The man whose name is included in the list of the greatest athletes of the century was The man who was named the 20th century North America’s greatest athlete. This man is none other than the one and only Michael Jordan. Know The Fact is here to tell you about the Legend of the Basketball World.
Micheal Jeffery Michael Jordan, mostly simply called Michael Jordan, was born on February 17, 1963. He is a businessman and was a former basketball player. Jordan, during his time in the National Basketball Association (NBA), played a total of fifteen seasons. He won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan is the primary owner and chairperson of the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA and of 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. In fact, Jordan played a key role in popularising the NBA around the globe in the 1980s and 1990s. In the process, he became a global cultural symbol.
Jordan is famous for his acrobatic band-leaping abilities. He earned the nicknames “Air Jordan” and “His Airness” due to his incredible slam dunk performances in Slam Dunk contests. Jordan is credited with fueling the success of Nike’s Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1984 and still remain popular even to this day. He made millions with his endorsements. Jordan set a new record in NBA history by becoming the first billionaire NBA player. As of 2022, it is estimated that his net worth is at $2.1 billion.
Jordan’s basketball career from 1984 to 1993
Jordan was instrumental in leading the U.S. basketball team to victory in 1984 in Los Angeles and in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. Both times, the team won Olympic gold medals. Jordan was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1984. Playing as a professional in his first season from 1984 to 1985, he led his team to success and was named Rookie of the Year. His excellence even won him fans from the opposing team. He missed most of the following season due to his broken foot. Upon his return, he led the NBA in scoring for seven seasons in a row, averaging about 33 points per game. This made him the second player (after Wilt Chamberlain) to score 3,000 points in one season (1986–87). In his career as a basketball player, Michael Jordan was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, and 1998. A whopping five times! In 1988, he was also honoured with the title of Defensive Player of the Year. In October 1993, he led the Bulls to their third back-to-back championship. After that, Jordan
momentarily resigned and pursued a career in professional baseball. He got back to basketball in March 1995.
Jordan’s basketball career from 1995 to 1998
In the 1995–96 season, Jordan led the Bulls to a 72–10 regular-season record, which was the best in the history of the NBA at that time. This record was broken in 2015–16 by the Golden State Warriors. Jordan led the Bulls again from 1996 to 1998. The Chicago Bulls once again came out on top. They won three championships consecutively. Jordan was named MVP of the NBA finals each time in these championships. Once more, after the 1997–98 season, Jordan resigned from basketball again. Jordan’s basketball career from 2001 to his final retirement.
Jordan bought a share of the Washington Wizards in January 2000. He was additionally delegated as the president of basketball operations for the club. Overseeing and managing the club was not enough for Jordan. In September 2001, he revoked his ownership and executive positions with the Wizards so that he could be a player on the team. Fans and the league both cheered on his second return to the NBA. The league had suffered declining attendance and television ratings since his 1998 retirement. At last, Jordan announced his final retirement after the 2002-03 season. Jordan ended his illustrious career with 32,292 total points and a 30.12-points-per-game average. This was the best in league history. He has a record of 2,514 steals, the second-most ever. He bought a controlling interest in the Charlotte Hornets, formerly known as the Charlotte Bobcats, in 2010. This made him the first ex-NBA player to become a majority owner of one of the league’s franchises.
Additional facts about Michael Jordan:
Jordan acted as himself in the film Space Jam (1996), along with animated characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. In 1996, he was honoured by the NBA as one of the 50 greatest players of all time. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2016, Michael Jordan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
