Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born in Brookyln, New York on February 17, 1963.

He was the
fourth of five children born to James and Deloris. James Jordan was a mechanic andDeloris
Jordan was a bank teller. Soon after Michael's birth, James and Deloris felt that the streets
of Brooklyn were unsafe to raise a family, so they moved the family to Wilmington, North
Carolina.
As a youngster, Michael immediately became interested in sports. However, it was baseball
not basketball that was his first love. He would play catch in the yard with his father, who
loved baseball. He soon started to play basketball to try and follow in the footsteps of his
older brother, Larry, whom he idolized growing up.
At Laney High School, as a sophomore, he decided to try out for the varsity team but was
cut because he was raw and undersized. The following summer, he grew four inches and
practiced tirelessly. The hard work paid off as he averaged 25 points per game in his last
two years and was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team as a senior.
Following high school, he earned a basketball scholarship from North Carolina University
where he would play under legendary coach Dean Smith. In his first year, he was named
ACC Freshman of the Year. He would help lead the Tarheels to the 1982 NCAA
Championship, making the game-winning shot.
After winning the Naismith College Player of the Year award in 1984, Jordan decided to
leave North Carolina to enter the NBA draft. Although he decided to leave college early, he
would later return to the university in 1986 to complete his degree in geography.
In the 1984 NBA draft, he was selected with the third overall pick by the Chicago Bulls. As a
rookie for the Bulls, he made an immediate impact, averaging an amazing 28.2 points a
game, including six games where he scored 40+ points. He was selected to the NBA All-Star
Game and named Rookie of the Year. This would just be the beginning of a career filled with
awards and accolades. In the upcoming years, he would go on to win five regular season
MVP awards, six NBA championships, six NBA finals MVP awards, three All-Star game MVP
awards, and a defensive player of the year award.
In 1993, tragedy struck Jordan's seemingly perfect life. On July 23, 1993, his father, James,
was murdered off Interstate 95 in North Carolina. Two locals had robbed him, shot him in
the chest and threw his body in a swamp.
Three months later on October 6, 1993, following a run of three consecutive NBA
championships, Jordan announced his retirement from basketball citing that "he no longer
had the desire to play." Now "retired" at age 33, it was uncertain what Jordan would do
next. Would he take a year off out of the public eye to grieve and then come back to the
Bulls? Would he go out and look for a white collar job in the field of geography, his college
major? Or would he take up a completely different hobby like golf?
In early 1994, Jordan decided to take up a new hobby alright. However, it wasn't golf. It
was baseball. Despite not playing baseball since high school some 13 years ago, he signed a
minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox in 1994. He played one unspectacular

season for the Double-A Birmingham Barons.

On March 18, 1995, Jordan, a man of few words since his retirement, sent two important
words to media sources everywhere: "I'm Back". He celebrated his return to the NBA by
doing what he always did best: winning. Although the Bulls would lose in the playoffs to the
Orlando Magic, it was obvious that Jordan was still the same superstar player. He would go
on to lead the Bulls to three more consecutive NBA championships and etch his place in the
history as the "NBA's greatest player of all-time".
On January 13, 1999, Jordan re-announced his retirement, saying that "he was 99.9
percent sure that he would never play again". Soon after, Jordan became part owner of the
Washington Wizards.
Near the start of the 2001-02 season, there were hints that Jordan may try another
comeback to the NBA. On September 25, 2001, Jordan confirmed those rumors, announcing
that he would once again return to the NBA as a member of the Wizards. His two seasons in
Washington were mediocre at best. His statistics were solid and he showed some flashes of
his old self but he could not lead the Wizards to the playoffs and missed several games due
to injury. He retired for good following the 2002-03 season and was subsequently dismissed
as president of the Washington Wizards.
In June 2006, he became part owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Later that year, he filed for
divorce from Juanita, his wife of 17 years. They have three children together.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: SteveG

Spouse (2)
Yvette Prieto

(27 April 2013 - present)

Juanita Jordan

(2 September 1989 - 29 December 2006) (divorced) (3 children)

Trade Mark (3)

Number 23 jersey
Air Jordan sneakers
Fequently sticks his tongue out when making amazing dunks or layups
Trivia (50)
Attended the University of North Carolina.
Drafted: 1st Rd-Pick 3 Chicago, 1984. Drafted behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie.
Salary: Earns about $80 million from Nike/Earned $35 million a year playing in the NBA.
(1997-1998 season) He has his own line of sport clothing called JORDAN.
Shoe: Air
Chosen in 1996 as one of the 50 greatest players of all time.

Chosen by People Magazine as one of The Most Intriguing People of the Century.
Professional basketball player in the NBA.
Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world.
In 1999, ESPN voted him as the greatest athlete of the twentieth century.
In 2000, he was named part owner and director of basketball operations for the Washington
Wizards basketball team.
His father was murdered while sleeping in his car, which led Jordan to his first retirment in
1993.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist in men's basketball, in 1984 in L.A. and 1992 in Barcelona
(as part of the celebrated original Dream Team).
Paid more than $30 million in his final season with the Chicago Bulls.
In January 2002, wife Juanita filed for divorce in circuit court in Waukegan, Illinois, citing
"irreconcilable differences." She sought permanent custody of the couple's three children,
their 25,000-square-foot home in Highland Park and half the couple's property. She
withdrew the divorce papers a month later only to re-file them seven years later.
Fortune estimated at $400 million. A virtual endorsement cash cow, no athlete has had a
larger impact on the economy.
Began shaving his head when he started going bald.
Grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Attended Laney High School in Wilmington, NC. The gymnasium is now called the "Michael
Jordan Gym" in his honor.
Buys custom-tailored shirts monogrammed with "Michael" or "MJ".
Moved past Wilt Chamberlain for third-place all-time on the NBA scoring list [23 January
2003].
Third of five children.
Children with ex-wife Juanita: sons Jeffrey Michael (b. 18 November 1988) and Marcus
James (b. 24 December 1990), and daughter Jasmine Mickael (b. 7 December 1992).
Has a tattoo of the Greek letter 'Omega' over his heart, representing Omega Psi Phi
Fraternity, Incorporated, of which he is a member.
Fired by the Washington Wizards due to player dissension, the team finishing 37-45 two
years in a row, and dissonance in the organization involving Jordan's people. Jordan was
hired on 19 January 2000 as chief executive and president of basketball operations.
Owner Abe Pollin gave him free rein to run the Wizards, and Jordan eventually bought a
percentage of the team. He got $10 million in severance. (7 May 2003).
In a 1988 game against the Utah Jazz, he dunked over John Stockton, who was 6' 1" and
175 pounds. A Jazz fan heckled him, saying, "Why don't you dunk on somebody your own
size?" The next trip down the floor, Jordan dunked again, this time on 6' 11", 285-lb. center
'Melvin Turpin'. He then turned to the fan and said, "Was he big enough?".
Wore the #23 for his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls, and the Washington Wizards.
Sometimes wore the #45 because it was his older brother Larry's number in high school.
Neither of his parents are more than 5' 9" tall.
In Space Jam (1996), he tells the Looney Tunes that he used to wear his UNC shorts under
his Bulls jersey in every game he played in. He really did do this, as a good luck charm.
Has numerous records and awards under his name and career, including most points in a
single playoff game (63), most scoring titles (10), highest scoring average (31 points per
game), and most three pointers in one quarter of a playoff game (5).
Known as the world's greatest clutch player in basketball for his numerous shots and highflying moves to win games. He eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers twice from the NBA

playoffs due to last-second shots, and won his last NBA championship with a steal and a
shot.
The Chicago Bulls' all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals. The only category
he doesn't hold is blocks, still held by Artis Gilmore. His #23 is one of four retired numbers
for the Bulls (along with Bob Love's #10, Scottie Pippen's #33 and Jerry Sloan's #4).
While most are familiar with his obvious #23 and the #45 he wore when he returned from a
brief baseball career in 1995, Jordan also wore #12. However, he wore it in only one game-in 1990 after an Orlando Magic Arena employee stole his uniform. It was a back-up jersey
and did not even feature a last name. He scored 49 points in the game, leading the Bulls
win over the Magic.
While his baseball career was considered a sham and widely criticized, his performance was
not as poor as depicted in the press. While he only batted .202 with 3 Home Runs and
committed 11 errors, he also had 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, and 6 outfield assists.
He led the Birmingham Barons with 11 bases-loaded RBI and 25 RBI with runners in scoring
position and two outs. With those statistics, he may have been the best clutch hitter on that
team.
On 14 June 1998, Jordan made a shot that won the Chicago Bulls their 6th NBA
championship in 8 years. "Jordan Hits the Last Shot" was ranked #2 in TV Guide's list of the
"25 Most Awesome Sports Moments (of the last 15 years)". [17 July 2005 issue]
His 37.1 points per game season average during the 1986-1987 season was the third
highest in history. The first two were both held by Wilt Chamberlain.
Contrary to popular belief, Jordan does not hold the regular season single game scoring
record. Wilt Chamberlain has the highest at 100, followed by Kobe Bryant at 81, David
Thompson at 73 and David Robinson at 71. Jordan's single game-scoring high was 69
points, making his the fifth highest single-game scoring record in history.
His 1992 playoff game against the Portland Trailblazers, where he had 35 first-half points
and nailed six three-pointers in a row, has been claimed by many as "the closest anyone
has ever come to playing a perfect game of basketball." Ironically, Jordan was bypassed in
the 1984 draft by the Trailblazers, who picked Sam Bowie instead, a move that has gone
down in history as one of the biggest draft-day blunders ever.
Participated in three slam dunk contests, winning two of them.
Reinvented some of the traditions and rules in basketball. Started the trend of the longlength shorts. He claims he wore them that length so he could cover up his North Carolina
shorts, which he always wore during his pro career. However, his style caught on, and soon
mostly everyone wore their shorts at a longer length. A new rule also was invented were a
player could take one extra step if he was in the process of shooting, passing, or driving to
the hoop. This was because of how Jordan would do this quite often in his career without
getting a traveling call.
Showing just how truly talented he was, Jordan's rookie three-point average was around
14%. By his last season he got it up to around 40%. Also, known for his poor defense,
rebounding and assists, Jordan became a regular on the NBA All-Defense team, won the
defensive player of the year award and one season averaged eight assists and eight
rebounds to go with 35 points, the closest a player has come to averaging a triple-double
since Oscar Robertson did.
During his record performance of 63 points against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs,Larry
Bird claimed that Jordan was "God disguised as Michael Jordan.".
Played with the Chicago Bulls for 14 years, 1984-1998, and with the Washington Wizards
for 2 years, 2001-2003.

Topped "Forbes" magazine's "The 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces", with an estimated
settlement of $150 million (April 2007).
In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year at $31 million.
Lives in Chicago.
Inducted into the ESPN Chicago Hall of Fame in 2011 (inaugural class) with Walter
Payton, Ernie Banks, Dick Butkus, and Mike Ditka.
Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Appeared, with Charlie Sheen, in a commercial for "Hanes" underwear.
Is now part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats along with his majority partner, Robert Johnson.
[June 2006]
Personal Quotes (2)
If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had
them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and
give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. -- GQ, March, 1989.