Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan
Jordan in 2014
Charlotte Hornets
PositionMinority owner
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1963-02-17) February 17, 1963
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight216 lb (98 kg)[a]
Career information
High schoolEmsley A. Laney
(Wilmington, North Carolina)
CollegeNorth Carolina (1981–1984)
NBA draft1984: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
Drafted byChicago Bulls
Playing career1984–1993, 1995–1998, 2001–2003
PositionShooting guard / small forward
Number23, 12,[b] 45
Career history
1984–1993,
1995–1998		Chicago Bulls
2001–2003Washington Wizards
Career highlights
  • 6× NBA champion (1991–1993, 1996–1998)
  • 6× NBA Finals MVP (1991–1993, 1996–1998)
  • 5× NBA Most Valuable Player (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998)
  • 14× NBA All-Star (1985–1993, 1996–1998, 2002, 2003)
  • 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1988, 1996, 1998)
  • 10× All-NBA First Team (1987–1993, 1996–1998)
  • All-NBA Second Team (1985)
  • NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1988)
  • 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1988–1993, 1996–1998)
  • NBA Rookie of the Year (1985)
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985)
  • 10× NBA scoring champion (1987–1993, 1996–1998)
  • 3× NBA steals leader (1988, 1990, 1993)
  • 2× NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (1987, 1988)
  • No. 23 retired by Chicago Bulls
  • No. 23 retired by Miami Heat
  • 3× AP Athlete of the Year (1991–1993)
  • Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year (1991)
  • NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th)
  • NCAA champion (1982)
  • Consensus National college player of the year (1984)
  • 2× Sporting News National Player of the Year (1983, 1984)
  • 2× Consensus first-team All-American (1983, 1984)
  • ACC Player of the Year (1984)
  • ACC Athlete of the Year (1984)
  • 2× First-team All-ACC (1983, 1984)
  • ACC Rookie of the Year (1982)
  • No. 23 retired by North Carolina Tar Heels
  • 3× USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (1983, 1984, 1992[c])
  • McDonald's All-American (1981)
  • First-team Parade All-American (1981)
  • Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016)
Career NBA statistics
Points32,292 (30.1 ppg)
Rebounds6,672 (6.2 rpg)
Assists5,633 (5.3 apg)
Stats at NBA.com 
Stats at Basketball Reference 
Basketball Hall of Fame
FIBA Hall of Fame
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1984 Los Angeles Men's basketball
1992 Barcelona Men's basketball
Tournament of the Americas
1992 Portland Men's basketball
Pan American Games
1983 Caracas Men's basketball

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ,[8] is an American businessman, former professional basketball and baseball player, who is a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the NBA between 1984 and 2003, winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. Widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time,[9][10][11] he was integral in popularizing basketball and the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s,[12] becoming a global cultural icon.[13] He is the world's richest athlete, with a $3.8 billion fortune as of 2025.[14]

Jordan played college basketball with the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship team in 1982.[5] Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick[5][15] and emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring while gaining a reputation as one of the best defensive players.[16] His leaping ability, demonstrated by performing slam dunks from the free-throw line in Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness".[5] Jordan won his first NBA title with the Bulls in 1991 and followed that with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a three-peat. Citing physical and mental exhaustion from basketball and superstardom, Jordan abruptly retired before the 1993–94 NBA season to play Minor League Baseball in the Chicago White Sox organization. He returned to the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three more championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998, as well as a then-record 72 regular season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season.[5] Jordan retired for the second time in 1999, returning for two NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards.[5][15] He was selected to play for the United States national team during his college and NBA careers, winning four gold medals—at the 1983 Pan American Games, 1984 Summer Olympics, 1992 Tournament of the Americas and 1992 Summer Olympics—while also being undefeated.[17]

Jordan's individual accolades include six NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, 10 NBA scoring titles (both all-time records), five NBA MVP awards, 10 All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, 14 NBA All-Star Game selections, and three NBA All-Star Game MVP awards.[15] He holds the NBA records for career regular season scoring average (30.1 points per game) and career playoff scoring average (33.4 points per game).[18] He is one of only eight players to achieve the basketball Triple Crown. In 1999, Jordan was named the 20th century's greatest North American athlete by ESPN and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press' list of athletes of the century.[5] Jordan was twice inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, once in 2009 for his individual career,[19] and in 2010 as part of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team ("The Dream Team").[20] The trophy for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award is named in his honor.

One of the most effectively marketed athletes ever, Jordan made many product endorsements.[12][21] He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1984 and remain popular.[22] Jordan starred as himself in the live-action/animation hybrid film Space Jam (1996) and was the focus of the Emmy-winning documentary series The Last Dance (2020). He became part-owner and head of basketball operations for the Charlotte Hornets (then named the Bobcats) in 2006 and bought a controlling interest in 2010, before selling his majority stake in 2023. Jordan is a co-owner of 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. In 2014, he became the first billionaire player in NBA history.[23] In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded Jordan the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[24]

  1. ^ Telander, Rick (February 14, 2018). "Michael Jordan Put on a Helluva Show at '88 All-Star Weekend". Slam. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  2. ^ Quinn, Sam (May 11, 2020). "How Michael Jordan bulked up to outmuscle Pistons, win first NBA championship with Bulls". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference left was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Michael Jordan Info Page". NBA. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Michael Jordan Bio". NBA. Archived from the original on September 2, 2006. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  6. ^ "Chicago Bulls: Historical" (PDF). NBA. p. 362. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  7. ^ Strauss, Chris (December 12, 2012). "The greatest No. 12 that no one is talking about". Archived October 8, 2022, at the Wayback Machine. USA Today. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  8. ^ Rein, Kotler and Shields, p. 173.
  9. ^ "NBA Legends: Profiling the league's greatest players". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  10. ^ Staff, The Athletic NBA (June 18, 2025). "NBA 75: Top 75 NBA players of all time, from MJ and LeBron to Lenny Wilkens". The Athletic. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  11. ^ McCallum, Jack (February 8, 2016). "SI's 50 greatest players in NBA history". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Markovits and Rensman, p. 89.
  13. ^ "The NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, ranked: Where 76 basketball legends check in on our list". ESPN.com. February 21, 2022. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2024. Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time – he changed so many different facets of the league – but maybe most of all, he showed players they could grow themselves into a global brand on and off the floor with stellar play and the right marketing machine behind it all.
  14. ^ "Michael Jordan". Forbes. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference br was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Berkow, Ira (June 15, 1991). "Sports of The Times; Air Jordan And Just Plain Folks". Archived April 4, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference UndefeatedTeamUSA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference weinstein201920 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sam was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference DT Class of 2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ "Michael Jordan: A Global Icon". Faze. December 26, 2014. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  22. ^ Wilbekin, Emil (April 6, 2023). "How the Jordan 1 Became the Sneaker of a Generation". Time. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  23. ^ Davis, Adam (March 7, 2016). "Michael Jordan Becomes First Billionaire NBA Player". Archived October 16, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Fox Business. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference Freedom was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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