Michael Jordan I INTRODUCTION Michael Jordan, born in 1963, American professional basketball player, considered by many to be the greatest player in basketball history.

« playoffs the Bulls pushed the Pistons to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals before losing again. As he grew older, Jordan made a concerted effort to help his teammates reach their own potential.

The result of his renewed commitment to team-oriented play was theBulls’ first NBA championship title.

After the 1990-91 season the Bulls swept the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals and then defeated the Los Angeles Lakers inthe NBA Finals.

Jordan won the league MVP award for the second time and was named MVP of the championship series.

Two more NBA titles (and two championshipseries MVP awards for Jordan) followed in 1992 and 1993.

Jordan was named league MVP again in 1992. In 1992 professional players were allowed to compete in Olympic basketball, and Jordan starred on the U.S.

national team, known as the Dream Team, that dominatedthe Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain.

He teamed with Scottie Pippen, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and other top-level players from the NBA to win the gold medal. VI FIRST RETIREMENT AND RETURN On the eve of the 1993-94 season, Jordan shocked the sports world by announcing his retirement from basketball, stating that he had lost his desire to play the sport.Many speculated that the death of his father, who had been murdered in the summer of 1993, contributed to his decision.

After three consecutive NBA titles with theBulls, Jordan himself cited a lifelong dream to play baseball for his abrupt career change. In 1994 Jordan signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox organization.

He then spent the season with the Birmingham Barons of the Class AA SouthernLeague—two levels below the major leagues.

He played in the outfield and batted .202 with 3 home runs, 51 runs batted in, and 30 stolen bases.

Later that year hebatted .252 with the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.

The Bulls, meanwhile, faltered without Jordan.

They won 55 games in the 1993-94 season but sawtheir run of three straight championships end with a loss to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In 1995 Jordan was scheduled to advance to the Triple-A level with the Nashville Sounds of the American Association, with a chance to move up to the major leagues inSeptember.

But when major league players went on strike that spring, Jordan decided to quit baseball rather than serve as a replacement player for the White Sox. Jordan ended his retirement from professional basketball by rejoining the Bulls with 17 games left in the 1994-95 season.

The abrupt decision meant that Jordan hadlittle time to prepare for the rigors of postseason play, and the Bulls lost to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

In 1995-96, Jordan returned to hispreretirement form.

He again wore uniform number 23, which had been retired in 1994, and he led his team to an NBA record 72-10 win-loss record during the regularseason.

Jordan, Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Toni Kukoc led a squad that some considered the best in NBA history, and the Bulls went on to win their fourthchampionship in six years.

Jordan was again named regular-season and championship series MVP, becoming the first player ever to win the championship series honorfour times. Jordan continued to dominate the league during the next two seasons.

Chicago finished the 1996-97 regular season with a 69-13 record, paced by Jordan’s league-leading 29.6 points per game.

In the playoffs they won a hard-fought NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, and Jordan received his fifth NBA Finals MVP award. In 1997-98 Jordan topped the league in scoring (28.7 points per game) for the tenth time, leading the Bulls to a 62-20 regular-season mark.

He also earned his fifthregular season MVP award.

Jordan then led the Bulls past the New Jersey Nets, Charlotte Hornets, and Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference playoffs beforemeeting the Jazz again in the NBA Finals.

Chicago defeated Utah, 4 games to 2, and Jordan scored the last basket of the series, a jump shot with 5.2 seconds left in thesixth game that gave the Bulls an 87-86 victory and their sixth NBA championship.

His exploits earned him his sixth NBA Finals MVP award. VII SECOND RETIREMENT AND RETURN Following the NBA championship Jackson left the Bulls to pursue other interests and Jordan hinted at a second retirement, stating that he did not want to play for acoach other than Jackson.

On January 13, 1999, before the start of the lockout-shortened 1999 season, Jordan once again announced his retirement from professionalbasketball. During the 1999-2000 season, Jordan returned to basketball again when he became part-owner and president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards.

Hisnew position gave him authority over all basketball-related aspects of the franchise.

But the Wizards suffered through several miserable seasons and unsuccessfulcoaches, and Jordan grew frustrated watching the team lose.

In September 2001 he announced his second comeback as a player, giving up his ownership stake,according to league rules, and signing a two-year contract with the Wizards. During his first season back Jordan showed flashes of his former brilliance, scoring 51 points in one game.

He averaged almost 23 points a game in 2001-02, spurringhis team to a newly competitive level.

By midseason, however, his knees hurt and Jordan decided to have surgery in February 2002.

He went on injured reserve for theremainder of the season and the Wizards slumped, falling short of the playoffs.

During the 2002-03 season Jordan played in every game and averaged 20 points percontest, passing Wilt Chamberlain for third place on the NBA all-time scoring list (32,292 points).

The Wizards missed the playoffs again, however, and Jordan retired forthe third time at the end of the season.

He did so with the highest scoring average (30.1 points per game) in NBA history, as well as the record for most times leadingthe league in scoring (10). VIII INFLUENCE When Jordan joined the NBA in 1984, basketball's popularity was already on the rise, thanks to two great stars of the 1980s—Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakersand Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics.

But observers believe that Jordan was the driving force that kept basketball’s appeal fresh after Johnson and Bird retired in theearly 1990s.

The Bulls’ domination of the NBA under Jordan’s leadership captured the imagination of many people, and his athletic skills, charisma, and competitivedrive created new basketball fans as few other players have. Jordan’s popularity has spread well beyond scoring titles, championships, and other aspects of the NBA.

He has become one of the most-recognized individuals in theworld.

Jordan has been especially influential in the sportswear industry, starting with Nike's introduction of the famous line of Air Jordan basketball shoes in 1984.

Thepartnership between Jordan and Nike became so successful that, before the 1997-98 season, Nike created a separate business unit known as the JORDAN brand tomarket footwear and apparel that Jordan himself helped design. Contributed By:Marc SteinMicrosoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.

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