Jordan, Michael J.
Basketball
b. Feb. 17, 1963, Brooklyn, NY
Jordan first became known as a freshman at the University of North Carolina, when he hit the winning shot with seconds to play in the school's 63-62 win over Georgetown University to win the 1982 NCAA championship. He was named college player of the year in 1984 after averaging 19.6 points as a junior, then decided to leave school and enter the NBA draft.
The Chicago Bulls chose him in the first round of the draft and Jordan joined the team after leading the U. S. Olympic team in scoring en route to a gold medal. He averaged 28.2 points a game and was named rookie of the year.
A 6-foot-6, 198-pound guard, Jordan may have been the finest all-around player in history. He's the only athlete ever to win the most valuable player award and the defensive player of the year award in the same season, 1988, and he was also named the NBA's MVP in 1991 and 1992.
He holds the record for most consecutive seasons leading the league in scoring, 7, from 1986-87 through 1992-93, and he led in steals 3 times, with 259 in 1987-88, 227 in 1989-90, and 221 in 1992-93. He's the only player ever to lead in scoring and steals in a single season. In 1986-87, Jordan became the first player have to have more than 200 steals and more than 100 blocked shots, and he did it again the following season.
Jordan led the Bulls to three straight NBA championships, from 1991 through 1993, and was named the most valuable player in the playoffs all three years. He set a record by averaging 41.0 points per game during the final playoff series in 1993.
A month after that series ended, Jordan's father James was found murdered near the border between North Carolina and South Carolina, there was speculation that his death might have been linked somehow to an unpaid gambling debt, allegedly more than $1 million, that Michael had incurred in high stakes golf matches. However, two eighteen-year-old suspects were arrested, and the motive was apparently robbery.
In October, shortly before the NBA's 1993-94 season began, Jordan announced his retirement. After a brief foray into minor-league baseball, he returned to basketball late in the 1994-95 season, no doubt hoping to lead the Bulls to another championship. He never got rid of the rust, though, and the team was elminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Jordan played all 82 games in each of the next three seasons, though, and the Bulls won three more NBA championships. Fittingly, his last shot was a 20-foot jumper that beat the Utah Jazz in the sixth game of the 1998 NBA finals. Coming after he stole the ball at the other end, it gave Jordan 45 points for the game.
After a couple of years minding to various business interests and playing golf, Jordan returned to basketball once again in 2000 as part-owner and president of the NBA's Washington Wizards. Frustrated at the team's lack of success, Jordan got rid of his ownership interest to take the floor for the Wizards in 2001.
After two seasons in which the team missed the playoffs, Jordan retired from playing for the third time. He evidently expected to return to the front office, but instead was dismissed by Washington owner Abe Pollin.