Michael Jordan Biography

(1963–)

UPDATED:
MAY 27, 2020
ORIGINAL:
APR 27, 2017
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Michael Jordan is a former American basketball player who led the
Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships and won the Most Valuable
Player Award five times.
Who Is Michael Jordan?

Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former professional American basketball player,

Olympic athlete, businessperson and actor. Considered one of the best
basketball players ever, he dominated the sport from the mid-1980s to the late
1990s. 

Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six National Basketball Association

championships and earned the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award five times.
With five regular-season MVPs and three All-Star MVPs, Jordan became the
most decorated player in the NBA.

Early Life

Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up in
Wilmington, North Carolina, Jordan developed a competitive edge at an early
age. He wanted to win every game he played.

Jordan grew up with a stable family life. His mother, Delores, was a bank teller
who has since written several books. His father, James, was a maintenance
worker turned manager at General Electric. Jordan had four siblings: Larry,
Deloris, Roslyn and James Jr.
Jordan's father, James, introduced him to baseball and built a basketball court
in their backyard. James was murdered in the summer of 1993 when two
teenagers shot him in his car in an apparent robbery as he was driving from
Charlotte to Wilmington, North Carolina. He went missing for 11 days until
his body was found in a swamp in McColl, South Carolina. The teens were
later tried and convicted of the crime and received life sentences for first-
degree murder.

College Career

Jordan enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1981 and
soon became an important member of the school's basketball team. UNC won
the NCAA Division I championship in 1982, with Jordan scoring the final
basket needed to defeat Georgetown University. He was also singled out as
the NCAA College Player of the Year in 1983 and in 1984.

Jordan left college after his junior year to join the NBA in 1984. In 1985,
Jordan finished his bachelor's degree in geography as he continued to play
basketball professionally. 

Professional Basketball Career

Chicago Bulls

Jordan began his professional basketball career when he was drafted by the
Chicago Bulls in 1984. He was the third overall pick, behind Hakeem
Olajuwon, who was selected first by the Houston Rockets, and Sam Bowie,
taken by the Portland Trail Blazers; the draft also featured legendary players
John Stockton and Charles Barkley.

Jordan soon proved himself on the court. He helped the team make the
playoffs and scored an average of 28.2 points per game that season. For his
efforts, Jordan received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and was selected
for the All-Star Game.

While his second season was marred by injury, he was breaking new ground
on the court during the 1986-87 season. He became the first player since Wilt
Chamberlain to score more than 3,000 points in a single season.
By the late 1980s, the Chicago Bulls were quickly becoming a force to be
reckoned with, and Jordan was an instrumental part of the team's success. 

The Bulls made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1990 and won their first
NBA championship the following year by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jordan was well known by then for his superior athleticism on the court and
for his leadership abilities.

In 1992, the Chicago Bulls beat the Portland Trail Blazers to win their second
NBA championship. The team took their third championship the following
year, dominating in the basketball world.

Following a short stint in minor league baseball, in March 1995 Jordan

returned to the basketball court for the Chicago Bulls. He came back even
stronger the following year, averaging 30.4 points per game to lead the Bulls
to a then-record 72 regular-season wins before they defeated the Seattle
SuperSonics for the NBA championship.

Chicago nearly matched the previous year's record with 69 wins in 1996-97, a
season that ended with a six-game win over the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals.
The two teams faced each other again for the championship in 1998, with
Jordan sinking the winning shot in Game 6 to claim his sixth NBA title.

Washington Wizards

After his second retirement from basketball in 1999, Jordan joined the
Washington Wizards in 2000 as a part owner and as president of basketball
operations. 

In the fall of 2001, Jordan relinquished these roles to return to the court once
more. He played for the Wizards for two seasons before retiring for good in
2003.

PHOTOS: Michael Jordan's Career

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Olympics

During the summer of 1984, Jordan made his first appearance at the Olympic
Games as a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball team. The team won the
gold at the games that year, which were held in Los Angeles.

Jordan later helped the American team bring home the gold medal at the 1992
Olympic Games, held in Barcelona, Spain.

Retirements from Basketball

Over the 19 years since beginning his professional basketball career, Jordan
retired from the sport three times. He first retired in 1993 and again in 1998,
then finally hung up his jersey for good in 2003.