When Michael Jordan College

Story began when Michael Jordan Parent James and Delores Jordan, moved to Wilmington, North Carolina when he was still a toddler. Jordan has two older brothers, one older sister, and one younger sister.

Jordan loved to play baseball when he was a child, and also played some basketball and football. His love for basketball began when his older brother, Larry, continuously beat him in one-on-one pickup games. As with any challenge Jordan faces, this determined Michael to become a better player.

Jordan played basketball for Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. Ironically, Jordan was cut from the varsity team as a sophomore. Instead of giving up after failing to make the team, Jordan used it to spur himself to greater achievements, practicing hour after hour on the court. "Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I'd close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it," Jordan said, "and that usually got me going again." He eventually made the team and led it to the state championship.

Jordan accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of North Carolina. As a freshman, Jordan's ever-growing popularity began when he scored the game-winning basket in the 1982 NCAA championship game against the Georgetown Hoyas. Jordan was selected college player of the year in the 1983-84 season, and led the US Men's Basketball Team to an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics under coach Bobby Knight.

Jordan left college and entered the NBA in 1984, he was selected third in the draft (First pick: Houston--Hakeem Olajuwon; second pick: Portland--Sam Bowie) by the Chicago Bulls, a team that had won only 28 games the previous season. Ironically, Jordan played in his first game as a pro against Washington on Oct. 26, 1984. Jordan became an immediate impact in the league and proved that he belonged among the elite players. He finished his rookie season as one of the top scorers in the league, averaging 28.2 points per game, was named Rookie of the Year, and also made the All-Star team. Jordan led the Bulls into the playoffs in every season, but didn't make the NBA Finals until 1991, where he led the Bulls to their first of three consecutive NBA Championships (1991, 1992, and 1993).

Jordan played in the 1992 summer Olympics with the original Dream Team, perhaps the greatest team ever assembled. It was the first time NBA players were allowed to compete in the Olympics. Michael Jordan averaged 12.7 points per game as the USA Dream Team went 6-0 to win the gold medal, Jordan's second in his career.

When Michael Jordan Was a kid

As a kid Michael Jordan was always just an average basketball player. He would tie up his shoes and play like everyone else. As a teenager, Michael Jordan got cut from his varsity basketball team, but that didn’t stop him to being the best that he can be, that’s why Michael Jordan’s determination got him to where he is now.

Michael Jordan is a determined man. Jordan knew he had the skills to play and the eventually proved it in the gym.

After moving from Brooklyn New York, Jordan moved to Willingham North Carolina where he played three sports. Once he got cut from his team, it gave Jordan more motivation. Every morning before school, Jordan would practice in the gym, working on his skills. The schools varsity coach soon realized that he had potential to be great, and his coach started to train him for Jordan’s junior year. Although his coach would beat Jordan on “one on one” games, Jordan had grown 6 inches in the off-season making him a confident player going into next season.

Jordan’s favorite number is 6. That’s the number of rings he has from winning the NBA finals. Jordan was an all around athlete, he was great defensively, he was great a shooting the ball, and he was also clutch as anyone. Jordan would go on to win the MVP four times. He would win NBA finals MVP six times, and would win defensive player of the year once.

Michael Jordan proves to any young kid that he can do what ever they set their mind to. Jordan’s famous quote is, “I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying,” and Jordan proves that. With his dedication and willingness to never give up, Jordan would go on to be the best basketball player to ever live the game.

Michael "Air" Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York) is a retired American professional basketball player and active businessman. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.

Personal Life:

Jordan is the fourth of five children. He has two older brothers, Larry and James, one older sister, Delores, and a younger sister, Roslyn. He married Juanita Jordan in September 1989, and they have two sons, Jeffrey and Marcus, and a daughter, Jasmine. The parents filed for divorce on January 4, 2002, citing irreconcilable differences, but reconciled shortly thereafter.

Jordan's father, James Jordan, was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a highway rest area in Lumberton, North Carolina, by Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery, who were caught after being traced, having made calls from James Jordan's cellular phone.

Jordan's brother James R. Jordan is a Sergeant Major in the 35th Signal Brigade of the XVIII Airborne Corps in the U.S. Army. James gained certain celebrity when he announced, at the age of forty-seven, that he intended to stay in Iraq until the U.S. occupation ended.

Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

After a stand-out career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as one of the stars of the league, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line at Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness." He also gained a reputation as one of the best defensive players in basketball.

In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat." Though Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993-94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but he returned for two more NBA seasons in 2001 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances and three All-Star MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA record for highest career regular season scoring average with 30.12 points per game, as well as averaging a record 33.4 points per game in the playoffs. In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame on April 6, 2009 and will be inducted in September 2009.

Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today.[4] Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam. He is currently a part-owner and Managing Member of Basketball Operations of the Charlotte Bobcats in North Carolina.