Michael Jordan’s full name is Michael Jeffrey Jordan who is also known by his initials MJ. Born on 17th February 1963, MJ is known for his feats in the NBA as well as one of the most successful sportsman turned business ever. The official website of the National Basketball Association (NBA) states “by acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time,” cementing his legacy as the best NBA player of all time.
He reigned over the NBA for fifteen seasons and won 6 NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls which made him a global cultural icon as he was one of the most important personalities who took the sport of basketball and the NBA all around the globe in the 1980s and 90s.
MJ played college basketball for three seasons with the North Carolina Tar Heels. In 1982, he, as a freshman helped his team become the National Champions. In 1984 Jordan was picked by the Chicago Bulls, however, as third overall draft pick.
Jordan quickly became famous for his leaping abilities as he even demonstrated slam dunks from the free-throw line in Slam Dunk Contests which earned him the nicknames “Air Jordan” and “His Airness”.
Jordan won his first NBA title in 1991 with the Chicago Bulls and then repeated this achievement in 1993 and 1993 securing a Three-Peat. However, before the 1993-94 season, Jordan abruptly retired from basketball to play Minor League Baseball, but for his fans liking, he returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and led them to three more championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998 securing a Three-Peat again. He also secured a then record with 72 regular season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season.
Biography:
Born: 17th February 1963
Birth name: Michael Jeffrey Jordan
Nicknames: MJ, Air Jordan, His Airness, Black Car, Black Jesus, Magic Jordan
Height: 6′ 5″ (1.98 m)
Personal Life:
Jordan Jeffrey Jordan was born on 17th February 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. His mother is Deloris (nee Peoples) who worked in banking and his father James R. Jordan Sr. who was an equipment supervisor. However, Jordan grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina as his family moved there when he was still just a toddler.
Jordan married Juanita Vanoy in Las Vegas, Nevada on 2nd September 1989 and had 2 sons, Jeffrey and Marcus, and a daughter, Jasmine. However, the Hordans filed for divorce on January 4th, 2002 only to reconcile shortly thereafter. However, it did not last long as on 29th December 2006 they were awarded their second divorce and final decree of dissolution of marriage.
It is said that Juanita received a sum of $ 168 million as a settlement for the divorce which is equivalent to $ 244 million in today’s time if adjusted for inflation.
Net Worth:
Jordan is one of the most marketed sports figures in history. He has been a major spokesperson for brands including Ball Park Franks, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, Gatorade, Hanes, MCI, McDonald’s, Nike, Rayovac, and Wheaties. In 1984, Nike and Jordan came together and created a signature shoe for Jordan called Air Jordan. Since 2008, Jordan’s yearly income from endorsements alone is estimated to be $ 40 million.
In June 2010, Forbed ranked MJ as the 20th most powerful celebrity in the world with earnings between June 2009 and 2010 to be $ 55 million.
Jordan Brand generates $ 1 billion in sales every year for Nike.
In 2014, Michael Jordan was declared the first NBA player ever to become a billionaire as he increased his stake in the Charlotte Hornets by 9.5% to 89.5%.
In 2017, he became part-owner of the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball.
As of writing this article, Michael Jordan is the 1516th richest person in the world with a net worth of $ 2 billion as per Forbes.
Awards:
- Six-time NBA champion – 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
- Six-time NBA Finals MVP – 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
- Five-time NBA MVP – 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998
- NBA Defensive Player of the Year – 1987–88
- NBA Rookie of the Year – 1984–85
- 10-time NBA scoring leader – 1987–1993, 1996–1998
- Three-time NBA steals leader – 1988, 1990, 1993
- 14-time NBA All-Star – 1985–1993, 1996–1998, 2002, 2003
- Three-time NBA All-Star Game MVP – 1988, 1996, 1998
- 10-time All-NBA First Team – 1987–1993, 1996–1998
- One-time All-NBA Second Team – 1985
- Nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team – 1988–1993, 1996–1998
- NBA All-Rookie First Team – 1985
- Two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion – 1987, 1988
- Two-time IBM Award winner – 1985, 1989
- Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996
- Selected on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021
- No. 23 retired by the Chicago Bulls
- No. 23 retired by the Miami Heat
- NBA MVP trophy was renamed in Jordan’s honour (“Michael Jordan Trophy”) in 2022
- Two-time Olympic gold medal winner – 1984, 1992
- Tournament of the Americas gold medal winner – 1992
- Pan American Games gold medal winner – 1983
- Two-time USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year – 1983, 1984
Fun Facts:
- Throughout his career, Jordan used the jersey numbers 23, 12, and 45
- He has a total of five children
- Michael Jordan’s best friend works as a limousine driver
- The highest bidding on a Jordan sneaker was priced at $71,000 at an auction
- He is the only professional basketball player over the age of 40 with a 20 PPG average
- Michael Jordan never lost three successive games for 8 years in a row with the Chicago Bulls
- Michael Jordan has a phobia of large bodies of water
- Apart from basketball, Michael Jordan also played baseball and football in high school
- Michael Jordan played through a bad case of food poisoning in 1997 and won
- He almost did not make a deal with Nike because he wanted to wear Adidas shoes
- Michael Jordan stated that his most memorable dunk was against Patrick Ewing in 1991
- His childhood idol was Magic Johnson
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