQ,March, 1989.
You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.
My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.
Everybody has talent, but ability takes hard work.
Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
I realize im black, but id like to be viewed as a person, and that is everybodys wish.
When I was playing before I retired, I never really understood the appreciation and the respect that people gave me. People had treated me like a god or something, and that was very embarrassing.
If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.
Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.
Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.
The best evaluation I can make of a player is to look in his eyes and see how scared they are.
Limits, like fear, is often an illusion.
In any investment, you expect to have fun and make money.
The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace.
Gambling is legal and betting is legal, for what I bet.
