Michael+Jordan

=Michael Jordan =

toc Michael Jeffery Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is an African American former professional basketball player, Olympic athlete, actor, and an active businessman. He dominated the sport from the mid 80’s to the late 90’s. He brought home many championships, gold medals, and MVP awards. “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.”

Early Years
Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. Soon after his birth, his family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina because his parents were scared the neighborhoods of Brooklyn were too dangerous. As a kid, Michael loved to play baseball, football, and basketball. In high school, he was cut from the basketball team as a sophomore. With his competitive and determined attitude, he made Varsity as a junior and led his team to state. In 1981 he enrolled to the University of North Carolina on a basketball scholarship. His freshman year, he made the winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA D1 Championship. Jorda ﻿ n continued to succeed through his sophomore and junior college season. In 1984, he decided to enter the NBA Draft.

Career
Michael Jordan kicked off his career in June of 1984. He was drafted ﻿ by the Chicago ﻿ Bull ﻿ s a ﻿ s a 3rd overall pick. In July-August, Jordan played with the U.S basketball team in the Los Angeles, Californ ﻿ ia Olympics. He carried the team to a gold medal victory. Michael broke his foot and had to watch his team from the sideline ﻿ s the season of ‘85-‘86. His recovery unlocked one of the best scoring seasons in NBA history. Jordan had a total of over 3000 points in the 1986-1987 season. This accompishment was not enough to get him MVP, but he recieved his first MVP award the next season. Phil Jackson, known as one of the greatest NBA coaches, started as head for the Chicago Bulls in 1989. The next season was an emotional one for Jordan. The team won their first NBA Final championship game and Michael received the NBA Finals MVP award. He cried while holding the trophy in front of the world. In 1992, Jordan took another trip to the Olympics to play with the ‘Dream Team’ in Barcelona, Spain. The team included Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and David Robinson and they easily took the gold. The Bull's '92-'93 season marked their first three-peat (3 consecutive championship wins). Soon after the win, Jordan went through some hard family times and decided to retire from the NBA and return to the sport that he loves; baseball. He ended up playing Minor League Baseball for the Birmingham Barons as an outfielder for only a year and returned to the Bulls in '95. The final games of the 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 seasons are arguably the best moments of Jordan's career. The Bull's beat their rivals, Utah Jazz, on Jordan's buzzer beating jump shot in '96-'97. The next year, in the championship final game, the Bulls and Jazz had a rematch. Again, Jordan made the game winning shot with less than 10 seconds left. This went down in history and is still known to this day as "the shot." The win secured the Bull's second three-peat (6 championship wins). Jordan retired for the second time in 1999 because Phil Jackson was not returning as coach. In January of 2000, Mich ﻿ ael became the Washington Wizards part owner and President of Basketball Operations. Part owner and President wasn't cutting it, so he rejoined the NBA to play for the Wizards. After two seasons with them, he retired from the NBA for good on April 16, 2003.

Retirement
After retiring from the NBA in 2003, Michael had a lot of extra time and picked up on motorcycling. He became very interested in racing them. He owns a motorcycle himself, a Suzuki, which is his favorite type. He has been busy with endorsments from Nike, Coca-Cola, Gaterade, McDonald's, Wheaties, and Hanes. The //Jordan// Brand has become huge and is popular everywhere. He donates to boys and girls clubs and charities all around the world. In 2006, he bought a share of the Charlotte Bobcats and is the managing member of Basketball Operations. On March 17, 2010, Michael Jordan became majority owner of the team. He is the first former NBA player to do this. Jordan now resides in Highlands Park, Illinois.

Personal Life
Michael Jordan had an important role on and off the court. He is called son, brother, husband, and father. He has four siblings; two older brothers, one older sister, and one younger sister. He was close to his dad, James, who was tragically murdered by teenagers in 1993, which caused Michael’s first retirement. He had three children of his own with his wife of 17 years, Juanita Vanoy. They had two boys, Jeffery and Marcus, and one girl, Jasmine. Both boys attended Loyola Academy in Illinois. Jeffery graduated in 2007 and went on to college at the University of Illinois to play basketball. Marcus graduated in 2009 and went to the University of Central Florida. Jeffery transffered to UCF to join Marcus that fall. His daughter is now 17 years old. Jordan and his wife divorced in 2006 for irreconcilable differences. At the time, it was the largest celebrity divorce.

Honors and Awards
-NCAA College Player of the Year (‘83-‘84) -2 Gold Medals -NBA Rookie of the Year -NBA All Star Team -NBA MVP (5 times) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px; line-height: 115%;">- Added in the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px; line-height: 115%;">-All Star MVP (3 times) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px; line-height: 115%;">-NBA Final Champions (6 times) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px; line-height: 115%;">-NBA Championship MVP (6 times) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px; line-height: 115%;">-//Sports Illustrator’s//- 1991 Sportsman of the Year <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px; line-height: 115%;">-Adolph Rupp Trophy Winner

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 24px; line-height: 115%;">Analysis
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Michael Jordan is known as the greatest basketball player of all time. However, there is another side to him that is just as great. Jordan spread the popularity and understanding of basketball around the world; putting a whole new meaning to the sport. He produced a popular and successful brand that continues to lead all other athletic brands. Jordan proved to teens and young adults that drugs and other methods do not help you gain popularity and he showed kids that giving back to the community is just as important as playing the game. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">The mastery of a sport has become the center of athletic teen lives. In this category, Michael ranks at the top of almost every list. Teenagers study and train to be exactly like Jordan, or in other words, to be “Like Mike.” He has influenced players to work hard and push themselves to succeed every day no matter what they are doing. Jordan has become a role model for all races; but he seems to have the most impact on black youth. Jordan’s play increased black participation in sports. His example changed the minds of many young African American boys and put them back on the right track. Whether these young men were choosing drugs or other abusive methods, he proved they were unnecessary and unneeded to achieve greatness. Jordan demonstrates a positive moral excellence, which is hard for celebrities to do and very rare. Nowadays, all NBA athletes are compared to Michael Jordan. He is the guideline they must meet to become great. All points, moves, defensive plays, and championships are measured up to that of Jordan’s. Today, African American athletes such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade are following in Jordan’s footsteps to try and become the best. These now famous basketball players grew up idolizing Jordan and currently are working hard to become just as great as he is. We are always looking for the next ‘Jordan’. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px; line-height: 115%;">Sports and activities shape our American culture and society. Michael Jordan has become more than just a player, but a cultural icon as well. Some would describe him as invincible. But realistically, he has achieved a lot more in society then most athletes. He is one of the few professional athletes to own their own team, the first NBA player to own a basketball team, and the only African American to own a professional team. As an African American male, he crossed over a lot of barriers and portrayed the message that everyone can achieve their dreams if they put their heads down and work for it. He said, “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">The //Jordan// brand has become huge; impacting stores and companies everywhere. His products range from shoes, to clothing, to bags, and just about everything else. The brand is popular amongst teens and young adults in America. The brand sponsors many high school and college teams. These teams use //Jordan// as their main brand for their jerseys, shoes, and needed accessories. Jordan is one of the main reasons Nike is the most successful athletic brand. Nike endorsed the brand when Jordan was just a rookie. Luckily, as Jordan became increasingly popular, Nike did as well. The brand gives chosen teachers a total of one million dollars a year for going above and beyond in their methods. Jordan makes this happen because he believes that education is important for all and should be enjoyed. Michael has made a lot of money in his lifetime and still continues to rake it in. At this point in his life he is worth 525 million dollars. But, he is very unselfish and giving. He donates to boys and girls clubs and various other charities around the world. Jordan’s life style changed the way celebrities and regular people act in society. He has paved a great path that hopefully more people will follow in the future.

<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 24px; line-height: 24pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: -0.5in;">Works Cited
<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">"Michael Jordan Biography." //Biography.com//. Web. 17 May 2011. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">[]

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">"NBA.com: Michael Jordan Bio." //NBA.com//. Web. 17 May 2011. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">[]

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">"Air Jordan #23 - A Michael Jordan Tribute: Jordan's Biography." //23Jordan - A Michael Jordan Tribute//. Web. 17 May 2011. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">[]

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: -0.5in;">MacGovern, Michael. //The Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Athletes//. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2001. Print. <span style="border-bottom: windowtext 1pt solid; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; display: block; margin-left: -0.5in; margin-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;"> <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Raber, Thomas R. "Michael Jordan: Returning Champion." //Google Books//. Web. 24 May 2011. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">[]  <span style="border-bottom: windowtext 1pt solid; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; display: block; margin-left: -0.5in; margin-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;"> <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.5in;">//<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">The Official Site of Minor League Baseball | MiLB.com Homepage //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">. Web. 01 June 2011. [] Dyson, Michael E. "Be Like Mike? Michael Jordan and the Pedagogy of Desire." Web. 24 May 2011. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">"History of Nike Air Jordan Brand." //Nike Shoes - Shop Authentic Nike Sneakers, Nike Air Jordans Shoes, Nike Dunks Sneakers//. Web. 01 June 2011. [] //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">North Carolina //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">. Ioffer. Web. 2 June 2011. [] "The Cook Family Story Michael Jordan, 1999." //OurStory.com - Capture Your Stories, save Them Permanently.// Web. 02 June 2011. [] "Michael Jordan." //www.personal.psu.edu//. Web. 02 June 2011. [] <span style="border-bottom: windowtext 1pt solid; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; font-size: 15px; margin-left: -0.5in; margin-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">