Michael Jeffrey
Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York,
but his family decided to move to Wilmington, North Carolina
when he was still a toddler. Jordan is the fourth of five
children, having two older brothers and an older and younger
sister. Michael's dad worked hard at an electric plant while
his mom labored full-time 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. Because
his older and taller brother, Larry, continuously kept beating
him when they played one-on-one, he was determined to become
a better player.
Ironically, in 1978, when
Jordan attended Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina,
he was cut from the varsity team. Instead of giving up, however,
he fought through adversity and became the greatest basketball
player in the world.
Between the 10th and 11th
grade, Jordan grew from 5'11" to 6'3", and because
he had improved greatly as a player, 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,
Pennsylvania, during the summer before his senior year.
By the time Jordan was finishing
his senior year at Laney, 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 NCAA championship game.
In the summer of 1984, 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's plays quickly awed
the other teams.
He 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 played his
first regular-season game with the Chicago Bulls.
Jordan immediately proved
that he belonged in the big leagues and 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.
Jordan 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.
After proving that he was
the best basketball player in the world, Jordan sought a new
challenge and decided to try his hand at professional baseball.
He played outfielder for the Birmingham Barons, affiliates
of the Chicago White Sox. Jordan quickly realized that he
was not cutout for baseball after a disappointing season.
In 1995, Jordan made a surprise
return to basketball right before the playoffs but unfortunately,
the Bulls didn't win the Championship. In 1996, Jordan led
the Bulls to their best regular season record and the fourth
Championship title in six years. He also took a shot at the
silver screen, where he starred alongside Bugs Bunny in the
animated comedy Space Jam.
Jordan decided to retire after
winning his last Championship in 1999. He has decided to dedicate
his life to his wife Juanita, and their three children, Jeffrey,
Marcus and Jasmine. Jordan resides in Highland Park where
he is happily enjoying his retirement.
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