Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (New York, February 17, 1963) is a former American basketball player. At 1.98 meters tall, he played shooting guard. He is considered by most fans and specialists as the best basketball player of all time. He retired permanently in 2003 with the Washington Wizards, after having done so on two previous occasions, in 1993 and 1999, after having played 13 seasons. on the Chicago Bulls.

He won 6 rings with the Chicago Bulls, averaging 30.1 points per game in his entire sports career, the highest average in league history. He also won 10 scoring titles, 5 season MVPs, 6 Finals MVPs; he was named to the NBA's All-First Team ten times, defensive nine times, a three-year takeaway leader, and a season-defensive defenseman award.

Since 1983, he has appeared on the cover of the prestigious sports magazine Sports Illustrated a record 50 times, as well as being named Sportsman of the Year in 1991 and Best Athlete of the 20th Century by ESPN and second to Babe Ruth by the Associated Press.

He is currently the owner of the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA and 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup. His net worth is estimated at $1.6 billion.

Beginnings

Michael, the son of James and Deloris Jordan, was born in Brooklyn, New York. His family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was a child. He studied at Ogden Elementary School, and later attended Emsley A. Laney High School, where, due to his impressive athleticism, he played basketball, baseball, and football. However, he was cut from the basketball team his sophomore year because for his height (1.80 meters) he was apparently underdeveloped. The following summer, he grew 4 inches and trained rigorously.In his senior year at Laney High, he averaged a triple-double: 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists, and was selected in the McDonald & # 39;s All-American Team.

University

Michael Jordan and Dean Smith in the match in honor of the men's basketball teams at North Carolina University in 1957 and 1982.

Jordan's T-shirt hanging from the Smith Center Arena beams.

Jordan received a scholarship to play basketball at the University of North Carolina in the 1981-82 season, where he majored in geography. In his first year he was coached by the legendary Dean Smith, and was named the best rookie player of the season (ACC Freshman of the Year), averaging 13.4 points per game with 53.4% shooting from the field. Back then, Jordan was practically a dominant player on the court, although even so, the Tar Heels were not led by him, but by future Hall of Famer James Worthy. In the 1982 NCAA Championship Final against Georgetown University, Jordan gave the Tar Heels victory with a two-point jumper with seconds left to win the championship, the first success in his flawless professional career.. In the rival team was the center Patrick Ewing, a future New York Knicks player who would attend, although on a different side, magical nights at Madison Square Garden.

He was later named an NCAA All-American in the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons, and won the Naismith College Player of the Year award and the John R. Wooden Award at the season 1983-1984. He dropped out of college that same year to enter the NBA Draft. The Houston Rockets selected Hakeem Olajuwon and the Portland Trail Blazers selected Sam Bowie, after which the Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick. Jordan would return to study at the university in 1986 to finally graduate in geography.

Statistics

Professional career

Early Years

Jordan was a success and an immediate sensation as just a rookie, averaging 28.2 points per game on a 51.5 field goal percentage. He quickly became one of the public's favorite players due to his spectacular offensive game on the court, Jordan played in the All-Star Game from the starting lineup in his first year in the NBA thanks to the votes of the public. That season he would also take Rookie of the Year, also breaking the record for the most points obtained by a rookie in a game in franchise history, with 49 against Isiah Thomas' Detroit Pistons. The Bulls finished the season with a 38-44 record, but lost in the first round of playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks in four games.

In his sophomore season, Jordan was sidelined with a foot injury. However, despite his loss, the Bulls finished the season 30-52 and were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round 3-0. Jordan recovered in time to play the postseason, but couldn't prevent his team's elimination against the unstoppable machine that was Larry Bird's Celtics. Even so, the second game entered NBA history due to Jordan's sovereign individual performance, which made him the player who has scored the most points in a playoff game, with 63. After the game, which was decided In overtime, Larry Bird's words couldn't have better summed up Jordan's incredible game: "I've seen God disguised as a basketball player."

The following season, fully recovered from his injury, he achieved one of the highest scoring averages in NBA history, at 37.1 per game, being the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to score more than 3,000 points in a single season. Despite his great numbers, Magic Johnson clearly snatched the MVP from him by 733 points to Jordan's 449. The Bulls won 40 games and slipped into the playoffs for the third consecutive year. However, they were again swept by the Celtics.

Stopped by the Bad Boys

Jordan, 1987.

He had another excellent season in 1987-88 averaging 35 points on 53.5% shooting, finally winning his first MVP of the season. In addition to that, he also received the Best Defender award, a rarity for a perimeter player, averaging 1.6 blocks and 3.16 steals. The Bulls finished 50-32 and Jordan overcame for the first time in their career the first round of the playoffs by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. However, they were eliminated in the conference semifinals against the experienced Detroit Pistons led by Isiah Thomas and his group of Bad Boys.

In the 1988-89 season, Jordan averaged 32.5 points per game (53.8% shooting from the field) as the Bulls reached 47 wins. In the playoffs they advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, leaving the Cavaliers and Knicks on the road. In the series against the Cavs, it is worth noting the mythical basket at Jordan's buzzer against Craig Ehlo called "El Tiro" (The Shot). With this shot the tie was decided. However, once again the Pistons would cross the path of the Bulls, this time eliminating them in six games using the Jordan Rules, a defensive strategy that consisted of double and even triple defenses against the shooting guard every time he touched the ball. This tactic invented by Chuck Daly would be re-used by the 1990s Knicks.

The Bulls of the 1989-90 season were a team on the rise. Led by Jordan and young new players like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, they became a more dangerous and cohesive team under coach Phil Jackson. Jordan would average 33.6 points per night (52.6%) leading the Bulls to a 55-27 record. Leaving the Philadelphia 76ers en route, they would reach the conference finals for another season and for the third time in a row the Pistons would separate them from glory. Detroit won its second ring in a row, and questions raged across America about whether the Bulls could ever beat them. Chicago entered the 1990-91 season wondering if it could finally put together a team capable of winning a championship.

First three-peat

Back in the 1990-91 season, Jordan was more motivated than ever after being eliminated by the Pistons. That year he won his second MVP award averaging 31.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game on the season. The Bulls finished in first place for the first time in 16 years and achieved a franchise record winning 61 games. With Scottie Pippen playing like an All-Star, the Bulls took it to another level. In the first two rounds of the playoffs, they eliminated the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, reaching the conference finals with the Pistons again waiting for them. However, Chicago was already playing as a team and Jordan was surrounded by great players. Jordan made his teammates better and even the Jordan Rules were useless. The Bulls surprisingly swept the Pistons. Late in the fourth and final game, Thomas led his teammates into the locker room tunnel before the end-of-game buzzer had sounded, thus forgoing the handshakes that were used to the end of the meetings.

In the NBA Finals they would meet Magic Johnson's Los Angeles Lakers. They won in five games and finished the playoffs with an excellent 15-2 score. It is worth noting a play that is still in the memory of NBA fans, it is none other than the rectification in the air of Jordan changing the hand ball to scoring a mythical basket in front of an area populated by Lakers players. Michael Jordan won his first MVP of the Finals and cried holding the champion's trophy.

Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance in the 1991-92 season, setting another new franchise record by winning 67 games and losing just 15. Jordan won his third MVP (second in a row) with averages of 30.1/ 6.4/6.1. After beating the Knicks in seven tough games in the second round of playoffs and the Cavs in six in the Conference Finals, the Bulls once again reached the NBA Finals. This time the rival was the Portland Trail Blazers, led by Clyde Drexler. The media, hoping to recreate a Magic-Bird-type rivalry with Jordan-Drexler, compared the two players throughout the pre-finals promotions. In the first game, Jordan finished the first half with 35 points and finished the game with 39. In the first half, he made six three-pointers, the last one memorable, shrugging his shoulders and looking at his bench as if to say: "no I can contain myself". Special moment also the sixth game of that final in which the Bulls lost by 15 points at the start of the last period, it seemed that everything would be decided in a seventh and final game but; the Bulls settled the game and would win the ring in six games with a huge Jordan averaging 35.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists, being named Finals MVP for the second time. Drexler finished with a not inconsiderable 24.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game.

In the 1992-93 season, despite his numbers: 32.6-6.7-5.5, he was unable to win his third consecutive MVP, which went to his friend Charles Barkley. This only made Michael more motivated, who would meet Barkley and his Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. Not easily, the Bulls would achieve their first "three-peat" (three consecutive rings) in six tough games, the latter thanks to a shot from John Paxson off a pass from Horace Grant that gave Chicago the win and a last-second block from Grant on Kevin Johnson. Jordan averaged 41 points in the Finals, winning the MVP of the same, a historic fact, since no one in NBA history has won said award three consecutive times until Shaquille O'Neal (2000 to 2002 with L.A. Lakers).

First retreat

On October 6, 1993, Michael Jordan announced that he was retiring from basketball, claiming that he no longer enjoyed playing as much as before. In addition, his father's death in July played a significant role in his decision. James Jordan was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a highway rest area in Lumberton, North Carolina, by Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery, who they were subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment. After the murder, the criminals also stole the Lexus that Michael had given to his father, valued at $ 40,000. Jordan created a Boys & Girls in Chicago dedicated to his father, called James Jordan Boys & amp; Girls Club; Still, people close to Mike claim that the player considered retiring in 1992 after the Barcelona Olympics, where he won the gold medal with the Dream Team. In any case, the announcement of his withdrawal appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world. According to Michael, the death of his father turned the tide on his decision to quit basketball.

Baseball Career

Jordan at his stage at Scottsdale Scorpions.

After his retirement from basketball, Jordan surprised the sports world by signing a contract with the Chicago White Sox, a Major League Baseball team that competed in the American League. According to Jordan, the reason for starting to play baseball was because of a promise he made with his recently deceased father. Jordan began training in the summer and on March 31, 1994, he was assigned to the team. The Chicago White Sox were another team owned by magnate Jerry Reinsdorf, the same owner of the Chicago Bulls, who continued to pay for Jordan's basketball contract during his tenures. two years dedicated to baseball. Jordan was part of the Chicago White Sox in minor leagues with the Birmingham Barons, a team affiliated with the White Sox. Jordan's career in this second team was nothing of note and he soon decided to hang up the bat to return to the NBA.

"I'm back": return to the NBA

In the 1993-94 season, the Jordan-less Bulls posted an astonishing 55-27 record, being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the New York Knicks. But in 1994-95, the version of the Bulls was not even a shadow of what the two years led by Michael Jordan had been, since in the middle of the season they were fighting for a place in the playoffs, finally achieving a prodigious streak that He saved them from the abyss. This recovery came with the return of Jordan to the NBA, and therefore, to Chicago. On March 18, 1995, Jordan announced his return to the NBA by a press release of just two words: " I & # 39; m back " ("I have returned"). The following day, Michael played the game wearing the number 45 (his number with the Barons), as his classic 23 had been retired in honor of himself. His season debut came in Indianapolis against the Indiana Pacers, scoring 19 points but unable to avoid defeat. Although he had not played for a while, he scored 55 points against the Knicks in Madison a few days after his return to the courts, on March 29, 1995. He led the Bulls to a 9-1 record during the month of April of that year, taking them to the playoffs. Chicago advanced to the conference semifinals against the Orlando Magic, a series in which Jordan averaged 31.5 points per game, but lost the last two balls of the final game, something nobody was used to: Jordan was not up to the task and the Bulls they were eliminated after six games. After the first game of the tie, Nick Anderson declared that he "didn't look like the Michael Jordan of the old days". Therefore, an extra-motivated Jordan returned to use his number 23 again. While this action may have been an attempt to regain mystery and dominance for him, it cost the franchise a fine as the NBA was not notified of a number change. That summer Jordan trained with more rage than ever, the prelude to what was to be one of the best years in the history of a team in the American professional leagues.

The second and#34;three-peat#34;

Motivated by the elimination against the Magic, Jordan trained intensely for the 1995-96 season. The Bulls, bolstered by rebounding specialist Dennis Rodman, swept the regular season, starting the league with 12 straight wins and reaching in the middle of the season with a balance of 41-3 to finish with 72-10, the second best record in NBA history (being surpassed in the 2015-16 season by the Golden State Warriors of Stephen Curry and company). Jordan led the league in scoring averaging 30.1 points per game and winning season and All-Star Game MVP. In the playoffs, the Bulls only lost three games in four rounds, beating the Seattle SuperSonics of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp in the Finals. In a true battle, the Bulls got again with the help of Dennis Rodman the title that they had not won for 3 years. They showed a surprising level, with an inspired Scottie Pippen and Brian Williams; Jordan was named Finals MVP for the fourth time, beating Magic Johnson.

Jordan, along with Phil Jackson in 1997.

In the 1996-97 season, they were about to complete another season with more than 70 victories, after losing the last two games and finishing 69-13. However, that year Jordan was defeated by Karl Malone in the fight for the MVP. Chicago reached the NBA Finals for the fifth time, where this year the Utah Jazz of the duo Karl Malone-John Stockton played. The series against the Jazz stood out for two of the most memorable moments of Michael Jordan's career. The first game was won by Chicago with a shot at the buzzer by Jordan, against the defense of Bryon Russell, with only 2 seconds left, for the Bulls to take the first of that intense series. In Game 5, a feverish Jordan scored 38 points to break the 2-2 tie in the tie. shot by teammate Steve Kerr (the player with the best 3-point percentage in history) (4-2); the Jazz would try to even the score with one last play, but Scottie Pippen intercepted the ball and provided an assist to Toni Kukoc, who closed the game with a dunk. Jordan received, for the fifth time, the MVP of the Finals.

In the 1997-98 season, the Bulls slowed down a bit, going 62-20 with Michael Jordan averaging 28.7 points and leading the league in scoring, winning season and All-season MVP. Star, and being named in the first quintets of the season and in the defensive. For the third time in a row they won the Eastern Conference and slipped into the NBA Finals again against the Utah Jazz, but this time the Utah Jazz were left with the best record in the NBA, and an intense final was expected with Malone and Stockton looking rematch. Jordan showed an extraordinary level where the Bulls, in the third game, practically overwhelmed the Utah Jazz, leaving in the memory of all those who lived through this match the worst defeat of the finals 96 to 54. In a press conference Michael said:

"If the rival is wrong, we must keep attacking him."

After going up 3-2 in their first five games, the Bulls returned to Utah for Game 6 on June 14, 1998. With 40 seconds left, Chicago trailed 86-83. After a timeout called by Jackson, Jordan scored a layup in front of several Jazz defenders, putting the team down one point (86-85). On Utah's new possession, Malone was sitting in the low post, defended by Rodman. After Malone received the ball, Jordan came up from behind, stole the ball from him and calmed possession by going up the ball. He stopped the attack on the line of three, on the defense of Bryon Russell. After a few moments dribbling the ball slowly, Jordan prepared to attack the Utah basket, quickly pursued by Russell, removing it from him with a feint that sent him back a few meters and slipping. Jordan, without any defense, shot and scored the basket that would immediately give victory and the title to Chicago. It would be his last basket with the Bulls red. The Delta Center was totally silent, Jordan silenced them with genius. This play would be repeated insatiably years later, being one of the most famous baskets in NBA history. After a desperate missed triple by Stockton, Chicago secured its second "three-peat", or what is the same, its sixth championship in eight years. There will always be the question of where this team would have gone if Jordan had not retired. Michael was again MVP of the Finals, averaging over 30 points and scoring 45 in the final game. Jordan's six Finals MVPs is an NBA record.

This heroic performance seemed like the perfect ending point to end his career. With Phil Jackson out of contract, the likely withdrawals of Pippen (who declared his desire to be traded during the season) and Rodman (who would sign for the Lakers as a free agent), and the NBA lockout (known as NBA lockout), led Jordan to announce his retirement on January 13, 1999. The NBA was limp again. In the second press conference of his withdrawal, he paid tribute to a Chicago police officer who was murdered days before.

Washington Wizards

Jordan, as a Wizard player.

On January 19, 2000, Jordan returned to the NBA not as a player, but as the Chief Operating Officer of the Washington Wizards. His responsibilities with the club were as a manager, as he was in all aspects of the team, including personal decisions. Less than a month earlier, Jordan won four ESPY Awards: Athlete of the Century, '90s Male Athlete, Best Basketball Player of the '90s, and Play of the Decade, referring to the midair rectification with subsequent layup against the Lakers in the End of 1991.

Opinions of Jordan as an executive varied widely. He managed to separate several players with very high salaries from the team, such as Juwan Howard and Rod Strickland, but his decision to select Kwame Brown with the number 1 Draft, coming from the institute, was widely criticized, and in the long run lousy.

Although in January 1999 he stated that there was a "99.9%" With the odds that he would not return to the courts, Jordan began to declare in the summer of 2001 that his return as a player was possible, this time with a new team, the Wizards. Inspired by the reappearance of NHL star and friend Mario Lemieux the previous winter, Jordan spent most of the spring and summer of 2001 training in Chicago with NBA players. In addition, Jordan signed his former coach Doug Collins to coach the Wizards the following season, a decision that many saw as a future Jordan return. With the start of the season getting closer and closer, the odds of 0.1% disappeared. Anyway, Michael Jordan did not promise anything.

Round Two

At a press conference on September 10, 2001, he hinted at his comeback, but denied rumors about his return the previous month. On September 25, he announced his second return to the NBA, in addition to stating that he would donate his salary to the victims of the September 11 attacks. Although physically he was not the same as before and despite the injuries that continually limited him during During the season, Jordan's averages weren't bad at all: 22.9 points per game, 5.2 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.42 steals, leading the young Wizards one step away from playing in the postseason despite of the lazy team they had. Additionally, Jordan's 41 games at the MCI Center were sold out, as were every arena during the two years he wore the Wizards jersey. He also helped lead a formidable nine-game winning streak, from Dec. 6-26, and was briefly talked about as an MVP candidate. On December 29, he scored 51 points in a home win against the Charlotte Hornets. Due to injuries, he was only able to play in 60 of the 82 regular season games. After playing in his 14th All-Star Game, he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the scoring charts in All-Star history. The 2002-03 season was announced from the beginning as the last and final, this time, for Michael Jordan, and it did not disappoint. That season he was the only player from Washington to play every game in the regular season, starting 67 of them. He averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. At the age of 40, he's scored 20 or more points 42 times, 30 or more nine times, and 40 or more three times.

On February 21, 2003, Jordan became the first NBA player to score 40 or more points at the age of 40, in the Wizards' victory over the Nets at the MCI Center with 43 points from Michael. Crowd attendance numbers dipped a bit that year, though the Wizards were still averaging 20,173 at the MCI Center and 19,311 on the road. The only "but" it was the absence of playoff games in those two years.

Recognizing that it would be Jordan's last year as an NBA player, tributes were held at nearly every arena in the league. In his last game in Chicago, the United Center audience gave him such a standing ovation that Jordan himself had to interrupt it, giving an impromptu speech, although not calming the fans down. A sign of respect was the withdrawal by the Miami Heat of the number 23 on April 11, 2003 in honor of him, despite never having played a game with the Florida jersey. In his final game at the MCI Center, received a tribute from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who presented him with the flag raised at the Pentagon on September 11, 2002, one year after the tragic attacks. At the 2003 All-Star Game, Vince Carter gave up his spot in the starting lineup, and the halftime ceremony was dedicated to Jordan, complete with a musical performance by Mariah Carey in his honor.

Philadelphia was the scene of his last game as an NBA player, on April 16, 2003, against the 76ers. Playing few minutes due to the great advantage of the locals on the scoreboard, Jordan scored 16 points. In the final minutes of the game, Jordan entered the game again, after the Philadelphia crowd chanted "we want Michael." With 1:44 to go, Jordan made his last two free throws and sat down to an incredible three-minute standing ovation.

Jordan retired scoring 32,292 points in his entire career, second only, at the time, to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone in all of NBA history.

National team

Jordan's first appearance with the national team was before entering university, at the Olympic Festival organized by the US Olympic Committee in the summer of 1981. In it, he was part of the U. S. Olympic Festival South Team who won the silver medal, averaging 13.5 points and 4 rebounds per game.

The following summer, in 1982, he traveled to Europe to participate in a friendly tournament to commemorate FIBA's 50th anniversary. There, the American team faced a team of the best European stars in five games, and the Yugoslav team. They won 2 of the 5 meetings, and Michael averaged 18 points per game.

Jordan made his official tournament debut with the US national team at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela. The team, coached by Jack Hartman, won the gold medal, and Michael led the team in scoring, with 17.3 points per game.

Olympic Games

Jordan, with the selection shirt in 1992.

Jordan participated in two Olympic Games, taking the gold medal in both. The first, while still a university student, was at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. A team with Patrick Ewing, Sam Perkins, Chris Mullin, Steve Alford, and Wayman Tisdale and coached by Bob Knight, beat the Spanish team in the final. Michael was also the team's leading scorer with 17.1 points per game.

In the 1992 Games in Barcelona, he was part of the original Dream Team, considered the best basketball team in history. In it were legends like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, along with other stars like Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, David Robinson, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing or Clyde Drexler.

Jordan was the only member of that team, who started all 8 championship games, averaging 14.9 points per game, being the second leading scorer behind Barkley. The United States took the gold by winning in the final to the selection of Croatia.

Jordan, Ewing and Mullin are the only players to have won a gold medal both as amateurs (1984) and as professionals (1992).

In June of that same year, they had participated in the 1992 FIBA Americas Championship played in Portland, where they had also won gold against Venezuela.

The US team did not lose a single match, in the four official tournaments in which Jordan participated.

Polemic with Isiah Thomas

It is rumored that Jordan influenced the non-selection of Isiah Thomas for the combine, due to problems between the two in the 1985 All-Star (one year he was MVP Thomas and the next Jordan, the result of motivation in their rivalry) and because of the Pistons and Bulls rivalry of the late 80s and early 90s. But the reality is that Jordan did not want to participate in the Barcelona 92 games, he said he already had a gold medal, but the insistence of players like Magic who came to ask the media in a funny way (he got on his knees in a joking tone, saying "please, please!") to please go to the Olympic Games, which could not be the Dream Team without him. This changed the forecast of the team that had been practically selected and Isiah Thomas was left out of the team when Jordan entered after he reconsidered his presence. The team was already covered by several point guards and guards and Thomas was left out.

Gamer Profile

Jordan's natural position was shooting guard, although he also played point guard in his early years in the league and small forward at specific times (especially in Washington), always being the shooting guard position where he dominated the game. He has been known as one of the most decisive late-game players of all time. He decided countless games, some heroically (such as & # 34; El Tiro & # 34; against the Cavs in 1989) and others almost inhumanely (his 38-point game to beat the Jazz playing with a fever in the 1997 finals). His competitiveness was visible by his trash talk during matches, though he was also known for his fanatical work ethic.

Offensively he was almost unstoppable. Winner of two consecutive dunk contests, he was also very reliable at the free throw line, being, with 8,772, the ninth player in history to take the most free throws. One of his most classic plays was the fade away with a jump shot, using his 40-plus inches of vertical jump to fend off blocking attempts from his defenders. Hubie Brown declared that this movement alone already made him unstoppable.With his average 5.3 assists throughout his career, he demonstrated the camaraderie and goodwill of Michael Jordan on the court. In his last years, in addition, he became a real threat from the triple line, having a 9/52 in his rookie year (17.3%) and, later, a 111/260 (42.7%) in the 1996-97 (for 3 seasons, 94-95 to 96-97, the distance of the triple was reduced to 6.75 m). He was also a great rebounder for a perimeter player, averaging 6.2 rebounds per game for his career.

But Michael Jordan is also one of the greatest defenders in basketball history. His 2,514 steals rank second all-time behind only John Stockton. He averaged 3.16 steals per regular-season game in 1987-88, 2.9 in 1988-89 and 1986-87, and 2.8 in 1992-93. In addition, he broke the record for blocks by a guard (base / shooting guard) and together with his ability to steal balls made him a fearsome defensive player.

Personal life

Michael Jordan.

Jordan is the fourth of five children. He has two older brothers, Larry and James, and two sisters, one older (Delores) and one younger (Roslyn). His older brother James was a sergeant major with the 35th Signal Brigade of the XXVII Airborne Corps of the United States Army.

In September 1989, he married Juanita Vanoy, with whom he had two sons, Jeffrey Michael and Marcus James, and a daughter, Jasmine. Michael and Juanita reported their divorce on January 4, 2002 due to untenable differences, although they later reconciled.

On July 21, 2006, a Cook County, Illinois court ruled that Jordan should not pay Karla Knafel, a former lover, $5 million. Knafel claimed that this was the amount agreed with Jordan to remain shut up and failed to submit a paternity test after Knafel became pregnant in 1991. A DNA test proved that Jordan was not the father of the child. Knafel's lawyer, Michael Hannafan, said his client would appeal to the last resort.

Jordan lived in Highland Park, Illinois, and his two sons attended Loyola Academy, a private Catholic high school in Wilmette, Illinois, where they also began to excel at playing basketball.

Finally, on December 29, 2006, they filed their divorce "mutually and cordially".

Jeffrey, their oldest son, played basketball at the University of Illinois, while Marcus played at the University of Central Florida. For her part, Jasmine studied sports administration at Syracuse University, and became a field representative for the Nike Jordan brand.

In August 2013, Jordan, 50, married Yvette Prieto, 34, in Palm Beach, Florida, after a long courtship. In February 2014 they would give birth to twins Victoria and Ysabel. At that time, Michael's other three children were 25, 22 and 21 respectively.

Jordan became a grandfather in May 2019, a boy to daughter Jasmine and professional player Rakeem Christmas.

Media figure and business

Michael Jordan's t-shirt and slippers at the Chicago History Museum.

Jordan is one of the most marketed figures in sports history. She has been the face of brands such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, Gatorade, Hanes, McDonald's, Ball Park Franks, Rayovac, and MCI. She first appeared on Wheaties cereal boxes in 1988 and acted as their spokesperson. for several years. She has also been featured in several endorsement campaigns for the Hanes clothing line, such as the turn-of-the-century one titled "Go Tagless." and the 2005 "Look who we've got our Hanes on now". Jordan has long been associated with Gatorade, appearing in more than 20 advertisements for the drink. One of his most famous ads is that of & # 34; Like Mike & # 34; featuring a song sung by children wishing they were like Jordan.For many years she has been the royal mascot of Nestlé Crunch, appearing on their products and advertising.

Nike created a type of shoe for him, the Air Jordan. One of Nike's most popular ads involved Spike Lee playing Mars Blackmon and trying to find the source of Jordan's abilities, only to be convinced it must be the shoes. The announcement produced a strong demand for the shoes, even being stolen at gunpoint. Subsequently, Nike allowed Jordan to create his clothing line & # 34; Jordan Brand & # 34;. The company includes a long list of athletes and celebrities.

Jordan also came into contact with animated Looney Tunes characters. At Super Bowl XXVII in 1993, an ad was shown showing Jordan and Bugs Bunny playing a game of basketball against a group of Martians. This Super Bowl ad inspired the release of the 1996 film Space Jam, starring Jordan and Bugs Bunny in a fictional story during their first retirement from basketball. Both have subsequently appeared in advertisements for MCI.

Owner

Jordan playing golf in 2007.

After retiring for the third time, Jordan assumed he would be able to return to his role as President of Operations at the Washington Wizards. However, on May 7, 2003, Abe Pollin fired him.

After that, Jordan stayed in shape by playing golf in charity tournaments, competing with former players such as Toni Kukoc and Scottie Pippen, spending time with his family in Chicago, promoting his "Jordan Brand" clothing line, and He drove motorcycles, a hobby that he could not practice when he was an NBA player, since it is not allowed in the contracts. Since his retirement, he has been seen on many Grand Prix circuits of the Motorcycle World Championship.

On March 17, 2006, Jordan purchased the full rights to the North Carolina Charlotte Bobcats, thus becoming the manager of that team. On July 15, he became a co-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats and was named a Member of Basketball Operations Directorate. Along with Robert L. Johnson, they are the principal owners of the franchise.

On September 21, 2020, Jordan and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin announced that they would field a NASCAR team with Bubba Wallace as driver, beginning competition heading into the 2021 season. The team is named after 23XI Racing (twenty-three-eleven racing) and the team's registration will bear the number 23.

Documentaries

During his career, and mainly since his retirement, Jordan has been the subject of dozens of documentaries and television reports, which chronicle his life and career as a player. One of the first and most famous documentaries was Michael Jordan: Come Fly with Me directed by David Gavant in 1989, which shows Jordan's takeoff as a basketball player.

Later in 1992, director Gary Fleder released Michael Jordan: Air Time which chronicles Jordan's career through the 1991-1992 championships and the Dream Team. In 1996, Don Sterling directed Michael Jordan, Above and Beyond where he reveals the intimate story of the passion and determination that fueled his meteoric career.

In 1999, Michael Jordan: His Airness directed by Larry Weitzman, a comprehensive documentary of his career, from the University of North Carolina to his retirement. Same format that he repeated in the year 2000, Michael Jordan to the Max by Don Kempf and James D. Stern. In 2001, Ultimate Jordan was released, an extensive documentary of more than 5 hours about his career.

In August 2010, Jordan Rides the Bus, directed by Ron Shelton, was released as part of the "30 by 30" ESPN documentary episodes.

In April 2020, the documentary series The Last Dance, directed by Jason Hehir, produced by ESPN and distributed by the Netflix platform, premieres. It narrates, during 10 episodes, Jordan's last season in Chicago Bulls, 1997-98. In May of that same year, VICE TV launches One Man and His Shoes, a documentary about two hours directed by Yemi Bamiro in which the social, cultural and racial impact of the iconic Air Jordan shoe is analyzed.

Jordan's image

Jordan receiving Barack Obama's Medal of Freedom of Hand.

Professional athletes have always been associated with sponsorships and commercial promotions. Jordan's sporting life has always been linked in parallel to his multimillion-dollar contracts with commercial brands such as Nike and McDonald's. In the collecting industry, Michael Jordan trading cards or cards are pieces of true devotion. Nike made sneakers for him exclusively red and black. It was forbidden in the NBA to wear sneakers with two different shades and caused a confrontation between commissioner David Stern and Nike, which ended with millions in fines.

In 1992, Michael Jordan was featured in the music video for Jam with singer/dancer Michael Jackson, which takes place inside an indoor basketball court, where Jackson teaches Jordan how to dance, and in return, Jordan teaches Jackson how to play basketball.

In 1996, Warner Bros. cast Jordan in a starring role in a special effects-packed animated film, Space Jam, where he shared the bill with some of the most famous cartoon characters from the Warner house like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, and other NBA players like Charles Barkley and former players like Larry Bird. The film grossed over $200 million.

On May 27, 2010, Jordan reached an agreement with 2K Sports to be the cover of the NBA 2K11 video game: he is the first former player to be the cover of the franchise. In addition, it was the first appearance of him in a video game after many years, due to the high cache that the player's image has. Subsequently, he appeared in the following franchise games NBA 2K12 and NBA 2K13, due to those games featuring classic teams, including six versions of the Chicago Bulls in the years Jordan was playing and four of those versions are the years Jordan played. that Chicago Bulls won the ring from Jordan, although after NBA 2K11 Jordan was no longer the face of the product. For the 2016 edition, NBA 2K16, Jordan appeared on the cover again, in a special edition.

Books

Jordan is the author of several books based on his life, his professional career and his way of seeing the world.

• Rare Air: Michael on Michael (1993) with Mark Vancil and Walter Iooss.
• I Can't Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence (1994) with Mark Vancil and Sandro Miller.
• For the Love of the Game: My Story (1998) with Mark Vancil.
• Driven from Within (2005) with Mark Vancil.

Statistics of his NBA career

Regular season

Playoffs

Awards, records and achievements

Awards

chronological plaque of Jordan's prowess in his career.

• 6 times NBA champion (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
• 6 times MVP finals (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
• 5 times MVP of the season (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998)
• 14 times All-Star (did not participate in the 1985-1986 season for injury)
• 2 Olympic Gold Medals (Los Angeles 1984, Barcelona 1992)
• Best defender of the year (1988)
• Rookie del año (1985)
• 11 times in the best quintet of the NBA (10 in the first team, 1 in the second)
• 9 times in the best defensive quintet of the NBA (all in the first team)
• 2 times NBA Mates contest champion (1987, 1988)
• Naismith College Player of the Year (1984)
• John R. Wooden Prize (1984)
• Trophy Adolph Rupp (1984)
• ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year (1983-84)
• 1 Gold Medal in Pan American Games (Caracas, 1983)
• Sportsman of the Year (Sports Illustrated, 1991)
• Picked one of the top 50 players in the history of the NBA in 1996.
• Member of Basketball Hall of Fame (class of 2009)
• Elected on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.

Récords

• More titles of maximum scorer (10)
• Higher average scorer in a history career (30,1)
• Higher average scorer in a history career in eliminations (33.4)
• More consecutive matches scored in double digits (842)
• Higher average score in finals (40.1 in 1993)
• More MVP of the Finals (6)
• Highest score in a playoff game (63 points, April 20, 1986)

Achievements

• scored 40 or more points in 211 matches (173 regular season, 38 playoffs)
• scored 50 or more points in 39 matches (31 regular season, 8 playoffs)
• Got 30 triple-double (28 regular season, 2 playoffs)
• Got the first triple-double on an All-Star Game (14-11-11 in 1997)

Induction into the Hall of Fame

Jordan was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on September 11, 2009 along with two former players, David Robinson and John Stockton, and two coaches, Jerry Sloan and C Vivian Stringer, at a ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Games won at the buzzer