“A phenomenal athlete with a unique combination of fundamental soundness, grace, speed, power, artistry, improvisational ability and an unquenchable competitive desire, Jordan single-handedly redefined the NBA superstar.” (NBA)
Michael Jordan, in full Michael Jeffrey Jordan, byname Air Jordan, (born February 17, 1963, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.), American collegiate and professional basketball player, widely considered to be the greatest all-around player in the history of the game. He led the National Basketball Association (NBA) Chicago Bulls to six championships (1991–93, 1996–98). He was voted NBA most valuable player a record five times. Playing most of his career for the Chicago Bulls.
Michael Jordan also became one of the most marketed sportsmen, with lucrative endorsements with Nike, helping to make the Nike Air shoe one of best-known trainers in the world. His career and high profile coincided with a rapid growth in the popularity of NBA basketball, and his personal achievements are considered a major factor in boosting the popularity of basketball.
Michael's Motivational Quotes:
Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.
I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.
My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.
You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.
Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
Don’t let them drag you down by rumors just go with what you believe in.
To learn to succeed, you must first learn to fail.
Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion
Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.
The minute you get away from fundamentals – whether it’s proper technique, work ethic or mental preparation – the bottom can fall out of your game, your schoolwork, your job, whatever you’re doing.
If you do the work you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life.
Make it happen.
There is no “I” in team but there is in win.
I play to win, whether during practice or a real game.
I realized that if I was going to achieve anything in life I had to be aggressive. I had to get out there and go for it.
If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.
Sometimes you need to get hit in the head to realize that you’re in a fight.
Sometimes, things may not go your way, but the effort should be there every single night.
Bio:
Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York. Later his family moved to North Carolina where he grew up. As a sophomore in high school, he struggled to get to play in basketball games due to his low height. Instead, he concentrated on other sports, such as baseball. But, as a late developer, he grew to 6 foot 3 inches and this helped him to dominate the junior court. After high school Michael attended the University of North Carolina where he was named College Player of the Year by the Sporting News. In 1984, he was picked in the NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls.
In 1984, he was also selected to be in the US Olympic basketball team, where, with the team, he won the gold medal.
The 1984 season saw the emergence of Michael Jordan as a supreme player. Crowds at the Chicago Bulls games increased as people came to see this exciting new talent. Jordan had excellent shooting statistics, but, he also had a distinct and rare ability to excite the crowds with his great dexterity, acrobatic dunks and dives. He seemed to float around the court with effortless ease. Jordan became more than just the best player on the court, he exuded something unique and stylish. He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball. He managed to combine this athletic excellence with a humility that endeared him to the public even more. He later said that what he achieved was only possible because of former great players who taught and helped him to evolve.
In the late 1980s, Jordan led an increasingly successful Chicago Bulls team. In the 90's he led the Chicago Bulls to six championships, winning their first in 1991 for a total of six titles in the space of nine years. Along the way, Jordan broke many of the long-standing NBA records. In 1988-89, he led the league with 32.5 points per game.
In 1992, Jordan again returned to the Olympics. This time as a full professional – Jordan was part of the 'Dream Team'. The US easily won the Olympic gold – with their opponents often admitting they felt honoured to be on the same court as Michael Jordan and the 'dream team'.
However, in 1993, after a series of personal difficulties he temporarily retired from the game.
For a short time, he made a foray into baseball, playing the 1994 season for the Birmingham Barons. But, then in the 1994-95 season, he went back to his primary love – basketball. Despite losing some of his youthful speed, Jordan still had the magic touch and led the Chicago Bulls to the semifinals with some stellar performances. The next year, he led the Chicago Bulls to another title.
Jordan continued to play until past his 40th birthday in the 2002-03 season.
After he finally retired, he had played a total of 1,072 games, with a points per game average of 30.1 and a total of 32,292 points.
After his retirement, Jordan concentrated on management and ownership.
In June 2006, he bought a minority stake in the Charlotte Bobcats and later gained outright ownership, becoming the first former NBA star to become the majority owner of a league franchise.
In June 2010, Jordan was ranked by Forbes Magazine as the 20th-most powerful celebrity in the world with $55 million earned between June 2009 and June 2010. According to the Forbes article, Jordan's Brand had generated $1 billion in sales for Nike.
Michael Jordan Career Highlights
6× NBA Champion (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
5× NBA Most Valuable Player (1988, 1991–1992, 1996, 1998)
14× NBA All-Star (1985–1993, 1996–1998, 2002–2003)
6× NBA Finals MVP (1991–1993, 1996–1998)
10× NBA scoring champion (1987–1993, 1996–1998)
3× NBA steals champion (1988, 1990, 1993)
NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1988)
10× All-NBA First Team (1987–1993, 1996–1998)
Olympic Games
Gold 1984 Los Angeles United States
Gold 1992 Barcelona United States
Points
Points 32,292 (30.1 ppg)
Rebounds 6,672 (6.2 rpg)
Assists 5,633 (5.3 apg)
Books About Michael:
Michael Jordan: The Life
Facts:
Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. He is the fourth of five children.
He attended the Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington where he began his athletic career.
He tried several sports apart from basketball at school.
In 1981, Jordan earned a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in cultural geography.
National Basketball Association (NBA) termed him as the 'By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time'.
Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984.
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.
Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam as himself.
He played on two Olympic gold medal-winning American basketball teams.
He is one of the most marketed sports figures in history.
Nike created a signature shoe for him, called the Air Jordan.
His yearly income from the endorsements is estimated to be over forty million dollars.
He proposed to his long time girlfriend, Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto, on Christmas Eve 2011, and are now married.
In 2012, he listed his Highland Park mansion for sale.
December 2017 - Ranks first on Forbes' list of Highest-Paid Athletes of All Time, with estimated career earnings of $1.85 billion.
Also:
As a businessman and actor, Michael has been involved in a number of profitable business and commercial ventures.
Endorsement Deals
Over the years, Michael Jordan has signed a number of endorsement deals with brands including Nike, Hanes, Upper Deck, Gatorade, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Chevrolet and Wheaties.
'Space Jam'
Jordan made a big splash in film as the star of the 1996 movie Space Jam. The film mixed live action and animation and paired Jordan with cartoon legends Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck on screen.
Part-Owner of the Charlotte Bobcats
In 2006, Jordan bought a share of the Charlotte Bobcats and joined the team's executive ranks as its managing member of basketball operations. In 2010, he became the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats and serves as the team's chairman. Improving the team's less-than-stellar record seems to be Jordan's priority. He told ESPN in November 2012 that "I don't anticipate getting out of this business. My competitive nature is I want to succeed. It's always been said that when I can't find a way to do anything, I will find a way to do it."
The Michael Jordan Steakhouse
In 1998, Michael Jordan launched into the restaurant business as the owner of Michael Jordan’s The Steak House N.Y.C. Designed to reflect Jordan’s tastes and style, this typical steakhouse seats 150 and 60 at the bar, occupying 7,000 square feet in Grand Central Terminal. Other locations include Uncasville, CT, Chicago, Ridgefield, WA.
Golf Charity
From 2001 through 2014, Michael Jordan hosted an annual charitable golf event known as the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational, with proceeds benefiting foundations including Make-A-Wish, Cats Care, the James R. Jordan Foundation, Keep Memory Alive and Opportunity Village.
The four-day tournament and celebration attracted celebrity participants including Wayne Gretzky, Michael Phelps, Chevy Chase, Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Wahlberg.
Awards
Jordan received his first Most Valuable Player Award from the NBA in 1988—an honor he would earn four more times in 1991, 1992, 1996 and 1998.
In April 2009, Jordan received one of basketball's greatest honors: He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Attending the induction ceremony was a bittersweet affair for Jordan because being at the event meant "your basketball career is completely over," he explained.
In 2016, Jordan was presented with a Presidential Medal of Freedom honor by Barack Obama.
