MICHAEL JORDAN

Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Deloris (née Peoples), who worked in banking, and James R. Jordan, Sr., an equipment supervisor. His family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was a toddler. Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, where he anchored his athletic career by playing baseball, football, and basketball. He tried out for the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year, but at 5'11" (1.80 m), he was deemed too short to play at that level. His taller friend, Harvest Leroy Smith, was the only sophomore to make the team.

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Michael Jordan personified greatness on the court, and redefined superstar athlete off it. His freshman season at UNC culminated with Jordan hitting the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA national title game. That shot put Michael on the map and a new era was born. Following his junior year, Jordan entered the NBA Draft and was selected third overall by the Chicago Bulls. The young superstar began stockpiling NBA hardware. The court was his and the world soon followed. His unmistakable style – the wagging tongue, the baggy shorts, the signature line of sneakers – helped make the 14-time All-Star the most recognizable person on the planet. Still his résumé lacked an NBA title. Then in 1991, the Jordan-led Bulls launched an all-out assault on the rest of the league winning three straight world championships. Michael won Olympic gold again in 1992 and then in 1993 abruptly retired from the Bulls to play minor league baseball. He returned to the NBA full-time in 1995 and the Bulls promptly won three consecutive titles. Jordan was named Finals MVP each time. In 2001, Jordan made a second improbable comeback and still averaged 20 points per game and appeared in the 2002 and 2003 All-Star Games.

by Sebastian perez  7c