MICHAEL JORDAN (1963- )

               American professional basketball player, Michael Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest player in basketball history. The 1.98 m shooting guard first became known as an explosive individual scorer, but as he matured as a player he adopted a more team-oriented approach to the game. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six National Basketball Association (NBA) championships (1991-1993, 1996-1998). His widespread appeal to fans has helped keep basketball one of the world’s most popular spectator sports.

              Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born in Brook­lyn, New York, the fourth of five children born to James and Deloris Jordan. The fami­ly moved from Brooklyn to Wilmington, North Carolina, when Michael was still a young child. Long before it appeared he would become a basketball star, young Michael liked to play baseball with his father. As a teenager, Jor­dan became well-known in North Carolina for his baseball skills, and he was named MVP* of the Babe Ruth League after his team won the state championship.

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*MVP - most valuable player.

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               Jordan attended Wilmington’s Laney High School, where at first he failed to make the varsity basketball team. Instead, Laney’s bas­ketball coach, Clifton «Pop» Herring, decided that Jordan could improve his skills with more playing time on the junior varsity team. As a sophomore* on the junior varsity, Jordan, then 1.8 m tall, averaged 25 points per game.

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*sophomore -a second-year student of a four-year high school or college.

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              The following summer Jordan worked dili­gently on his own and at basketball camps to improve his game. During this early pe­riod in his career, Jordan’s brother Larry contributed much to his development as a player. Although Larry was only 1.7 m tall, he regularly beat Michael in one-on-one games and taught Michael about the importance of competition. By the time high school started the next autumn, Jordan had grown to 1.9 m and was confident he would make the varsity squad.

              As a high school junior* Jordan made the Laney varsity and was a valuable member of the squad.

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*junior - a third-year student in high school or college.

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               He then attended the nation­ally renowned Five-Star Basketball Camp during the summer before his senior* sea­son.

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*senior - student of a graduating class.

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                There, Jordan met University of North Carolina (UNC) coach Dean Smith*, who began recruiting Jordan for college.

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*Smith, Dean Edwards (1931 -) - basketball coach.

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                 In No­vember 1980 Jordan signed a letter of in-, tent to attend UNC. As a high school senior Jordan led Laney to 19 wins.

                 At UNC in 1981-82, Jordan earned a spot as a Tar Heel starter. He was only the fourth freshman* ever to do so under coach Smith.

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*freshman - a student in the first year of high school or college.

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                Jordan spent most of his freshman season in a supporting role, as the UNC offense. During the 1982 National Collegiate Athletic Associa­tion (NCAA) championship game against Geor­getown University, however, Jordan earned national fame by scoring a last-second jump shot from the baseline, sealing a 63-62 Tar Heels victory and the national championship.

                Jordan played two more seasons with the Tar Heels before declaring himself eligible for the NBA draft. Before the start of his professional career, Jordan played on the Unit­ed States national team at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. He served as captain of the talented amateur squad. The team, which won the gold medal, was paced by Jordan’s 17.1 points per game.

                The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan in the 1984 NBA draft as the third overall pick. Jordan’s presence on the Bulls immediately resurrect­ed interest in the Chicago franchise, which had struggled in the early 1980s. Jordan’s performance earned him the rookie* of the year award, a spot on the All-Star team, and a place on the all-rookie team, but Chicago lost in the first round of the playoffs.

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*rookie - a new player, especially a professional, basketball player in his first season on the league team.

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                The pattern of spectacular individual per­formances but disappointing playoff losses was repeated over Jordan’s next five sea­sons. He astounded fans and players alike with his play, but the Bulls were stymied in the playoffs, particularly by the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. One prob­lem was that Jordan sometimes played at a level so above his teammates that the Bulls failed to function as a team.

                 Jordan was hampered by a foot injury dur­ing his second NBA season, 1985-86, and missed all but 18 games. Once healthy enough to take the floor, he returned to record one of his most amazing scoring per­formances. During a first-round playoff series against the Celtics, Jordan averaged 43.7 points per game. During game two Jordan set the record for the most points scored in a playoff game, amassing 63 points in a double-overtime loss. The Bulls, how­ever, were swept by the Celtics.

              The following season, Jordan continued his scoring feats, recording 50 or more points during 8 separate games of the 82-game sea­son. He ended the season with 3041 points and a 37.1 points per game average—becom­ing only the second player after Wilt Cham­berlain* to score more than 3000 points in a single season.

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*Chamberlain, Wilton Norman (1936 - ) - the most prolific offensive player in the history of basketball.

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               The totals also earned Jordan the first of seven consecutive scoring titles.

               Jordan’s status as an NBA superstar was cemented when he won the slam-dunk con­test during the 1988 All-Star Game. His leap from the free-throw line elevated his popu­larity beyond the expectations of the league. Jordan also boosted the popularity of the Nike shoe company and other sponsors with his sincere, plainspoken endorsements. Jor­dan’s appeal as a basketball player and spokesperson was especially strong among children and teenagers. Articles of clothing such as Jordan’s Nike basketball shoes, and jerseys and T-shirts with his number (23), became popular. Many advertisements focused on Jordan’s determination to suc­ceed and encouraged kids to “be like Mike.”

                Jordan finished the 1988 season as the NBA leader in scoring and was named the league’s MVP. In the playoffs the Bulls reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time, but lost to the Pistons.

                Before the start of the 1989-90 season, Bulls assistant coach Phil Jackson was promoted to the head coaching position. Jackson in­troduced the so-called triangle offense, which allowed Jordan to use his incredible offensive talents. The triangle offense fo­cused on passing and balancing the players across the floor. Because there were few set plays, the strategy permitted individuals to create their own plays when the situation allowed. This meant that the Bulls could still benefit from Jordan’s playmaking skills, but at the same time the system en­couraged his teammates to play aggressive­ly as well. During the season Jordan won his fourth scoring title. In the playoffs the Bulls pushed the Pistons to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals, but in the end the Pistons won again.

                As he grew older, Jordan made a concerted effort to help his teammates reach their own potential. The result of his renewed commit­ment to team-oriented play was the Bulls’ first NBA championship title. After the 1990-91 season the Bulls swept the Pistons in the East­ern Conference Finals and then defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. Jor­dan won the league MVP award for the sec­ond time and was named MVP of the champi­onship series. Two more NBA titles (and two championship series MVP awards for Jordan) followed in 1992 and 1993. Jordan was named league MVP again in 1992.

                In 1992 professional players were allowed to compete in Olympic basketball, and Jor­dan starred on the U.S. national team, known as the Dream Team, that dominated the Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain. He teamed with other top-level players from the NBA to win the gold medal.

               On the eve of the 1993-94 season, Jordan shocked the sports world by announcing his retirement from basketball, stating that he had lost his desire to play the sport. Many speculated that the death of his father, who had been murdered in the summer of 1993, contributed to his decision. After three con­secutive NBA titles with the Bulls, Jordan himself cited a lifelong dream to play base­ball for his abrupt career change.

               In 1994 Jordan signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox organization. He then spent the season with the Birmingham Barons of the Class AA Southern League—two levels below the major leagues. In 1995 Jordan was sched­uled to advance to the Triple-A level with the Nashville Sounds of the American Association, with a chance to move up to the major leagues in September. But when major league players went on strike that spring, Jordan decided to quit baseball rather than serve as a replace­ment player for the White Sox.

              Jordan ended his retirement from profession­al basketball by rejoining the Bulls with 17 games left in the 1994-95 season. The abrupt decision meant that Jordan had little time to prepare for the rigors of postseason play, and the Bulls lost to the Orlando Mag­ic in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In 1995-96, Jordan returned to his preretirement form. He again wore uniform number 23, which had been retired in 1994, and he led his team to an NBA record 72-10 win-loss record during the regular season. The Bulls went on to win their fourth champion­ship in six years. Jordan was again named regular-season and championship series MVP, becoming the first player ever to win the championship series honor four times.

               Jordan continued to dominate the league dur­ing the. next two seasons. Chicago finished the 1996-1997 regular season with a 69-13 record, paced by Jordan’s league-leading 29.6 points per game. In the playoffs they won a hard-fought NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, and Jordan received his fifth NBA Finals MVP award. In 1997-1998 Jordan topped the league in scoring (28.7 points per game) for the tenth time. He also earned his fifth regular season MVP award. Jordan then led the Bulls past the New Jersey Nets, Char­lotte Hornets, and Indiana Pacers in the East­ern Conference playoffs before meeting the Jazz again in the NBA Finals. Chicago de­feated Utah, 4 games to 2, and Jordan scored the last basket of the series, a jump shot with 5.2seconds left in the sixth game that gave the Bulls an 87-86 victory and their sixth NBA championship. His exploits earned him his sixth NBA Finals MVP award.

                Following the NBA championship Jackson left the Bulls to pursue other interests and Jordan hinted at a second retirement, stat­ing that he did not want to play for a coach other than Jackson. On January 13, 1999, before the start of the strike-shortened 1999 season, Jordan once again announced his retirement from professional basketball. His career totals include 29,277 points, 5,836 rebounds, 5,012 assists, and 2,306 steals. Jordan holds the records for the highest career scoring average (31.5 points per game) and the most seasons leading, the league in scoring (10).

                When Jordan joined the NBA in 1984, bas­ketball’s popularity was already on the rise, thanks to two great stars of the 1980s— Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics.

                 The Bulls’ domination of the NBA under Jordan’s leadership captured the imagina­tion of many people, and his athletic skills, charisma, and competitive drive created new basketball fans as few other players have.

                 Jordan’s popularity has spread well beyond scoring titles, championships, and other aspects of the NBA. He has become one of the most-recognized individuals in the world. He has been especially influential in the sports­wear industry, starting with Nike’s intro­duction of the famous line of Air Jordan basketball shoes in 1984. The partnership between Jordan and Nike became so success­ful that, before the 1997-98 season, Nike created a separate business unit known as the JORDAN brand to market footwear and apparel that Jordan himself helps design.