Michael Jordan Essay, Research Paper

Jordan, Michael (1963- )

American professional basketball player, a leading scorer in the National Basketball Association (NBA), who led the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive National Basketball Association (NBA) championships (1991-1993). Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Wilmington, North Carolina. He accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of North Carolina and as a freshman scored the winning basket in the 1982 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship game. Jordan was selected college player of the year for the 1983-1984 season, and in 1984 he led the United States basketball team to a gold medal in the Olympic Games.

Jordan left college in 1984 to play with the Chicago Bulls team in the NBA. He finished his first season (1984-1985) as one of the top scorers in the league, with an average of 28.2 points per game; he was also named rookie of the year and made the first of his eight All-Star game appearances. Jordan finished the 1986-1987 season as the second player, after Wilt Chamberlain, to score more than 3000 points in a single season. He led the NBA in scoring for seven consecutive seasons (1987-1993), tying Chamberlain’s record, and averaged more than 30 points per game in each season. He became the Chicago Bulls’ all-time leading scorer, with 21,541 points, and his NBA scoring records include: highest career scoring average (32.2 points per game); highest career playoff scoring average (34.4 points per game); most points in a playoff game (63 points against the Boston Celtics in 1986); and the highest scoring average for an NBA championship series (41 points per game in the 1993 NBA final playoff series). He led the Chicago Bulls to their first NBA championship title in 1991; with Jordan, the Bulls won again in 1992 and 1993. In addition to his three MVP awards (1988, 1991, 1992), Jordan won the All-Star game MVP award (1988) and a record three-consecutive NBA championship series MVP awards (1991-1993). Jordan was also a member of the United States Olympic basketball team, known as the Dream Team, that captured the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics.

Stating that he had lost his desire to play professional basketball, Jordan announced his retirement prior to the 1993-1994 season. Initially noted for his scoring, he also earned a reputation for his tenacious defensive play and he retired as one of the greatest all-around basketball players in NBA history. He became a worldwide celebrity due to his success in the NBA and the Olympics, and his numerous commercial endorsements.

Early in 1994 Jordan returned to professional sports, this time as a baseball player. He signed a minor-league contract with the Chicago White Sox, reported to spring training, and was assigned to the team’s minor-league system. That summer he batted .202 with the Birmingham Barons, a class AA affiliate of the White Sox. Later in the year he batted .252 with the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. Jordon subsequently ended his retirement from professional basketball by rejoining the Chicago Bulls near the end of the 1994-1995 NBA regular season.

“Jordan, Michael,” Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 96 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1995 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.