The name Michael Jordan is one that you will no doubt be familiar with. It is a name that even people who have no knowledge about basketball will know because of Jordan's prolific sponsorship deals.

Nike made him 'Air Jordan' and encouraged youngsters to 'be like Mike', thus netting the company millions upon millions of dollars. Other companies that have reaped the benefits of having Jordan endorse their products vary greatly. They include Chevrolet, Hanes, Gatorade, and Rayovac batteries. Perhaps Jordan's most memorable and entertaining advertising moment was the 'nothing but net' TV advert in which he and Larry Bird attempted to make impossible shots.

Jordan not only receives a lot of money, he donates a lot as well. Charities he donates to include Ronald McDonald House and the Jordan Institute for Families in North Carolina. He also hosts a golf tournament for charity: the Michael Jordan Celebrity International.

Growin' Up

Michael Jordan, arguably the world's greatest basketball player, was born on 17 February, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. However, not wanting to raise their family in the dangerous streets of Brooklyn, Michael's parents James and Delores decided to move to the smaller town of Wilmington, North Carolina. Michael's parents were particularly supportive of all their children and always encouraged them to make things happen by hard work. Michael shared a very special bond with his father from an early age that went far beyond that of an ordinary father/son relationship.

Jordan was not a tall child. In fact none of the male Jordans had ever reached six feet, so he had no real hope of growing tall. As a child, Michael was not particularly interested in any one sport but in a variety of sports. When Michael was playing JV basketball at Laney High School, it became known that the varsity team needed an extra player. Jordan's team mate, Leroy Smith, was chosen for his seven-inch height advantage over Jordan. Fortunately for the sport of basketball, additions were not over yet. When the student manager got sick, Jordan was allowed on the bus with the team. He did not play but instead handed out towels on the bench. Afterwards, Jordan made the decision to concentrate heavily on basketball so as not to be stuck on the sidelines again. Michael began working on basketball every day after school and remarkably sprouted from 5'10" to 6'3" between his sophomore and junior years.

College Days

Michael attended college at North Carolina on a full scholarship. He was named College Player of the Year in both 1983 and 1984. In his freshman campaign, Jordan nailed the title-winning shot to give North Carolina the championship. He won both the Wooden and the Naismith awards in that year. In the 1984 NBA draft, Michael was chosen by the Chicago Bulls as the number three overall pick.

The NBA Meets Michael

In his rookie season, Jordan led his team to the play-offs. The year before, the team did not even make the play-off cut. He was Rookie of the Year and finished third in the league in scoring, with 28.2 points per game. During the regular season, Jordan broke six team records for Chicago. Jordan also served as a starter in the All-Star game that season. The Bulls fell to Milwaukee in the first round of the play-offs even though Michael poured in 29.3 points per game in that series.

Despite his very successful rookie season, Michael still had flaws in his game. He was a reasonable defender and an excellent scorer, but he still had to learn how to make his team-mates better if he was going to become a leader.

After missing most of his second season with a broken foot, Jordan dominated the league for the next seven seasons, grabbing seven consecutive scoring titles and improving his game in other areas. He got his team-mates involved and became a leader. He broke records left and right, becoming the first person ever to accumulate 200 steals and 100 blocks in a season. He won every award possible, including 1987- 1988 league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. He was, quite simply, the best player in the NBA.

In 1990, with second year coach Phil Jackson calling the shots, the Bulls had a better season than was expected of them. Jordan was instrumental in this improvement, leading the Bulls to their first ever NBA Championship. In doing so he collected his second league MVP award. For his efforts in leading the Bulls past the Los Angeles Lakers, Jordan also received the Play-off MVP award.

The Bulls waltzed through the next two seasons, winning another two championships. Jordan was again the best player in the league and won another league MVP and two more play-off MVP awards.

Tragedy

Before the beginning of the next season, Jordan's father was murdered. Jordan was devastated. He shocked the NBA and the whole basketball world by retiring. He went on to play baseball for the Birmingham Barons, a Chicago White Sox affiliate. His father had played baseball as well, and Jordan said that he was glad his father had seen his last game of basketball. As far as baseball went, it was never really going to work for Michael. He was an average player in the minor leagues and had no chance of playing in the majors.

Return of the King

Jordan returned to the Bulls in the 1994 - 1995 season with just 17 games left in the season. Newspapers around the country ran a two-word headline: 'I'm Back.' The Bulls went 13 - 4 with Jordan back in the black and red even though it took a few games for Jordan to shake off the rust. The Bulls barely made the play-offs that year and were eliminated in the first round by Orlando.

The next year, Jordan took up right where he left off and led the league in scoring. The Bulls were champions once again. Unfortunately, Jordan had lost some of his amazing leap and he drove to the basket less often. However, he honed his shooting and became a real three-point threat.

Jordan and the Bulls won the next three titles. He went on breaking records wherever he pleased, tearing teams apart at both ends of the court. During the 1996 - 1997 season, Jordan was named one of the 50 greatest players of all time.

Fairy-Tale Ending

After the 1997 - 1998 season, Jordan once again disappointed millions of fans the world over by retiring. He said he wanted to leave on his own terms while he was still on top, and that's just what he did. He finished his career with a title-winning shot, taking his championship tally to six.

Birth of a Wizard

Jordan took up a managerial role with the Washington Wizards, another NBA team, and also bought into the franchise. He then took a job recruiting for the team. After a terrible 1999 - 2000 season for the Wizards, Jordan elected to return to the NBA once more. To do this, he was forced to relinquish his part ownership of the team.

In 2001 - 2002, Jordan led his Wizards in scoring. On the negative side, Jordan had his second set of serious injury problems and missed 22 games. As fate would have it, the former Chicago Bull scored his 30,000^th point in front of Chicago fans while playing against the Bulls. Despite his change of uniform, the 'Windy City' fans will always consider Jordan one of the Bulls.

During this season, Jordan had something that he had never had before, sceptics. Some people doubted Jordan's ability now that he was ageing. Of course, he promptly scored 51 points against the Hornets and shut them up!

One Last Time

Jordan is now in what will almost certainly be his last season in the NBA. The Wizards have recruited Jerry Stackhouse and Larry Hughes. The number one draft pick of the 2000 NBA draft, Kwame Brown, is improving and is under the tutelage of basketball veteran (and former Bull) Charles Oakley. The Wizards are trying to get to the play-offs in order to give Michael one more shot at glory. It is unlikely that they will win the championship, but can you ever really write off a team with Michael Jordan on it?

Legacy of a Legend

When Michael calls it quits at the end of the season, he will have left basketball with a hole that can never be filled. 'His Airness' is a five-time league MVP, a six-time Playoff MVP and a three-time All-Star MVP. He has led the league in scoring a record ten times and is the owner of six championship rings. Furthermore, Jordan was part of the two-time Olympic champion US national basketball team. Having amassed such a huge number of honours, Jordan also serves as one of the game's greatest promoters, acting as an inspiration for millions of aspiring players.