July 2001
- Gatorade Set for Jordan's Possible Return
Like millions of basketball fans, Gatorade is eager to see
if Michael Jordan will return to the game.
June 2001
- Jordan's Possible Return
...and as rumored, should Michael Jordan return to the NBA,
he will do so in Madison Square Garden October 30...
June 2001
- NBC not waiting for Jordan (Reuters)
Michael Jordan's decision to return to basketball is still
up in the air, and NBC doesn't know what to do.
March 2001
- Michael Jordan says the NBA is trying to create stars who
haven't earned that status. "When I was playing it was
never done," Jordan, now part owner of the Washington
Wizards, told the Chicago Sun-Times. "You didn't create
Magic Johnson or Larry Bird. They created themselves. Although
Jordan led North Carolina to the 1982 NCAA title and then
won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, he said he still surprised
people when he came into the league. "When I came out,
no one knew. I had to prove myself," he told the newspaper
for Thursday's editions. "Kobe Bryant came out of high
school and everybody had already projected him as such a great
player." Players like Bryant, one of the stars of the
Los Angeles Lakers, are given success before they surprise
anybody, making the risk of failure far greater, Jordan said.
He is impressed by some players in the league, including the
Detroit Pistons' Grant Hill, but said the NBA is making a
mistake by pushing Hill and others as the next Michael Jordan.
"Endorsement-wise, financially, that's fine and good,"
said Jordan, who plans to stop endorsing products when his
current contracts expire. "But they need to portray him
in his individuality." Jordan said players such as Bryant
and Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors still have much work
to do on the court. "Kobe, he's got to continue to grow,"
Jordan said. He said that Bryant is fortunate that he's being
coached by Phil Jackson, Jordan's mentor with the Chicago
Bulls. "He'll listen to Phil," Jordan said. Jordan
said Bryant should ignore Carter's offensive moves, which
he said are dazzling. "But Vince doesn't play defense,"
said Jordan, a former defensive player of the year as well
as a five-time MVP. Jordan said the Wizards' Juwan Howard,
another who entered the league amid extremely high expectations,
works hard and can be a winner. But Jordan insists Howard
makes too much money. "He's not a franchise player, although
he's paid like one," Jordan said.
June 2000
- After more than two weeks of negotiations, Michael Jordan
and the Washington Wizards finally named Leonard Hamilton
as their new coach Wednesday.
June 2000 - Retired
basketball star Michael Jordan proved himself just as formidable
in a courtroom as on the courts when a federal judge ruled
in his favor Thursday in a dispute with restaurateurs over
exclusive Chicago rights to his name. U.S. District Court
Judge James Moran said Jordan's former partners, brothers
Gene and Joseph Silverberg, breached their contract with the
former Chicago Bulls' star by criticizing him in the media.
The Silverbergs complained that Jordan had abandoned the now-closed
establishment, called Michael Jordan's restaurant, and said
they were seeking a smaller venue because his name alone was
not enough to keep it open. The contract voided by the judge
had given the brothers exclusive rights to use the basketball
legend's name in connection with Chicago eateries. "I
was told that I was a pretty powerful guy because my words
could hurt Michael Jordan, could topple his image, and I didn't
believe it for a second and I still don't believe it,"
Gene Silverberg said after the ruling. According to testimony,
Jordan had wanted a more upscale atmosphere in the restaurant
and asked the Silverbergs to provide him more privacy there.
Jordan did not testify but attended most of the trial. He
was playing in a celebrity golf tournament when the ruling
was announced. Jordan, 37, is part-owner of another Chicago
restaurant and one in New York.
March 2000 - Michael
Jordan can't palm a basketball any longer, but insists an
injured finger was not a factor in his decision to retire
from the NBA. Jordan sliced his right index finger on a cigar
cutter after his last season with the Chicago Bulls.
March 2000 - Basketball
legend Michael Jordan announced Monday that he and his wife
Juanita will contribute $100,000 to the Jackie Robinson Foundation
to establish an endowed college scholarship.
February 2000 - ESPN
already chose Michael Jordan as its athlete of the century.
So it was little surprise that Jordan won the network's athlete
of the decade award Monday night. Jordan, who two months ago
was acclaimed by ESPN as the athlete of the century, won both
male athlete of the decade and pro basketball player of the
decade in the eighth annual ESPY Awards. He received a standing
ovation from the audience that included Tiger Woods, Mark
McGwire, Evander Holyfield and members of the U.S. women's
soccer team, among others. "You guys are making me turn
red up here," Jordan said as he got the ovation. The
awards were voted on by a panel of ESPN and ABC employees
as well as some sports journalists and former athletes.
December 1999 - Sports Illustrated named Michael Jordan
as the basketball player of the century.
September 1999 - Fortune
Magazine has produced a list of the richest Americans under
40. Michael Jordan who is 36, was ranked 29th with a net worth
of $357 million.
August 1999 - Michael
Jordan will play in a fund-raising event along with more than
100 other celebrities to raise money for cancer research.
Eighty-six of them played in the Jimmy "V" Celebrity
Golf Classic, including one of the nation's most famous retirees,
Michael Jordan.
August 1999 - The
IMAX theater will be featuring a movie about Michael Jordan.
``Michael Jordan to the Max'' captures the real-life story
of Jordan. The producers are eyeing a May release.
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