Michael Jordan, the best known athlete in the world, is a leading scorer
in the National Basketball Association (NBA), who led the Chicago Bulls
to many recent NBA championships. He is, by far, and will be for a time
to come, the best basketball player in the history of the game.
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
NCAA championship game against the Hoyas of Georgetown. 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 at the
Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Jordan left college in 1984 to play with the Bulls. 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 nine 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 also became the Bulls' all-time leading scorer and set
numerous scoring records, including most points in a playoff game (63
points against the Boston Celtics in 1986); and highest scoring average
for an NBA championship series (41 points per game in the 1993 NBA
finals). 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 league Most Valuable Player awards (1988, 1991, 1992),
Jordan won the All-Star game MVP award twice (1988, 1996) 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 in
Barcelona, Spain.
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, his tenacious defensive play had made him one of
the greatest all-around basketball players in NBA history. He had also
become 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 of the American League (AL), 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. Jordan ended his retirement from professional
basketball by rejoining the Bulls near the end of the 1994-1995 NBA
regular season. In the 1995-1996 season he enjoyed another great year,
leading the NBA in scoring with 30.4 points per game and being named
league MVP. The Bulls also became the first NBA team to win 70 games in
a season, finishing with 72 victories, and they went on to win the NBA
championship title. Jordan was named MVP of the NBA finals, becoming the
first player to earn the honor four times.