Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (genus. He played a big role in the popularization of basketball and the NBA around the world in the 80s and 90s. For his fantastic jumping ability he received the nickname "Air Jordan".

Became the first billionaire athlete in history. Fabulous royalties and advertising contracts allowed him to earn more than $ 1.8 billion all the time.

There are many interesting facts in the biography of Michael Jordan, which we will tell about in this article.

So, here is a short biography of Michael Jordan.

Biography of Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in New York. He grew up and was brought up in a simple family that has nothing to do with sports.

The basketball player's father, James Jordan, worked as a forklift operator in a factory, and his mother, Deloris Peeples, worked as a bank clerk. In total, the couple had five children.

Childhood and youth

Michael's love for sports was manifested in his childhood. Curiously, he was initially fond of baseball, dreaming of becoming a famous pinscher.

Jordan showed no interest in the job and was quite lazy. When his brothers and sisters helped his parents with the housework, the boy did his best to get out of work.

When Michael was 7 years old, he and his family moved to the metropolis of Wilmington. There, his father and mother went on a promotion, as a result of which the head of the family became the head of the shop at the factory, and his wife began to manage one of the departments in the bank.

During his school years, Jordan played for the children's baseball team, with which he made his way to the final of the minor league championship. He later became the state champion and was named the best player in the championship.

In his youth, Michael was seriously interested in basketball, although he was short and did not have an athletic build.

For this reason, the athlete trained jumps in order to compensate for anatomical deficiencies in this way.

After some time, Jordan's height was 198 cm with a weight of about 100 kg. He continued to train hard on the basketball court and also showed an interest in athletics and rugby.

In the 11th grade, Michael was already a full-fledged player on the school basketball team, where his older brother Larry at number 45 also played.

It is curious that the future NBA star decided to choose the 23rd number for herself, explaining that he would try to become the same high-class basketball player as his brother, or at least half.

At the age of 17, Jordan received an invitation to camp at the University of North Carolina. His brilliant game impressed the coaching staff so much that he was offered to continue his studies at this university.

During this biography Michael became one of the key players on the varsity basketball team, constantly improving his game.

Sport

During his first 3 years at university, Jordan won the Naismith Prize, an annual award given to the best player in the NCAA Undergraduate Basketball Championship. In addition, in 1984 he was named the Player of the Year.

The guy also participated in the Pan American Games, showing the best results in the national team.

At the 1984 Olympics, Michael played for the American team, showing the highest level of play and becoming the most productive player on the team.

Without completing his studies at the university for 1 year, Jordan drops out to participate in the NBA draft, becoming a player for the Chicago Bulls.

The basketball player was able to quickly win a place in the first team and become a favorite of the public. An interesting fact is that he showed such a spectacular game that even fans of other teams respected him.

A month later, a photo of Michael Giordano graced the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, under which was the inscription - "A Star is Born."

In 1984, the guy signed his first advertising contract with Nike. Especially for him, the company launched the Air Jordan line of sneakers.

The footwear was in such great demand that Air Jordan later became a brand in its own right.

As the sneakers were made in black and red, the NBA banned their use in official matches. These shoes allegedly had an aggressive color scheme and had no white elements.

However, Jordan continued to play in these shoes, and Nike executives paid $ 5,000 in fines, using this fact to advertise their brand.

Michael became one of the best basketball players in the NBA, managing to win the Association's best rookie title. With his help, the Chicago Bulls were finally able to make their way to the playoffs.

By the time the team reached the playoff stage, Jordan had managed to score 63 points in the elimination games. Since that time, his record has remained unbroken.

In the next 2 seasons, Michael was recognized as the League's top scorer. He often took over the game, throwing balls into the basket with his signature jumps.

Later, Jordan went to the basketball court with the captain's armband. On May 7, 1989, during a match with Cleveland, he approached for a free throw after a foul by an opponent.

It was then that Michael performed his legendary jump with his eyes closed, throwing the ball into the basket. This trick brought him to a new level of popularity not only in the country, but also in the world.

During the game, the rivals of the Chicago Bulls used the so-called "Jordan Rule" - a method of protection in which Michael was guarded by 2 or even 3 athletes.

The man has once again won the MVP title - the title awarded annually to the most valuable player in the NBA.

Jordan turned traditional basketball into an art. The stunts that he demonstrated on the court attracted the attention of not only basketball fans, but also ordinary people.

In 1992 Michael took part in the Olympic Games in Barcelona. As a result, together with the team, he won gold, showing a phenomenal game.

In October 1993, Jordan publicly announced his retirement from the sport. This was due to the death of his father.

The following year, the athlete became a player in the Chicago White Sox baseball team. In an interview, he admitted that he decided to become a baseball player for the reason that his father dreamed of seeing him in this role.

Within 2 years, Michael managed to play for two more baseball teams. However, in the spring of 1995, he nevertheless decided to return to the NBA in his native "Chicago Bulls".

A year later, Jordan won the MVP for the 4th time. Later, he will receive this award twice more.

In early 1999, the guy announced his retirement from basketball again. A year later, he returned to the NBA, but as a co-owner of the Washington Wizards team.

Michael played 2 seasons at the new club, thanks to which Washington reached a higher level. At the time of his biography, he was voted the best 40-year-old player in League history.

Jordan played his last match in 2003 against Philadelphia 76ers. At the end of the meeting, the legendary footballer received a 3-minute standing ovation from the audience.

After his final retirement from the NBA, Michael participated in charity golf competitions. He also became interested in motorsport.

Since 2004, the man has been the owner of the Michael Jordan Motorsports professional team. In addition, he has his own clothing line.

According to many reputable sports publications, Michael Jordan is considered the best basketball player of all time.

Personal life

Over the years of his biography, Jordan has had many affairs with different girls.

His first wife was Juanita Vanoi. In this marriage, a girl, Jasmine, and 2 boys, Jeffrey Michael and Marcus James, were born. In 2002, Juanita Jordan announced that she wanted to part with Michael, but later the couple reconciled and continued their life together.

In 2006 it became known that the athlete had a mistress, Karla Knafel, to whom he paid considerable sums of money for silence. When Carla later had a daughter, she stated that she had become pregnant with Jordan, demanding compensation in the amount of $ 5 million from him.

DNA examination showed that Michael is not the girl's father. However, the basketball player's wife could not forgive her husband. As a result, Juanita divorced Jordan, who paid her $ 168 million.

A few years later, the man began to look after the Cuban model Yvette Prieto. The three-year romance ended with the wedding of the lovers, which they played in 2013. Later they had twins Isabelle and Victoria.