Early Career

Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on Feb. 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, N.Y., and was raised in Wilmington, N.C. At first better at baseball than at basketball, he was cut as a sophomore from his high school basketball team; he improved rapidly, however, and won a scholarship to the University of North Carolina. As a freshman in 1982, Jordan helped the Tar Heels capture the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship. An All-American during the next two seasons, he was twice named College Player of the Year by the Sporting News. He led the U.S. basketball team to a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Professional Accomplishments

The 6-ft, 6-in guard, nicknamed "Air" Jordan for his above-the-rim artistry, left college after junior year and signed with the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Although he was named the league's top rookie in 1985, he broke a bone in his foot at the start of the 1985-86 season, and did not become a dominant force in the NBA until the following season. He was the NBA's leading scorer for seven consecutive seasons (1987– 93), led the league in steals three times (1988, 1990, 1993), was named most valuable player three times (1988, 1991, 1992), guided the Bulls to three straight championships (1991-93), and was named MVP in each of those three final playoff series. He was also a member of the "Dream Team," the U.S. basketball squad that won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

In October 1993, following the tragic murder of his father, he announced his retirement from the NBA; instead, he signed a contract as a free agent with baseball's Chicago White Sox in early 1994 and played in the minor leagues. In March 1995, however, a baseball strike prompted the 32-year-old Jordan to rejoin the Bulls. During the next three full seasons, he won his eighth, ninth, and tenth regular-season scoring titles (1996-98)— an NBA record; was twice named the regular-season MVP (1996, 1998); and led the Bulls to three consecutive championships, once again winning MVP honors in all three playoffs. In the last game of the 1998 championship against the Utah Jazz-his final game as a pro-he scored the Bulls' last 8 points and, with 5.2 seconds remaining, sank a jump shot to seal his team's 87-86 victory.

Jordan announced his second retirement from the NBA after resolution of a labor dispute that had forced cancellation of much of the 1998-99 season. At his departure, he ranked third in regular-season scoring with 29,277 points, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain. He held the NBA career marks for scoring average in the regular season (31.5 points per game), playoffs (33.4), and All-Star games (21.3). He participated in 11 NBA All-Star games (1985, 1987-93, 1996-98) and was MVP three times in the All-Star game (1988, 1996, 1998).

Impact on the Game

Jordan entered the NBA as one of its best-paid and most highly publicized players. Together with two older stars, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, he boosted the league to unprecedented popularity. In his last full year of play, Jordan reportedly received a salary of more than $30 million, but earned even more from commercial endorsements. A 1998 study concluded that Jordan's cumulative economic impact exceeded $10 billion, including sales of athletic products bearing his name and the growth in NBA revenues attributable to him.

Jordan is the author of Rare Air: Michael on Michael (1993) and For the Love of the Game: My Story (1998). He starred in Space Jam (1996), a film combining cartoon animation with live action.