Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan
Gender	Male
Birthday	February 17, 1963
Age	59
Team	Tune Squad

Michael Jordan, who appears as himself, makes his motion-picture feature debut with "Space Jam." Widely considered the greatest basketball player in history he has parlayed an incredible college and professional career with the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Chicago Bulls into a position as an American icon and one of the most recognized personalities, sports or otherwise, in the world.

Jordan's list of basketball accomplishments is unparalleled in the history of the sport: member of North Carolina's NCAA championship team in 1982 and Atlantic Coast Rookie of the Year; NCAA player of the year and All-American in 1983 and 1984; co-captain of the United States' gold medal-winning team in the 1984 Olympic games; NBA Rookie of the Year and scoring leader in 1985; NBA's Most Valuable Player in 1988, 1991, 1992 and 1995; second NBA player in history to score more than 3,000 points in a season; member of 10 NBA All-Star teams; NBA's scoring leader for eight seasons, seven consecutively; holder of the league's best career scoring average -- 32.3 points per game; member of the "Dream Team" that won the 1992 Olympic gold medal; earned NBA Finals' MVP honors in each of the Bulls' championship seasons: 1991-93, 1996-1998; named to the NBA All-Defensive team seven times; voted 1988 NBA Defensive player of the Year; selected for the All-NBA first team eight times; named NBA ALL-Star Game MVP in 1988, 1996; and scored NBA playoff record 63 points vs. Boston in 1986.

Jordan retired from professional basketball shortly after his Fathers' death in 1993 to concentrate on a career in professional baseball.

After playing one season with the Chicago White Sox AA affiliate, the Birmingham Barons, Jordan rejoined the Chicago Bulls and, in the 1995-96 season, led his team to another three NBA championships, won the league's scoring title, and was again named Most Valuable Player of the Year and of the NBA All-Star Game.

Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Biography

Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York on February 17, 1963. He was the fourth of five children born to James and Deloris. James Jordan was a mechanic and Deloris 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 relocated 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 spring, 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 30, 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.

Bullet Points of Life

• 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.
• He has his own line of sport clothing called JORDAN. [1997-1998 season]
• Shoe: Air Jordan
• 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. [1997]
• Professional basketball player in the NBA.
• Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world. [1991]
• 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 tsNuts).
• 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.
• 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 nuts.
• 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 high-flying 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 long-length 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.

Space Jam

Michael decides to retire from Basketball and decides to become a Baseball player. He gets a new bodyguard, an energetic and goofy man named Stan Podolak. He also watches in TV that his NBA friends are losing their talents.

Later, he's playing Golf with Larry Bird and Bill Murray. Bill asks Michael if he could become an NBA player since his friends are losing their talents but Jordan answers that he's not fit for the game. When Stan wants to photograph Michael while he takes the ball Michael gets sucked down the hole.

He is dragged in an underground world habituated by the Looney Tunes and he has a meeting with Bugs Bunny that reveals him that they dragged him down there because some aliens came from outer space and wants them as their new attractions in their amusement park, since they were small they tried to make fools of them by having a basketball game with them but they became huge monsters (calling themselves Monstars) and they need his help.

Michael agrees to train them and then he meets the Monstars who bullies him squashing him into the shape of a ball while bouncing him around like one and then they bully Tweety as well. Having had enough of their behavior, Michael agrees to play with them against the Monstars.

After meeting the attractive yet strong Lola Bunny, which Bugs falls in love with, that joins the team, Michael asks Bugs and Daffy Duck to bring his sneakers and shorts from his home so he can play better.

Stan succeeds to come down into the Tune World and hugs Michael relieved to see he's okay. That night, Michael and the Tunes prepares for their match against the Monstars.

In the first round the Monstars cheats and easily beat them using phsycal violence towards them. Stan discovers that the Monstars stole the talents from the NBA players which explains how they became like that and what happened to Michael's friends.

Bugs takes some water and says that it's Jordan's secret stuff which makes the other Tunes believe they're invincible giving them the confidence they need to win.

During the second round the Tunes go hard on the Monstars and they finally make a comeback but the boss of the Monstars, Mr. Swashmacker asks for time out. Michael offers him a deal, if they win they will give his friends their talents back and if the Monstars win they get him as their new attraction for Moron Mountain for the rest of his life. In the third round both Michael and the Tunes get heavily injured and defeated by the Monstars and lose their confidence again.

However, thanks to the help of Stan and the arrival and partecipation of Bill in the game, the Tunes gets their redemption in the third round with Michael successfully stretching his arm longer with slam dunk to win after learning the physical rules of the Tune World.

After the Tunes's victory, Mr. Swashmacker is mad at the Monstars for their failure and tries to break their deal ordering them to go in his spaceship. Michael asks the Monstars why they let him treat them that way and the Monstars tells him that he's bigger than them until they realize that they're bigger than him and they turn on him using one of Wile E. Coyote's rockets to send him in the moon.

Then the now reedemed Monstars gives Michael the NBA players talents back thus returning to their original forms and deciding to remain in the Tune World. Michael says goodbye to the Tunes and comes back to his world with Stan using the Nerdlucks spaceship.

At the end Michael returns to his baseball game, gives his friends their talents back and he decides to come back to be a basketball player mirroring his real life come back with the Chicago Bulls.

Space Jam: A New Legacy

Michael doesn't appear in the sequel but he's mentioned a couple of times. When LeBron James asks Bugs to help him to win a Basketball Game he talks to the audience breaking the fourth wall and says "Sounds awfully familiar" referring to his experience with Jordan. The same thing happens when Bugs asks Lola how many times she has the occasion to play with an NBA superstar and Lola answers that she already did that.

During the interval of the final game, Sylvester says that he found Michael Jordan but it turns out to be the actor Michael B. Jordan, much to the Tunes's disappointment and dismay.

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