Michael Jordan, sometimes known as “His Airness” or “Air Jordan,” has attracted millions of admirers with his iconic dunk shot. From the time he was in school, the basketball great displayed a natural talent for the game. He opted to compete in the ‘NBA Championships’ at the age of twenty-one after winning multiple prizes in college for his abilities. Despite not being selected for the finest ‘NBA’ teams, this talented athlete gave it his all for the ‘Chicago Bulls.’ With his talent, this athlete proved to be a match-turner, affecting the fate of his side. From a losing team, the ‘Chicago Bulls’ began to win the majority of their games, eventually winning six championships in a row. This extraordinary player is regarded as a joy to behold, and although retiring on two occasions, he returned to mesmerize the audience each time. He went from the ‘Chicago Bulls’ to the ‘Washington Wizards,’ first as President of Operations, then as a player. After his final retirement, he became a part-owner of the ‘Charlotte Bobcats,’ with a majority ownership in the team. He has gone on to become the sole billionaire athlete in history since then. Continue reading to learn more about his life and work.
Childhood and Adolescence
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York, to James and Deloris Jordan. Deloris was a banker, while James worked in the electrical and heavy equipment industries. Larry, James R. Jr., Roslyn, and Deloris, along with the rest of the family, eventually settled in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Michael attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, where he acquired an interest in sports such as basketball, baseball, and football. His parents instilled in him the values of hard work and independence when he was a child. He tried out for the sophomore basketball team but was turned down because he was too short.
Rather than being depressed, he joined the junior basketball team at school. He was a fantastic player who put forth a lot of effort to become taller. He was named for the ‘McDonald’s All-American Team,’ the best of all high school basketball teams, after impressing everyone.
The young child played for college teams such as ‘North Carolina’, ‘Virginia’, ‘Duke’, and ‘Syracuse’ as a senior in high school. Finally, in 1981, the ‘University of North Carolina’ awarded him a basketball scholarship based on his performance. He majored in cultural geography in college.
Jordan was trained at the institution by legendary basketball coach Dean Smith, and the ‘Atlantic Coast Conference’ named him ‘Freshman of the Year.’ His jump shot was vital in the team’s victory over ‘Georgetown University’ in the ‘NCAA Championship’ in 1982.
Career of Jordan
He dropped out of university in 1984 in order to join the ‘NBA Draft.’ After athletes Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie were selected by the ‘Houston Rockets’ and ‘Portland Trail Blazers,’ respectively, the youthful athlete was chosen by the ‘Chicago Bulls.’
He was a member of a gold-medal-winning squad in the 1984 ‘Summer Olympics,’ which included players like Sam Perkins, Steve Alford, and Patrick Ewing.
Michael returned to college and received his bachelor’s degree from the ‘University of North Carolina’ two years later.
Jordan shown his toughness as a member of the ‘Chicago Bulls’ in 1984-87, a club that didn’t have much luck with victory, with an above-average ppg of 28.2.
He grew in popularity, which was hated by players on both his own and opposing teams. As a result, teammates failed to pass the ball to him on multiple occasions, and the ‘Bulls’ lost to the ‘Milwaukee Bucks’ in the playoffs. Every season he played in, the energetic basketball player led his team to the playoffs. The youthful athlete became the first player in NBA history to record 100 blocks and 200 steals in a single season.
Despite the fact that the ‘Bulls’ lost in the playoffs to the ‘Boston Celtics,’ the former did better than the latter.
From 1987 to 1990, the ‘Chicago Bulls’ new star led his team to the first round of the ‘NBA Playoffs’ in the first season and to the finals in the next two. They beat teams like the ‘Cleveland Cavaliers,’ ‘New York Knicks,’ ‘Milwaukee Bucks,’ and ‘Philadelphia 76ers,’ but each season, the ‘Detroit Pistons,’ headed by Isiah Thomas, knocked off the ‘Bulls.’
Jordan helped the ‘Bulls’ glide through the playoffs the next season, reaching the ‘Eastern Conference’ finals. His squad was pitted against the ‘Detroit Pistons’ once more, but this time the ‘Chicago Bulls’ triumphed. The champions faced the ‘Los Angeles Lakers’ in the ‘NBA’ finals, winning for the first time in the game’s existence.
The ‘Chicago Bulls’ won three consecutive championships the following two seasons, defeating the ‘Blazers’ and the ‘Phoenix Suns’. He was a member of the ‘dream squad’ in the 1992 ‘Summer Olympics,’ a gold-medal-winning group of outstanding players that included Magic Johnson, David Robinson, and Larry Bird.
The popular athlete was caught gambling in 1993, an allegation he admitted to in an interview with the ’60 Minutes’ show. On October 6, the same year, he announced his retirement publicly, citing his father’s murder as one of the reasons.
The basketball player signed a baseball contract with the ‘Chicago White Sox’ the following year. Michael’s goal was to fulfill his father’s dream of seeing his son play baseball. In the same year, he also played for the Birmingham Barons and the Scottsdale Scorpions, both minor league baseball clubs.
The ‘Chicago Bulls’ were unable to compete in the ‘NBA’ championships without their star player. In 1995, the legendary athlete chose to retire from baseball and return to basketball, playing for the ‘Bulls’ once more.
His rematch was against the ‘Indiana Pacers,’ who were defeated by the ‘Bulls.’ His team then went on to beat the ‘Atlanta Hawks’ and the ‘New York Knicks.’
However, the ‘Bulls’ were defeated in the ‘Eastern Conference Semifinal’ by the ‘Orlando Magic.’ ‘Orlando Magic’ won the season despite Michael’s average of 31 points per game.
Between 1995 and 1998, the great athlete won three NBA titles, defeating the ‘Seattle SuperSonics’ in the first and the ‘Utah Jazz’ in the second. This victory, along with five others, marked a watershed moment in his career, as it made him the sixth player to earn the ‘Most Valuable Player’ (‘MVP’) award in the ‘NBA’ finals.
Jordan retired from basketball again on January 13, 1999, but returned the following year as the President of Basketball Operations for the ‘Washington Wizards.’
In 2001, the athlete chose to return to the game and put in a lot of work to get back in shape. He also hired Doug Collins, his former coach of the ‘Chicago Bulls,’ to coach his new franchise, the ‘Washington Wizards.’
On September 25, the same year, he stated that he will play basketball for the ‘Washington Wizards,’ pledging to donate his whole salary to the 9/11 victims. However, due to a significant knee injury, he was unable to play in many games during the 2001-02 season.
In 2003, he played his final ‘NBA All-Star’ game against the ‘Philadelphia 76ers,’ breaking Kareem Abdul-record Jabbar’s for most points scored in a single game. The ‘Washington Wizards’ lost, though, after multiple intentional fouls against Michael. The famed athlete, on the other hand, received a three-minute standing ovation.
The athlete was fired from his position as President of the ‘Washington Wizards’ after his retirement. Michael Jordan Motorsports, his own motorcycle racing team, was created in 2004. He became a part-owner of the NBA team ‘Charlotte Bobcats’ two years later, with a majority share in the team’s operations.
Achievements & Awards
This gifted athlete won multiple NBA accolades during the 1984-88 season, including ‘Rookie of the Year,’ ‘Defensive Player of the Year,’ and ‘Slam Dunk Contest Champion.’ On multiple times, he has been dubbed the ‘NBA Champion.’
He earned the gold medal at the ‘Summer Olympics’ in 1984 as a member of the winning team.
In 1991, he was selected ‘Sportsman of the Year’ by the publication ‘Sports Illustrated.’ He received another gold medal for his team’s success at the ‘Summer Olympics’ the following year.
Several magazines, including ‘SLAM’ and ‘ESPN Sports,’ have named him one of the best sports personalities. He’s included in the ‘Hall of Fame’ of the ‘Naismith Memorial’ and the ‘North Carolina Museum of History.’
Personal History and Legacy
Jordan married Jaunita Vanoy in 1989, however the couple divorced after seventeen years of marriage. Jaunita obtained 168 million dollars from her ex-husband as a settlement. Jeffrey and Marcus, the couple’s two kids, are both basketball players. On April 27, 2013, in the ‘Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church,’ the basketball player married model Yvette Prieto, whom he had been dating for quite some time. Victoria and Ysabel, the couple’s twin daughters, were born the next year.
This athlete is so well-known that he has been appointed as an ambassador for several major corporations. McDonald’s, Wheaties, Chevrolet, Nike, Hanes, Coca-Cola, and Gatorade are among his many endorsements.
The well-known athlete has donated to humanitarian organizations such as Chicago’s Hales Franciscan High School and Atlanta’s Habitat for Humanity.
Estimated Net Worth
Michael Jordan’s net worth is about 1.6 billion USD.
Trivia
A former lover of this famous basketball star, Karla Knafel, said that the athlete paid her a large quantity of money to keep quiet about their relationship and her pregnancy. However, a DNA test revealed that the accused was not the father and that the accusations were baseless.