Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan - biography, photos Michael Jordan 12

Michael Jordan is a legendary American basketball player from the NBA, who played for a long time as an attacking guard for the Chicago Bulls (1984-1998, with a break). He led the team to the NBA title six times and won Olympic gold twice. Official face of the Nike brand, billionaire basketball player.

Childhood and youth

Michael was born in New York on February 17, 1963. The parents of the future sports star were ordinary people, by no means basketball-sized. The family had five children: Michael's older brothers, Larry and James Jr., older sister Deloris and younger sister Roslyn. As a child, Michael was fond of baseball and already at the age of 12 he made it to the finals of the junior league championship with his school team.

He was later recognized as the state champion of North Carolina, where his family moved. Another achievement in baseball was the recognition of Jordan as the most valuable player. Then it was time for Michael to take up basketball. The father even built a basketball court for his youngest son in the backyard of their house.

The height of the aspiring basketball player at the age of 15 reached 175 centimeters, so he perfected his jump. Later, the athlete reached a height of 198 cm with a weight of 98 kg. Michael had great speed and trained hard. But these qualities were not enough to become a player on the high school team. The failure upset the guy, and he decided to prove to the coach that he was wrong. Michael gave his all in the games, getting 28 points in each match.

At the same time, he was involved in baseball, athletics, and joined the school American football team. Michael's persistence brought results. In the 11th grade, he finally made it to the school basketball team, in which his older brother already played at number 45. Michael chose number 23, explaining that he would try to become as good a player as Larry, or even though would be half.

Jordan remained faithful to this number for the rest of his career. Success spurred the ambitious boy, and he continued to work on himself. In the summer of 1980, Michael attended training camp at the University of North Carolina. He made such a lasting impression on the coaches that he was invited for training. In 1981, he became a student at this university.

Simultaneously with his studies, the guy began training as part of a local basketball team. He managed to show himself as an indispensable player, although the coach set higher goals for him compared to other players. This plan worked, and in his first year, Michael joined the starting five of the university team.

Sport

In his first three seasons, Jordan rose to the Naismith Award. The young player also took part in the Pan American Games, showing the best results in the national team. Having entered the national team, he participated in the 1984 Summer Olympics, where he showed the highest results. Without finishing his studies a year, Jordan left the university to participate in the NBA draft.

He was chosen by the Chicago Bulls. However, the lack of discipline in the team and the low level of equipment disappointed the guy. Despite such conditions, he continued intensive training and became part of the starting five, posting a high performance of 28 points per game. Michael was loved by the public even from his opponent.

Just a month into his professional career, Jordan was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the ambitious caption “A Star is Born.” 1984 marked the time of the first advertising contract with Nike. Air Jordan sneakers were released for him in the traditional colors of the Chicago Bulls club - black and red.

The NBA banned the use of these shoes due to the aggressiveness of the color scheme and the lack of white color. However, Jordan continued to wear these sneakers on the field, and Nike management paid fines of $5 thousand, using this fact to advertise their product. The team's debutant became a member of the starting five in the NBA All-Star Game. This fact provoked discontent among League veterans.

As a result, players refused to pass to Jordan. And even under such pressure, he managed to win the title of best rookie of the Association in the finals of the regular season. At the same time, he was declared third in scoring in the NBA and was among the second top five players in the NBA. Thanks to Michael, the team managed to reach the playoffs for the first time in the last 3 years.

Jordan spent almost the entire second season recovering from a leg injury. By the time the Chicago Bulls entered the playoffs, Michael was already playing and managed to score 63 points in elimination games. Since then, no one has managed to break this record. In the 3rd season, the basketball player recovered, becoming the second most productive player in the Association.

Jordan's third season began with a change in players on the team, allowing the team to advance past the first round of the playoffs for the first time. The athlete was named the League's top scorer. And the next season he was again recognized as the best in terms of points scored in the game.

In the 1989/1990 season, Michael became captain of the team, which was replenished with young progressive players. On May 7, 1989, Michael Jordan's team had to confront Cleveland, and after another foul, the Chicago Bulls captain stood at the free throw line. The basketball legend was confident in his actions and made the famous jump with his eyes closed. Video cameras recorded Jordan's stunt. The footage added sympathy and admiration for the young man among fans.

Interestingly, while scoring a goal, Michael Jordan opens his mouth and sticks out his tongue. The champion inherited this manner from his father, and he, in turn, from his grandfather.

New coach Phil Jackson practiced the system of collective play, and Michael defended his freedom of action. A compromise was found and the team was transformed. Jordan became the NBA's MVP for the first time and cried with happiness. The following season brought Jordan his second regular season MVP. The athlete builds up his muscles and now instills fear in his former offenders on the court.

The athlete managed to turn basketball into a real art. The tricks that Michael Jordan performed on the playing field attracted public interest in the game using the orange ball. Investments in this sport have increased to $10 billion.

The 1991/1992 season brought the basketball player his third MVP title, in a row. But in the 1992-93 games he failed to receive this honorary title. As a member of the national team, he participated in the 1993 Barcelona Olympics, where the Americans won gold. And in October of the same year he announced that he was leaving the sport because he had lost interest in it. At this time, the athlete was experiencing a personal loss that crippled him - Jordan’s father died.

In honor of the end of the basketball player's career, the organizers of the Chicago Bulls decided to erect a monument to the athlete at the entrance to the United Center stadium. The sculpture was created in a short time. It represents the figure of a champion, soaring in the air before a signature throw.

In the spring of 1994, the athlete signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox baseball team, citing the fact that his late father wanted to see him as a player in the baseball league. Jordan played briefly for the Birmingham Barons and then for the Scottsdale Scorpions. In March 1995, Michael decided to return to the NBA as a player for the Chicago Bulls.

However, this season ended for the team with defeat in the playoffs. But the failure became the basis for seriously preparing for the next season. In it, Jordan won the Finals MVP title for the fourth time, in 1997-98 for the fifth, and then for the sixth. These victories became one of the best moments of his life.

In January 1999, Jordan announced his farewell to professional sports for the second time. A year later, he returned to the NBA again, but in a different guise - as a co-owner and general manager of the Washington Wizards club. And he began playing for the same team in September 2001. After spending two seasons with this team, Michael achieved improvement in its performance.

Returning to the NBA, Jordan became the best 40-year-old player in the entire history of the league. He managed to fill stadiums during Wizards matches.

The champion's last appearance on the playing field took place in 2003 during a competition against the Philadelphia 76 team; at the end of the match, Michael Jordan received a three-minute ovation from the public.

After his third retirement, Jordan intended to return as a manager, but was fired by the club's owner. Michael regarded this as a betrayal.

To stay in shape, the basketball player participated in charity golf tournaments between celebrities. Then motorsports became one of his hobbies. Since 2004, the star has owned a professional team called Michael Jordan Motorsports. He also promoted his own clothing brand.

According to ESPN, Jordan is considered the best basketball player of all time, only in third place. The basketball player himself said in an interview that he would not refuse to go out on the court with him. Michael ranks him among the greatest NBA players and considers him his great friend, despite the fact that he stole all his moves.

Fans call Jordan the “God of Basketball,” and Roland Lazenby wrote the book “Michael Jordan. His Airness”, dedicated to the biography and success story of the athlete. In 2009, Jordan's name was included in the list of the best basketball players in the Hall of Fame.

Personal life

The basketball player’s personal life was stormy due to the athlete’s many hobbies. Michael has always been considered a favorite of women. The first chosen one of the famous basketball player was Juanita Vanoy. In 1989, the young couple were legally married, and in 1991, Michael purchased a luxurious 17-hectare estate in Highland Park for the family. The Jordans had three children: two sons, Jeffrey Michael and Marcus James, and a daughter, Jasmine. In early 2002, Juanita Jordan announced that she had filed for divorce.

She cited irreconcilable differences as the reason, but the couple managed to come to an agreement and did not divorce. But in 2006, it became known that Michael had a secret mistress, whom he paid for silence. The court rejected Karla Kneifel's claim for compensation in the amount of $5 million. Jordan allegedly promised her this money because she did not report her pregnancy from him in 1991.

DNA analysis proved that the former athlete was not the father of the child. However, this completely ruined the relationship between the Jordan spouses, and at the end of the year they divorced by mutual consent. At the same time, Juanita received compensation in the amount of $168 million, which was a record at that time among famous people. Five years later, Michael proposed to the 32-year-old Cuban model.

They dated for three years. Yvette Prieto agreed, and soon the couple announced their engagement. On April 27, 1993, the lovers got married on Jupiter Island. In 2012, Jordan decided to sell his Highland Park estate for $29 million. He later purchased a house in Florida. In February 2014, Jordan's wife gave birth to two twin girls, named Isabelle and Victoria.

In 1992, the athlete starred in the video of his namesake -. The two stars play basketball in the video for "Jam." It is interesting that the word “Jam” is interpreted in two ways - as a designation for improvisation by a musical group and as throwing the ball from above in basketball. In 1996, Michael Jordan portrayed himself in the science-fiction animated film Space Jam. In the team with the superstar in the basketball battle with the aliens was the cartoon character rabbit Bucks Bunny and world cinema star, actor.

Michael Jordan now

Currently, Forbes lists Michael Jordan as the wealthiest basketball player in the world. The NBA champion's net worth at the 2018 rate is $1.65 billion. The athlete's capital consists of those funds that were paid as salaries and bonuses, as well as in the form of profits from work in advertising.

Fan pages on Instagram and Twitter are dedicated to Michael Jordan's sports career. In 2018, the basketball legend celebrated his anniversary. Michael Jordan turned 55 years old.

Awards

• 1983 - gold medal at the Pan American Games in Caracas
• 1984 - gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics
• 1992 - gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics
• 1992 - gold medal at the American Championships in Portland

Michael Jordan turns 50 today, a good time to remember the highlights of his career. Although they are known to almost everyone who is even slightly interested in basketball and the NBA. However, besides them, there are also at least 10 stories that few people know.

What was Jordan's childhood nickname?

As a child, Michael's peers called him "the black cat." The designer of the Air Jordan III sneakers, Tinker Hatfield, knew nothing about this, but nevertheless depicted a pattern in the form of black panther paw prints on the shoes. This model of sneakers became a real breakthrough in the series, and gave it cult status. And the “Jordan XII” model has already been officially named “Black Cat”.

Why did Jordan wear number 45 for a while?

Few basketball players have received the honorable ceremony of raising their jerseys into the vaults of their home arena and retiring their numbers from circulation. Even fewer started playing again after that. When Jordan returned to the NBA in the 1994-95 season (announcing it with the simple phrase “I’m back”), he didn’t wear his usual number 23, but 45, the same one he wore with the Birmingham Barons baseball team. . While still at university, Michael began playing under number 23 because the number was about half the size of 45, the number his older brother Larry wore. The same numbers were on Jordan's baseball uniform during his senior year of university. But already in the next season 1995-96, Michael regained his traditional 23.

Did Jordan wear other numbers during his career?

One day Michael played number 12. It happened on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1990. Someone stole Jordan's uniform from the team's locker room in Orlando. Jordan wanted to take the jersey from his young fan, but it was too small. As a result, he had to wear a jersey without a name and with the number 12.

Under what name did Jordan stay in hotels?

NBA basketball players rarely check into hotels under their real names. Nobody wants to be woken up the night before an away match by a call from a hooligan fan of the home team. Jordan usually used the name of his childhood friend Leroy Smith. And this was not a random choice. It was Smith who was the player who took the last vacant place on the university basketball team, giving the right to receive an athletic scholarship. As happened so often in his life, Michael used failure to motivate himself.

What was Jordan's baseball debut like?

Jordan's switch from basketball to baseball in 1994 remains one of the strangest events in the history of world sports. The most famous basketball player on the planet is leaving for minor league baseball? Complete nonsense. But Michael’s problems in his new role turned out to be quite logical. In his first game with the Birmingham Barons, Jordan was taken out of the game in the first game, not pitching any of three innings. He finished the season with a fairly low average, hitting just three home runs in 127 at-bats.

Are there really Jordan statues with the wrong numbers in the world?

There is more than one. For some reason, in different places around the world there are statues of Jordan in a Chicago uniform and number 32. There is one of these in America, another in Dubai, a third in Scotland, and in Texas there is a collection of misunderstandings.


Is this really Jordan?

What is the reason for the appearance of such figures with incorrect numbers? This issue requires separate research and investigation.

Did Jordan's contract really contain a "love of the game" clause?

Yes. The vast majority of athletes have contracts that strictly prohibit any activity that could potentially cause injury, including playing basketball for fun. But that didn't concern Jordan. Michael included a clause in his contract that he could play with anyone, anywhere, anytime. Subsequently, Kevin Durant received the same privilege, but most basketball players cannot play just for themselves without violating their contract.

What is Jordan's golf handicap?

(A golf handicap is a numerical indicator of an athlete’s skill. It indicates how many strokes below the average level a golfer must make in order to complete the entire course. The higher the handicap, the higher the level of the athlete. - note "PB")


Like most other famous golfers, Jordan is better than you might expect, but worse than he gives you credit for. Michael's handicap is 4 points, which is very good for any amateur, but much less than that of the most unlucky professionals. Fortunately, Jordan is not even trying to try himself in professional tournaments, although he has a significant status in the golf world, as the current consultant of the US team and its vice-captain at the 2009 President's Cup.

What was on Jordan's pre-game menu?

Modern nutrition experts will be shocked, but before matches Jordan preferred medium-rare steak, baked potatoes, green salad and water or ginger ale. It gave a good effect.

Did Jordan actually sing on a mid-80s hip-hop track?

Surprisingly, Jordan actually appears on "Everybody Use Your Imagination" by long-forgotten '80s girl hip-hop group Hot Butterfly. The level of the group can be characterized by saying that in relation to the Spice Girls, it is the same as Kirk Heinrich in comparison with Jordan himself. In the song, recorded in 1987, Michael speaks phrases at the beginning and end of the song. Of course, one might be surprised how something with the participation of one of the most famous athletes in the world could disappear from people’s memory almost without a trace, but after listening to the song it’s easy to understand.

Happy Birthday, Michael! We hope you value your fans more than that song.

Achievements during professional career

In 1996, he was elected one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.

Captain of the Chicago Bulls - 6-time NBA champion 1991-93, 1996-98

6 times named NBA Finals MVP (1991-93, 1996-98)

5 times named NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998

Selected to the All-NBA First Team 10 times, 1987-93, 1996-98, second in 1985

1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year

Selected to the NBA's Top 5 Defensive Players (All-Defensive First Team) 9 times, 1987-93, 1997, 1998

11 times selected to the NBA All-Star Game First Team in 1985, 1987-93, 1996-98, participated in 10 games (missed one due to injury)

3 times named NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1988, 1996, 1998

NBA Rookie of the Year, 1985 Rookie Game

Member of Team USA that won Olympic gold medals in 1984 and 1992

2x Slam-Dunk Champion in 1987 and 1988

2-time winner of the IBM Award - in 1985 and 1989

NBA leader in steals 1988, 1990, 1993

NBA all-time leader in average scoring per game - 31.5 points

All-time leader in NBA scoring average in playoff games - 33.4 points

Third, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain, in NBA history in career points scored - 29,277 points

The first total in NBA history for points scored in playoff matches - 5,987 points

Fourth in NBA history in assists in playoff games - 1,022 assists

Shares the record with Karl Malone for most seasons with over 2,000 points - 11

Chicago Bulls leader in points - 29,277, assists - 5,012 and steals - 2,306

Having scored 63 points in a match with Boston on 4/21/86, he set and still holds the NBA playoff scoring record.

Highest score in a game: 69 points in a win over Cleveland on March 28, 1990.

Leader in average scoring per game in the NBA Finals - 41.0 points in 1993

In 8 playoff games he scored 50 or more points.

Set a record for leading the NBA in scoring average in a season 10 times.

Set a record for leading the NBA in scoring average 7 times in a row from 1986-87 to 1992-93

Set a record of scoring more than 20 points in 35 straight NBA Finals games (June 2, 1991 - July 14, 1998)

All-time leader in NBA scoring average in all-star games - 21.3 points

First and only player to record a triple-double in the NBA All-Star Game in 1997, scoring 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

Made 28 triple-doubles in NBA games.

NCAA champion (collegiate championship) in 1982, twice recognized as the best player in America among students in 1983-84.

personal information

Michael and his wife Juanita have three children. And if the sons’ names are completely traditional Jeffrey Michael and Marcus James, then the daughter was named Jasmine Mikhail.

Lives in Highland Park.

For good luck, he always wears University of North Carolina shorts under his Bulls uniform.

Starred in the leading role in the film Space Jam (in the Russian video distribution "Space Jam" or "Space Basketball"), released in 1996

Participated in several famous Golf Association tournaments

He considers Jerry West the best player in the history of the NBA and would like to play him one-on-one.

Before the game he eats steak and eggs.

Besides the United Center in Chicago, the NBA's favorite arena is Madison Square Garden in New York.

My favorite subject at school was mathematics.

Has a dog - Akita.

Wears size 13 shoes.

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He is a professional basketball player in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks. He is also a member of the national...

According to legend, in eight years and one month, Hercules performed 10 labors (this was the number predicted by the priestess Pythia), but the Mycenaean king Ephriseus, in whose service the hero was, did not count two labors. That is why the son of Zeus spent another four years on the last 2 labors.

Michael Jordan had no such problems. Throughout his 15 seasons in the NBA, the impossible was demanded of him. In decisive matches, he himself became the team, His air, and at a certain stage everyone’s sense of heroism was dulled. What remains in our minds is simply Michael Jordan - the best player on the planet, who with his mere appearance on the court changed the balance of power and won matches with a throw in the last seconds. It couldn't have been any other way.
First feat. Strangulation of the Detroit guard
Date: February 12, 1985. Regular season match

Victim: Detroit

Jordan Stats: 49 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists

Isaiah Thomas has always been accused of ignorance. After all, even then, in 1989, it was clear that a new star had lit up in the sky, although no, an entire galaxy, named Michael Jordan. The newcomer, without any discounts, received a place in the starting five of the All-Star Game, flew several centimeters higher than everyone else, but Isaiah Thomas did not agree with all this.

The stung Pistons guard took it out on the weekend. Isaiah did everything in his power to prevent the ball from falling into Jordan's hands; he pointedly ignored the newcomer. “Freeze out” is what this game was later called, where Thomas literally tried to “freeze” talent.

Of course, Michael later convinced the fans that he had not noticed anything like that, but those who saw the All-Star Game understood everything. That is why the first meeting between the Pistons and the Bulls after the break was awaited with special interest.

The rookie, without blinking an eye, shook Thomas's hand, and then sent Detroit 49 points, collected 15 rebounds and gave 4 assists, earning Chicago a victory in overtime. The game was the first in the "Michael Jordan's Revenge" series - this guy rarely indulged in lengthy explanations, preferring to prove everything on the basketball court without any reason or reason.
Second feat. Battle with the Boston Hydra

Victim: Boston

Jordan Stats: 63 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks

Many people overestimate this match, not considering the first game, in which Jordan scored 49 points, working like an automaton. But the record is easier to remember, so 63 points and Bird’s words (“God played against us in the guise of Jordan”) will be the first cutoff on the path of a great player.

Backstory included. The fact is that Michael injured his leg in the third game of the season and took part in only 18 matches. Chicago did not want to take risks, and it was decided that the defender would recover before the start of the next championship. Jordan had other plans, and he and the team began to prepare for the playoffs, during which nothing good awaited the Bulls. The Celtics were seeded first and, not without reason, were considered the main contenders for the championship; the Bulls got the eighth number and the role of bulls going to the slaughter. Perhaps this was the only series in Jordan's life where he could not influence the final result (Boston won 3-0); he just added some spice, set a record for scoring in the playoffs, scored more than 50 points for the first time in his career and frayed all the nerves of the Celtics veterans, admitting defeat only after two overtimes (135:131). Business! Even the Bulls players gave up during the game. “Michael did so many things on set and so many things right that I wanted to stop and just watch him,” recalls John Paxson.
Third feat. Destruction of Cleveland

Victim: Cleveland

Jordan's stats: 69 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals

A season earlier, Jordan scored 54 points for his conference neighbors, and the year before that he buried Cleveland’s last hopes of participating in the playoffs. It would seem that these are ideal conditions for irreconcilable rivalry. But even the newspaper headlines, which usually turn yellow before important matches, did not promise anything good. “Mission: Impossible: Craig Elo tries to land His Airness,” all the fans read the day before the game. The very next evening, no newspapers were needed to find out what Jordan had done. Bulls guard Stacey King would later say, “I’ll never forget the game where I scored 70 points with Jordan.”

The sign for the Chicago-Cleveland derby after this game became completely faded, and the rivalry was written off as scrap. This fact does not negate Jordan’s achievements - he set a personal performance record, which can be set higher than many, if we take into account one interesting fact. Michael only dunked twice the entire match, and his deflected jump shot became more than just a way to hit the rim. He turned into a weapon that could no longer be stopped.
Fourth feat. Taming the Bad Boys

Victim: Detroit

Jordan Stats: 47 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists

They found justice against Jordan. Michael trusted his partners less and less, and now the opponents knew that the main thing in the match with the Bulls was to cut off the oxygen to their leader. Poking and minor violations were used, and Detroit coach Chuck Daly wrote an entire dissertation on the topic “How to stop Jordan” under the code name “Jordan Rules.” “Play him hard, hit him, provoke him and try to get him off balance. In defense you need to stay as close to him as possible and constantly use double guarding. Sometimes you need to deprive Jordan of the opportunity to receive the ball, in other cases you need to make sure that he does not have the opportunity to go through the gap...” - these are the simple secrets of success. Detroit's defensive system, for all its shortcomings, was effective, and since the 1988 playoffs, the Pistons beat Chicago three times in head-to-head competition. Phil Jackson was getting closer to the solution every year, and if the first time his team lost without options (4-1), then in 1990 the series lasted for six matches, and in the next game all seven. Jordan and company's travails ended after Chicago adopted a triangular offensive system, but Michael wouldn't have been called unique if he hadn't previously tried to do things his own way. For the experiment, he chose Game 3 of the series in the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals. In his typical style, he said that no one could stop him, and put on a whole performance in front of the home crowd.

Michael acted illogically, sometimes completely recklessly trying to confront several opponents at once. Defenders hung on him in clusters, and he continued to score. They beat him, he got up and continued to act with even greater frenzy. Some of the laws of physics had to stop him, if the “bad guys” from Detroit couldn’t do it. But not then, not on that day.
Fifth feat. Fight with a magic lion

Victim: Lakers

Jordan's stats: 33 points (15 of 18 from the field), 13 assists and 7 rebounds

The memory of the game drowns out the voice of commentator Marv Albert. "Spectacular move!" – he shouted, jumping up from his seat. A second earlier, Jordan, seeing out of the corner of his eye that Sam Perkins wanted to block his shot, continued his flight to the baseline, transferred the ball to his left hand and elegantly scored from the backboard.

Camera flashes and an excited mind did their job - the throw became legendary and over time grew into legends.

But it was really not just a throw - Jorzhan sent a message. After losing the first game of the series (93:91), it was necessary to show that the Bulls were still in control of the situation. Jordan, as usual, did it with fire (Chicago won – 107:86). It’s interesting that before the big break, Michael had only two points on his score.

This series, where Michael had the incredible Magic Johnson as his opponent, needs to be rewatched in its entirety. On paper, everything ended after five matches; on YouTube, only the second match was cut into 11 parts. You can watch this confrontation forever, and even after watching the 1991 episode several times, it is very difficult to give preference to someone. Magic is closer to the earth, to ordinary people. Everything he does is subordinated to the team’s interests, and he is the core of the team, its think tank. Jordan is from another planet. From the one where it is considered normal to score 13 shots in a row, where different laws of attraction apply and you can hang in the air for a few seconds. He is from a planet where defeat was not tolerated.
The sixth feat. Victory over Clyde

Victim: Blazers

Jordan's stats: 39 points, 11 assists and 3 rebounds

Michael, like no one else, understood the significance of the first game in the series. He was also tired of talk about how some Clyde Drexler should have received the title of MVP of the season. After 48 minutes everyone fell silent.

Jordan himself did not understand what was happening, so the game was called “The Shrug Game” (the shrug). After Michael made 6 three-pointers in the first half and scored a record 35 points, he turned to the table where the commentators were sitting and feigned ignorance with surprise, as if saying: “I can’t explain anything myself.”

Without getting into the statistical weeds, we can say that the world has never seen a more effective game in the NBA finals. In 34 minutes, Michael completed 16 out of 27 shots, gave 11 assists, committed only one turnover and ensured the Bulls' victory long before the final siren (122:89).

Jordan's handwriting is immediately visible. He never looked for easy ways. Michael scored more than half of his shots through Clifford Robinson, who was later included in the all-defense teams twice. And think about it for a minute, six of those shots were three-pointers. Michael has always been famous for his jumping ability, flexibility, his mid-range, deflected throws. He was never considered a sniper.

Michael Jordan's early years, childhood and family

At an early age, Michael always loved sports, but for a long time his number one game remained baseball. Jordan dreamed of becoming a famous pitcher, and therefore spent a lot of time with the ball and baseball glove. It is quite remarkable that such diligence quickly bore fruit. Playing in a children's team, Michael Jordan managed to become one of the best pitchers in his age category by the age of twelve.

While playing baseball, the future NBA player managed to become a state champion, as well as the best player in the championship in the minor league. They predicted a great future for him in this sport. However, the young boy always did not take such words very seriously. Perhaps that is why, already in high school, he suddenly decided

trade baseball for basketball. One of the reasons for this decision was his older brother Larry, who as a teenager became a real star of the school basketball team. Looking at him, Michael dreamed of the same success. But all aspirations were dashed for a long time due to the indifference of school coaches.

Noting the playing qualities of the young guy, the mentors of the school team still did not dare to take him to the team because of his small stature, as well as not the most athletic physique. This attitude towards himself really hurt the young guy, and therefore, already in classes in the younger group, he always gave his best two hundred percent.

Michael Jordan. Top 40 moments

Thanks to such diligence, in the eleventh grade Michael managed not only to develop his muscles decently, but also even to gain quite a bit of height. It was during this period that the player was finally accepted into the school basketball team.

From the first games, the basketball player took the position of a power forward and, successfully fitting into the team game, began to score an average of 20.8 points per match. During this period, scouts from many prestigious American universities paid attention to him. Michael always did poorly at school, however, despite this, after finishing the eleventh grade he received offers from several leading US universities.

The most persistent in its desire to acquire a bright young player was the University of North Carolina, which very soon became the home of Michael Jordan.

Star Trek basketball player Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan - basketball legend

Subsequently, our today's hero did not slow down. He performed very brightly, and therefore was regularly among the best basketball players in the championship. In 1983 and 1984, his name was included in the league’s symbolic team. In 1984, Michael Jordan was recognized as its best player.

In addition, in 1983, the talented young basketball player was included in the US national team for the Pan American Games. In that tournament, Michael became the most productive player on his team and already in 1984 he went with the team to the Olympics. At the Olympic Games, our today's hero again showed off his skill and eventually became the best player of the entire competition.

It is worth noting that 1984 was a turning point in the career of the star basketball player. During this period, he left the University of North Carolina in order to participate in the NBA draft, but two years later he graduated from the university and received a bachelor's degree in geography. At that time, he was already one of the main stars of the NBA and the star team of the Chicago Bulls.

Throughout his career, our today's hero played for only two professional clubs - the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards. As part of these teams, he was a real star, and therefore the huge number of personal and team awards should not surprise anyone. He was a six-time NBA champion, a two-time Olympic champion, and the recipient of countless other awards.

Over the many years of playing in the NBA, Michael Jordan interrupted and resumed his career several times, but he was always in the public eye. He had many advertising contracts, millions in fees, as well as a whole army of fans. However, this great athlete always remained himself - a simple American guy who gives his best in training.

Michael Jordan's life after retirement

Personal life of Michael Jordan

For a long time, the Jordan couple was considered the standard of family relationships, but in 2002, Juanita finally filed for divorce. At that time, the differences were resolved, but four years later the public became aware of the basketball player’s long-standing affair with a woman named Karla Knafel. Michael paid his mistress a quarter of a million dollars for her silence, but none followed.

Carla sued Jordan, demanding $5 million in compensation, citing the fact that they had a child together. However, Jordan's paternity has not been confirmed. And the court sided with the basketball player. Despite this, in 2006, Michael's marriage to his wife Juanita broke up.