MICHAEL JORDAN !!

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player, active businessman, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

After a standout career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he led the Tar Heels to a National Championship in 1982, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball. In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat". Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995-96 NBA season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons in 2001 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular-season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.4 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame on April 6, 2009 and was inducted on September 11, 2009.

Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam as himself. He is the majority owner and head of basketball operations for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, Jordan recently won a bidding war to buy controlling interest in the team from founding owner Robert L. Johnson.

Honors and awards

Jordan won numerous awards and set many records during his career. The following are some of his achievements:

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2009
2 Olympic Gold Medals – 1984, 1992
6-time NBA Champion
6-time NBA Finals MVP
5-time NBA MVP
7-time The Sporting News MVP
10 NBA Scoring Titles
3-time steals leader
14 NBA All-Star Selections
3-time NBA All-Star Game MVP
11 All-NBA Selections
9 All-Defensive First Team Selections
2-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion – 1987, 1988
NBA Rookie of the Year – 1984
NBA Defensive Player of the Year – 1988
ACC Freshman of the Year – 1982
2-time Consensus NCAA All-American First Team – 1983, 1984
ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year – 1984
USBWA College Player of the Year – 1984
Naismith College Player of the Year – 1984
John R. Wooden Award – 1984
Adolph Rupp Trophy – 1984
Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year – 1991
Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996
Ranked #1 by SLAM Magazine's Top 50 Players of All-Time
Ranked #1 by ESPN Sportscentury's Top 100 Athletes of the 20th century











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