Michael Jordan Award
Michael Jordan, in full Michael Jeffrey Jordan, byname Air Jordan,
(born February 17, 1963, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.), American
collegiate and professional basketball player widely considered to
be one of the greatest all-around players in the history of the
game.
Jordan grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, and
entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1981. As
a freshman, he made the winning basket against Georgetown in the
1982 national championship game. Jordan was named College Player of
the Year in both his sophomore and junior years, leaving North
Carolina after his junior year.
In 1984 Jordan was drafted by the Chicago Bulls. In his first season
(1984–85) as a professional, he led the league in scoring and was
named Rookie of the Year; after missing most of the following season
with a broken foot, he returned to lead the NBA in scoring for seven
consecutive seasons, averaging about 33 points per game. He was only
the second player (after Wilt Chamberlain) to score 3,000 points in
a single season (1986–87). Jordan was named the NBA’s Most Valuable
Player (MVP) five times (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998) and was also
named Defensive Player of the Year in 1988. In October 1993, after
leading the Bulls to their third consecutive championship, Jordan
retired briefly and pursued a career in professional baseball. He
returned to basketball in March 1995. In the 1995–96 season Jordan
led the Bulls to a 72–10 regular season record, the best in the
history of the NBA (broken in 2015–16 by the Golden State Warriors).
From 1996 to 1998 the Jordan-led Bulls again won three championships
in a row, and each time Jordan was named MVP of the NBA finals.
Jordan remained close to the sport, buying a share of the Washington
Wizards in January 2000. He was also appointed president of
basketball operations for the club. However, managing rosters and
salary caps was not enough for Jordan, and in September 2001 he
renounced his ownership and management positions with the Wizards in
order to be a player on the team. His second return to the NBA was
greeted with enthusiasm by the league, which had suffered declining
attendance and television ratings since his 1998 retirement. After
the 2002–03 season, Jordan announced his final retirement. He ended
his career with 32,292 total points and a 30.12-points-per-game
average, which was the best in league history, as well as 2,514
steals, the second most ever. In 2006 Jordan became minority owner
and general manager of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats (now known as the
Charlotte Hornets). He bought a controlling interest in the team in
2010 and became the first former NBA player to become a majority
owner of one of the league’s franchises.
During his playing career, Jordan, a guard, standing 6 feet 6 inches
(1.98 metres) tall, was an exceptionally talented shooter and passer
and a tenacious defender. He earned the nickname “Air Jordan”
because of his extraordinary leaping ability and acrobatic
maneuvers, and his popularity reached heights few athletes (or
celebrities of any sort) have known. He accumulated millions of
dollars from endorsements, most notably for his Air Jordan
basketball shoes. He also made a successful film, Space Jam (1996),
in which he starred with animated characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy
Duck.
Legacy
