Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player and active businessman. His biography on the National Basketball Association player (NBA)website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time."
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 Michael Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993-1994 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball,he rejoined the Bulls at 1995 and led them to three additional championships(1996,1997,and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995-1996 season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1996 but he returned for two more NBA seasons in 2001 as a memeber 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,14 NBA All-Star Game appearences, three All-Star MVP awards,3 steals titles,six NBA Finals MVP awards and 1998 All-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 secong to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He is currently a finalist to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements.He is currently a part-owner and Managing Member of Basketball Operations of the Charlotte Bobcats in North Carolina.
