Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan’s storied career has been a tale of success that few would have anticipated when the young Jordan began to follow his basketball dreams. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Jordan’s family relocated to North Carolina, a place he called home until the end of his college career, and one that would remain of great personal importance to him. Oddly enough, Michael Jordan’s first love in sports was baseball, and it was frustration born out of losing one-on-one games with his brother that drove him to set about seriously improving his skills.

Michael Jordan was born February 17, 1963, and by the time he reached high school was eager to find a place on his school’s basketball team. Unfortunately for Jordan, his high school basketball coach didn’t feel the same when Jordan tried out for varsity, and he had to sit out a year to grow a few more inches and get better at putting the ball through the net. Grow he did, and his basketball skills improved considerably as well. He enjoyed two seasons on the varsity squad, and not surprisingly qualified for special training camps and was offered a scholarship to the University of North Carolina.

UNC’s investment paid off, with Jordan leading his team to victory in the NCAA championship. His college career highlighted three Jordan trademarks: the protruding tongue while going for a slam dunk, his commitment to teamwork and his ability to perform well under pressure. A fast and deadly accurate player when it came down to the buzzer, Michael Jordan was counted on by North Carolina to sink the shot, and he came through. Already drawing attention from basketball fans, his performance alongside other future NBA greats in the 1984 Olympics astonished fans and competitors from around the world, and he entered the NBA amidst much buzz.

Michael Jordan’s list of NBA achievements reads like it was made up. He broke and tied nearly every scoring record, and in addition to stellar personal performance, carried the Chicago Bulls to great success. Jordan’s Bulls won six NBA championships in seven years—the loss separating the two “threepeats,” and, many speculate, resulting from Jordan having spent the better part of the season playing minor league baseball. Jordan retired for a few years, before returning as a coach and then player for the Washington Wizards, before hanging up his jersey for good in 2003.