Michael Jordan is one of the most prominent sports persons in the history of all disciplines covered by the broad category of ‘sports’. He has won the title of the Most Valuable Player of the Year (awarded by NBA) for five times. He is of the American nationality, and is a former basketball player by profession.
The major part of his life was spent by playing for the team Chicago Bulls and he had led to his team to six NBA championship titles. He is acclaimed to be one of the best players the world of basketball has ever seen, and he is also a celebrated Olympian. Besides being a player, he is also a businessman, and also an amateur actor.
Michael Jordan Early life and Education
Michael Jordan was born on the 17th of February, in the year of 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. He was brought up in North Carolina. Jordan was born to Deloris and James Jordan. His mother was a banker, whereas his father worked as an equipment supervisor.
Jordan was the fourth of his parents’ five children. He has one older sister, two older brothers, and a younger sister. Jordan is said to have been very competitive from a very young age, which might have fulled his athletic career in certain ways. Jordan’s education began in the Emsley A. Laney High School situated in Wilmington.
This school is also the place where Jordan began indulging in the sport he went on to flourish in. However, his path was filled with obstacles and rejection, but he was determined enough to overcome all such barriers.
Jordan was the star player of the varsity squad, and later went on to be a part of the McDonald’s All-American Team during his senior year, after an impressive stint as a varsity player.
Jordan was offered sports scholarships from many renowned colleges, but he went on to accept the one from North Carolina University, where he studied cultural geography. He won the award of the NCAA college player in the years 1983 and 1984 consecutively.
Career as a Sportsperson
Jordan joined the NBA during his junior year in college. He was signed by the Chicago Bulls, and he proved his worth immediately from the very beginning of his professional career.
His average score per game in his first session was a whopping 28.2 points, which helped his team advance into the playoffs, and also earned him several accolades and prestige, including a place in the All-Star game of the year.
His career had a sudden setback when he was injured during his second season, but he soon made an impressive comeback in the season of 1986. He went on to be the second player in the basket balling history to score 3,000 points and above in one season.
By 1990, both Chicago Bulls and Jordan’s career was soaring at an all-time high, and it only tended to improve every season.
However, Jordan moved to minor league basketball (for the Birmingham Barons) for a short period, but came back to play for the Chicago Bulls during 1995 and went on to guide his team to a championship victory in that same sporting season.
Jordan retired during the 1997-1998 season, when he was at the park of his form. Hence, his retirement came as a shock to all the lovers of the sport. Even after retirement, Jordan cared and wanted to work for the betterment of this sport, and became a part of the Washington Wizards as their part owner and president for sporting operations.
He also played for this team later, for two seasons. Jordan retired permanently in the year of 2003.
As a businessman
Jordan endorsed many renowned brands during his sporting career, including Coca Cola, McDonald’s, Nike, Chevrolet, etc. After his retirement, his endorsement schemes lessened, but did not stop completely.
In the year of 1998, Jordan also delved into the restaurant business, as he launched the Michael Jordan Steakhouse. It began in the New York City, but later expanded to other locations such as Uncasville and Chicago.
During 2006, he bought a certain share of the Charlotte Bobcats, and was also a part of the team’s executive managers.
As an actor
Jordan served a brief stint as an amateur actor as well, in between his basketball related endeavours. He starred in the movie Space Jam, which had released in the year of 1996.
This film was a mixture of action and animation, and surprisingly portrayed Jordan with the likes of famous cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
The film traces the course of Jordan’s post retirement life, where he is abducted by the Looney Tunes group to play a match against a criminal alien group. However, this movie was not a great commercial success, and currently has an IMDB rating of 6.3.
Family
Michael Jordan has married twice. His first wife was Juanita Vanoy, whom he had wedded in the year of 1989. Juanita and Jordan divorced in December, 2006, and are the parents of three children- Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine.
Out of these three, Jeffrey went on to become a basketball player as well. He dealt with certain psychological problems regarding being in the shadow of his father as a professional player, but both his parents helped him recover this mental state.
Jordan’s next wedding took place during the year of 2013, when he got married to Yvette Prieto, a model of mixed nationality. They went on to give birth to beautiful twin daughters- Ysabel and Victoria.
Conclusion
Known widely for his agility and exceptional skills, Michael Jordan proves to be a true legend in the realm of basketball. Jordan also stands to be an exceptional instance in combating the widespread racist attacks and slurs thrown at achievers belonging to that community.
In this way, the achievements of Michael Jordan as a sportsperson do not stop merely at an individual level, but soars to be an example of the shattering of certain pre-existing racial prejudices and stereotypes.
Therefore, in this way, we understand the relation between any individual’s biography and its appropriate social context if we analyse Michael Jordan’s life carefully.
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