Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. He is the principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and of 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. His biography on the official NBA website states: “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.” He was integral in helping to popularize the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a global cultural icon in the process.Jordan played college basketball for three seasons under coach Dean Smith with the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels’ national championship team in 1982. Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick, and quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring while gaining a reputation as one of the game’s best defensive players. His leaping ability, demonstrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames “Air Jordan” and “His Airness”. Jordan won his first NBA championship with the Bulls in 1991, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a “three-peat”. Jordan abruptly retired from basketball before the 1993–94 NBA season to play Minor League Baseball, but returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and led them to three more championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998, as well as a then-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season. He retired for a second time in January 1999 but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards.Jordan’s individual accolades and accomplishments include six NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, ten scoring titles (both all-time records), five MVP Awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game selections, three All-Star Game MVP Awards, three steals titles, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the 20th century’s greatest North American athlete by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press’ list of athletes of the century. Jordan was twice inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, once in 2009 for his individual career and again in 2010 as part of the 1992 United States men’s Olympic basketball team (“The Dream Team”). He became a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2015.One of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation, Jordan is also known for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike’s Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1984 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred as himself in the 1996 film Space Jam and in the Emmy Award-winning miniseries The Last Dance (2020). He became part-owner and head of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats (now named the Hornets) in 2006, and bought a controlling interest in 2010. In 2014, Jordan became the first billionaire player in NBA history. With a net worth of $2.1 billion, he is the fourth-richest African American, behind Robert F. Smith, David Steward, and Oprah Winfrey.From Brooklyn, New York, Michael Jeffrey Jordan is the son of Delores and James Jordan. His family decided to move to Wilmington, North Carolina when he was still a toddler. Jordan is the fourth of five children. His dad worked at an electric plant while his mom worked at a bank. Jordan’s parents worked hard to provide him and his siblings with a comfortable lifestyle. As a child, Jordan played baseball, basketball and football. His preferred sport at the time was baseball but after he began spending a lot of time on the basketball court, his outlook changed. His older and taller brother, Larry kept beating him when they played one-on-one.In 1978, when Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, he was cut from the varsity team. Instead of giving up, he worked through this hardship and became one of the greatest basketball players in the world. Between the 10th and 11th grade, Jordan grew from 5’11” to 6’3″, and because his game improved, he made the varsity team the following year. Jordan played so well in his junior season that he was invited to attend the Five-Star Camp in Pittsburgh before his senior year. By the time Jordan was finishing his senior year he had grown to 6’5″ and attained a basketball scholarship from the University of North Carolina. Jordan’s ever-growing popularity began at UNC where he made a last minute game-winning shot in the 1984 NCAA championship game.That summer, Jordan played on the US Men’s Olympic Basketball Team under head coach Bobby Knight. The team had such college players as Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin (NBA players weren’t allowed to compete in the Games until 1992). Jordan scored 14 points against China, 20 against Canada and 16 against Uruguay. The US won all eight of the games by an average of 32.1 points per game. Jordan led the team in scoring with an average of 17.1 points per game.Two months after the Olympics, Jordan began his first NBA professional season with the Chicago Bulls. His acrobatic moves and hang-time won him the infamous nickname Air Jordan. His basketball skills and allure made him the perfect key figure to market both Nike products and the NBA and he led the Bulls to three consecutive World Championships (1991, 1992 and 1993). Jordan retired from the NBA preceding the 1993/94 season after the mysterious death of his father and after rumors about his gambling addictions began to circulate.He decided to try his hand at professional baseball. He played outfielder for the Birmingham Barons, and realized that he was not cutout for baseball after a disappointing season. In 1995, Jordan returned to basketball right before the playoffs but the Bulls didn’t win the Championship. The following season, Jordan led the Bulls to their best regular season record and the fourth Championship title in six years. He also starred alongside Bugs Bunny in the animated comedy Space Jam. He also decided to retire after winning his last Championship in 1999, mainly due to dedicate his life to his wife Juanita, and their three children, Jeffrey, Marcus and Jasmine.After partly returning to the game as president of basketball operations with the Washington Wizards (he owned a stake in the team), Jordan announced his return to the NBA, this time, as a Wizard. In that 2002 season, he suffered a knee injury that kept him on the sidelines for the rest of the year, and his wife announced her desire to file for divorce (the couple is still married).Jordan has two older brothers (Larry and James), one older sister (Delores) and one younger sister (Roslyn). James R. Jordan is a Sergeant Major in the 35th Signal Brigade of the XVIII Airborne Corps in the U.S. Army. James R. gained certain celebrity himself when he announced, at the age of 47, that he intended to stay in Iraq until the Iraqi invasion ends. Michael Jordan currently lives in Highland Park, Illinois.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.”In 2016, Jordan was presented with a Presidential Medal of Freedom honor by Barack Obama.
Written by Dianne Washington