Michael Jordan

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Biography

Michael Jordan is an American professional NBA legend and a businessman.

Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17th, 1963 in the Cumberland Hospital in the Ft. Green neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. He is the fourth of five children of James Raymond Jordan Sr. and Deloris Peoples. His parents lived in Brooklyn for just 18 months while his father was studying airplane hydraulics for mechanic's training associated with the GI Bill.^[1] Michael was raised in Wilmington, North Carolina and attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington. In his sophomore year of high school, Michael was cut from the varsity basketball team because he was too short. However, he was the star of the junior varsity team that year and worked hard so that his junior year he was able to make varsity.^[2]

Michael went on to play basketball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where his team won the 1982 NCAA championship. In 1984, he was the number 3 NBA draft pick and joined the Chicago Bulls. This was the beginning of his legendary career in the NBA.^[3]

In 1993, Michael's father was murdered during an armed robbery. They had always been very close. After this loss, Michael decided to retire from basketball and pursue a dream he had shared with his father to play Major League Baseball. During the 1994 season he played for the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. In 1995, he decided to return to basketball with the famous two-word press release "I'm Back."^[3] He again played with the Chicago Bulls from 1995-1998, briefly retired again, then came out of retirement to play with the Washington Wizards from 2001-2003. In 2003 he made his final retirement from basketball.^[4]

Michael had three children from his first marriage with Juanita Vanoy. They married on September 2nd, 1989 in Las Vegas, Nevada and divorced on December 29th, 2006.^[5][6] Their sons Jeffrey and Marcus both played college basketball.

Michael met model Yvette Prieto at a nightclub in 2008. After dating for five years, they married on April 27th, 2013 at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida.^[7] They have twin daughters.^[8]

Outside of basketball, Michael has had a number of business, philanthropic, and media interests. Some of the more prominent ones include:

• Spokesman for many brands including Gatorade, Nike, Chevrolet, and Hanes^[9]
• Signature Air Jordan shoes from Nike^[10]
• Starred in the 1996 movie Space Jam^[11]
• Majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets NBA team^[12]
• Many philanthropic activities including involvement with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, celebrity golf tournaments, and Chicago’s James R. Jordan Boys and Girls Club^[13]

Basketball Career Highlights

Michael Jordan is known as the greatest basketball player of all time. Among the many championships, awards and titles he won throughout his basketball career, a few of the highlights include:^[3][14]

• 6-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls
• 6-time NBA finals MVP
• 5-time NBA MVP
• 14-time NBA All-Star
• NBA Defensive Player of the Year
• 2-time Olympic gold member winner with the USA basketball team
• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016)

See his Wikipedia page for more details on his basketball career.

Sources

1. ↑ Rick Morrissey, "Chapter 1: Brooklyn," Chicago Tribune [Illinois], 10 Sep 2009, https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bulls/chi-michael-jordan-chicago-bulls-chapter-1-story.html : accessed 26 Oct 2022.
2. ↑ "Michael Jordan Didn't Make Varsity-At First," Newsweek, 17 Oct 2015, https://www.newsweek.com/missing-cut-382954 : accessed 26 Oct 2022.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} "Legends Profile: Michael Jordan," NBA.com, 14 Sep 2021, https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-michael-jordan : accessed 26 Oct 2022.
4. ↑ "NBA 75th Anniversary Team: Michael Jordan," NBA.com, https://www.nba.com/75/player/michael-jordan-893; archived at Internet Archive Wayback Machine, https://web.archive.org/web/20220427134951/https://www.nba.com/75/player/michael-jordan-893 : accessed 26 Oct 2022.
5. ↑ Marriage: "Nevada, U.S., Marriage Index, 1956-2005," database, Ancestry.com, Ancestry Record 1100 #245233 : accessed 26 October 2022; Clark County, Nevada, Book 907, Page C150974, Michael Jeffery Jordan and Juanita R Vanoy., 2 Sep 1989.
6. ↑ Divorce Announcement: "Jordan, wife end marriage 'mutually, amicably'," ESPN.com, 29 Dec 2006, https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=2714217 : accessed 26 Oct 2022.
7. ↑ Marriage Announcement: Jennifer Garcia, "Michael Jordan Marries Model Yvette Prieto," People, 27 Apr 2013, https://people.com/celebrity/michael-jordan-marries-yvette-prieto-in-florida/ : accessed 26 Oct 2022.
8. ↑ "Michael Jordan, Yvette Prieto welcome twin girls," cbsnews.com, 12 Feb 2014, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-jordan-yvette-prieto-welcome-twin-girls/ : accessed 26 Oct 2022.
9. ↑ Darren Rovell, "Jordan's 10 greatest commercials ever," ESPN.com, 17 Feb 2003, https://www.espn.com/sportsbusiness/s/2003/0216/1509936.html : accessed 26 Oct 2022.
10. ↑ "History of Air Jordan," Footlocker.com, https://www.footlocker.com/history-of-air-jordan.html : accessed 26 Oct 2022.
11. ↑ Space Jam, https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/space-jam
12. ↑ "Jordan purchase of Bobcats approved," ESPN.com, 17 Mar 2010, https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=5003048 : accessed 26 Oct 2022.
13. ↑ "Michael Jordan's Philanthropic Activities," NBA.com, https://www.nba.com/news/jordan-week-michael-jordan-philanthropy : accessed 26 Oct 2022.
14. ↑ "President Obama Names Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom," The White House, 16 Nov 2016, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/11/16/president-obama-names-recipients-presidential-medal-freedom : accessed 26 Oct 2022.

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