Jordan Essay, Research Paper

The Legacy of Michael Jordan

The NBA is one of the oldest leagues in the history of sports, and the Chicago Bulls one of the oldest and most famous teams in the history of basketball. The one person who has taken the Chicago Bulls to such heights is none other than Michael Jordan. Despite his self imposed temporary retirement in 1993, which lasted more than a year, Michael Jordan has once again established his reputation as one of the best players in the long history of the National Basketball Association. Now that he is back, Jordan leads the league in scoring with 31.2 points per game (through Tuesday, March 19, 1996). Michael has also lead the Chicago Bulls to defend the United Center, Home of the Chicago Bulls, with no losses so far; the home record being 33-0. Furthermore, Jordan was once again the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game held this year in San Antonio.

What is the difference between “Air” Jordan (as he is popularly known) two years ago, when he retired, and in 1996, one year after his return to the game he loves the most? Anyone can easily say “none”. Can Air Jordan still fly? Of course he can! Just because he did not participate in the Slam-Dunk Contest in San Antonio, it doesn t mean he cannot fly anymore. He is capable of doing the same dunks he use to; only his legs are a little older. By far, Jordan still leads the NBA in scoring as he used to thirty months ago. Right now he leads the league with 31.2 points per game; thirty months ago, he led the league with 32.3 points per game -preretirement lifetime average for 667 games. The new average is after only playing 65 games. “From a statistical standpoint, Michael Jordan is virtually the same player he was before his retirement”, commented Terry Armour of the Chicago Tribune (Armour 5). Just ten days after his comeback, Jordan scored a season-high 55 points as the Bulls beat the New York Knicks 113-111. In the long and illustrious history of Madison Square Garden Michael Jordan s record remains unbroken to this date; even the players calling MSG their home have not been able to challenge it.

Now let s consider Michael s earlier years. In 1985, Jordan was named the Rookie of the Year, and he played on the NBA All-Rookie Team. In 1987, Jordan became the first player in more than two decades to score 3,000 plus points in a single season. That same season he averaged 37.1 points per game, the highest average in twenty four years. He went on to accomplish more; in 1988-89 season, Jordan led the league in scoring as well as in steals per game. He became the first ever player in NBA history to win the scoring title with 35 points per game, and was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. Not only that, Michael also received the NBA Most Valuable Player of the Year award. The following season , he again averaged more points and steals than any other league player. Michael Jordan s regular season achievements are by far praise worthy. He holds career NBA record for scoring 32.3 points per game. He led the league in scoring average dating from 1986 through 1993, the year he retired for the first time.

Jordan didn t participate in the Slam-Dunk Contest recently in San Antonio. But that didn t interfere a bit in his All-Star Game performance. He scored 20 points in less than 20 minutes. He also accepted the Most Valuable Player Award, edging Shaquille O Neal of the Orlando Magic, 4 to 3 based on a third quarter voting in which Jordan scored 10 of his 20 points. He later admitted that the MVP Award should have gone to Orlando s Shaquille O Neal because of O Neal’s spectacular fourth quarter performance, in which Michael didn t even step on to the court. That shows Michael s great sportsmanship in this game. His earlier NBA All-Star Game accomplishments are remarkable. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game in 1987-88, when he scored 40 points playing only 29 minutes. He also grabbed 8 rebounds, passed for 3 assists, and had 4 steals in that game. The 1987-88 All-Star Game showed the best of Jordan by numbers. He holds career record for highest career scoring average with 22.1 points per All-Star Game that he has played. Jordan has won not one but two Slam-Dunk Contests on All-Star weekends, by taking off from the free-throw line and slamming the ball; the way one could never imagine. His athleticism and unique ability to stay in air, and thus fighting gravity, for a considerable amount of time makes him one of the best slam-dunkers in the history of basketball.

Michael Jordan s leading role as a Chicago Bull has been a very significant factor for this team to have achieved such great heights and reputation. Had it not been for Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls wouldn t have won their three consecutive NBA Championships. On November 27, 1995, Jordan marked another milestone of his career. The regular-season game against the Portland Trail Blazers was his 697th with the Bulls making him the team s all-time leader in the games played. Three days later, Jordan proved once again that he could still take over a game single-handedly as he scored 19 of his 29 points in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter which brought a 94-88 victory against the new expansion team, Vancouver Grizzlies. On January 13, 1996, in a game against Philadelphia 76ers, Jordan scored 48 points to become one of only thirteen players in NBA history to accumulate at least 23,000 career points. “He s settled in. He s playing the way we ve always watched him play throughout his career,” said teammate, and a close friend, Scottie Pippen adding, “he s tried to prove that he s still capable of doing this and doing that. Well, he is still capable of doing this and doing that” (Armour 5). With Scottie Pippen alongside, Michael scored a game-high 44 points as he and Pippen combined for 84 points in a 110-102 victory over the Indiana Pacers. It was a moment of glory for these two soaring stars. Jordan and Pippen became the first two players in franchise history to each score at least 40 points in the same game. They overall became the 9th duo in NBA history to accomplish that peak.

Michael s 2,000 pound statue stands outside Gate-4 of the United Center. To further validate his “immortality”, this season Jordan scored an NBA season-high (so far) 53 points, against the Detroit Pistons, for a record of most points ever scored so far at the new stadium. Michael proved that the statue is worthy of being where it is.

Among other legends NBA has produced such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, etc., Jordan stands atop very distinctly among all of them. Paul J. Deegan, author of Michael Jordan: Basketball s Soaring Star, quotes in his book, “His talents are readily acknowledged by many in the sports world” (Deegan 16). Former Notre Dame star and one of the renowned NBA player Orlando Woolridge said, “several elements distinguish an excellent player. You look to see what type of things he can do instinctively, what his natural ability is, and what type of things he can do in certain pressure situations. It is easy to judge who s a good shooter, who s a good defender, who rebounds well. But a player who can do all those things , especially in pressure situations, is the type of player I look for. A man like Michael Jordan” (Deegan 16).

Kids love Michael Jordan – and he loves them. Jordan is probably the most popular role model in sports right now. As somebody quoted, “Michael mania knows no bounds . Fans from all ages and from all over the world want to be like Mike. A very accommodating MJ tries to sign as many autographs as possible, even while in transit” (Biography of MJ 54). Michael Jordan also has built a lot of Foundations for kids, one of which is known as The Michael Jordan Foundation. Whenever possible, he makes time to spend with the kids. As Michael s mom once said, “Michael reaches out with his heart to children with special needs. It really does make him feel good that he can have that effect on kids and the kids just love him. Those kids look up to Michael, and I think it gives them some hope to make their wishes come true” (Biography of MJ 58). Every fan of Jordan wants to attire just like him when they step on a court. Mitchell Krugel, author of Michael Jordan reacted to this by saying, “as Jordan began trashing every rim in America, any boy or girl who made his or her grade school, junior high, or high school basketball team wanted to wear number 23″ (Krugel 46).

With these facts and figures in this paper, anyone can say that Jordan was, Jordan is, and Jordan will be one of the greatest all around players NBA has ever created. His All-Time Accomplishments are immeasurable. So many players came and went, but Michael Jordan will remain a legend in the game he loved and played the best.