Michael Jordan

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Michael Off The Court


Michael Jordan is a name that you will no doubt be familiar with, unless of course you were hiding under a rock between 1985 and 2002. It is a name that even people most ignorant of basketball will know because of MJ'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 MJ 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.



Not only does Michael make lots of cash for big companies, he makes and donates himself, large amounts for charities. Including 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 worlds best ever basketball player was born on February 17 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 a father/son relationship.



Jordan was not a tall child. In fact none of the male Jordans had 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 something occurred that would leave a lasting impact on the sport forever. The varsity team needed an extra player, Jordan’s team-mate Leroy Smith was chosen for his seven inch height advantage over Jordan.



However 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 where he was granted 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 the Wooden and Naismith awards in that year. In the 1984 NBA draft Michael was selected at number three by the Chicago Bulls.

The NBA Meets Michael


In his rookie season, Jordan led his team to the playoffs. The year before they had not made the 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 6 team records for Chicago, he was also a starter in the All-Star game that season. The Bulls fell to Milwaukee in the first round of the playoffs although 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, right and centre, becoming the first person to ever accumulate 200 steals and 100 blocks in a season. He won every award possible, he was 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 finished with 61 wins, ten better than any other side. Jordan led the Bulls to their first ever NBA Championship. In doing so he collected the league MVP award. For his efforts in leading the Bulls past the LA Lakers he was awarded the Playoff 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 Playoff MVP awards.

Tragedy


Before the beginning of the next season Michael’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 Whitesox affiliate. His father had played baseball and Jordan had 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 Minors and had no chance of playing in the Major League.

Return Of The King


Jordan returned to the Bulls in the 1994-1995 season with just 17 games to play. Newspapers around the country contained a two-word headline; “I'm Back.” The Bulls went 13-4 with Jordan back in the black and red although it did take a few games for MJ to shake off the rust. The Bulls just made the playoffs that year but 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 once again champions. Jordan had lost some of his amazing leap and drove to the basket less but he honed his shooting and became a real three-point threat.



MJ and the Bulls won the next three titles and Jordan went on breaking records wherever he pleased and 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 had finished his career with a title winning shot to take his championship tally to 6.

Birth Of A Wizard


Jordan took up a managerial role with the Washington Wizards and also bought into the franchise. He took a job in recruiting with the team. After a terrible 1999-2000 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 but for only the second time in his career Michael had serious injury problems and missed 22 games of the season. As fate would have it he scored his thirty thousandth point in front of Chicago fans against the Bulls. Despite his change of uniform the 'Windy City' fans will always consider MJ one of the Bulls.



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

One Last Time


Michael is now in what will almost certainly be his last season in the NBA. The Wizards have recruited Jerry Stackhouse and Larry Hughes. No 1 draft pick of the 2000 NBA draft Kwame Brown is improving and has the tutelage of veteran and former Bull Charles Oakley. The Wizards look like going to the playoffs to give Michael one more shot at glory. It is unlikely that they will win the championship but can you ever really write a team off 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 10 times and is the owner of six championship rings. Furthermore he is a two time olympic champion with the US team.



He has undoubtedly been the sport’s greatest promoter and has been an inspiration to millions.


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