It was the champion 6th game of June 14th, 1998, with 18 seconds left, and the Bulls were one point behind 86-85; all they needed was a 3 to bring the win home for the Bulls. Karl Malone received the ball in the low post. Karl is running it down the court when suddenly one of his teammates takes the ball out of his hand and shoots a three-pointer. Everyone froze in shock watching it bounce on the rim, then suddenly SWOOSH, the ball goes in, and the Bulls win the championship game by 86-88! You’re probably wondering who this teammate is. This teammate is Michael Jordan, one of the greatest basketball players of his time
EARLY LIFE
Michael Jordan was born on February 17th, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. Jordan played numerous sports like baseball, football, and basketball. He started playing basketball because he wanted to be like his older brother, Larry. Despite being cut from his high school basketball team as a sophomore because of his height at 5’11″, this setback motivated him to work 10 times harder to make varsity in his Junior year, and he succeeded, becoming a star player. By his senior year, he was one of the country’s top basketball recruits.
COLLEGE
Jordan accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During his time there, he helped lead the school’s basketball team to NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) championships. He was named College Player of the Year in 1983 and 1984.
CAREER – CHICAGO BULLS
Jordan was the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft, selected by the Chicago Bulls. He led the Bulls to three consecutive NBA championships in 1991, 1992, and 1993. Saying that he did not have “anything else to prove,” Jordan retired from professional basketball in October 1993. In 1994, he signed on to play for a minor league baseball team, but after one season, he decided to return to basketball. He rejoined the Bulls late in their 1994–95 season. After leading the team to three more victories, he then retired for the second time in January 1999.
CAREER – WASHINGTON WIZARDS
In January 2000, Jordan bought a share of the Washington Wizards. Managing rosters and salary caps was not enough for Jordan. In 2001, he renounced his ownership in order to become a player. His return to the NBA was greeted with enthusiasm by the league, which had suffered because people were only watching for Jordan. After the 2002–03 season, Jordan announced his final retirement. He ended his career with 32,292 total points and a 30.1 points per game average, which was the best in league history at that time, as well as 2,514 steals, then the second most ever.
CAREER – SPACE JAM
Jordan made a successful film, Space Jam (1996), in which he starred with animated characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. In 1996, the NBA named him one of the 50 greatest players of all time, and in 2009, he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was awarded the Presidental medal of Freedom in 2016.
SUPERSTITIONS
Jordan wore his lucky UNC Tar Heels practice shorts under his NBA uniform for every game, insisting they brought him luck. The ritual required him to wear longer, baggier Bull shorts to cover the UNC shorts. That, in turn, influenced the trend of wearing long, baggy shorts on a day-to-day basis.
IN CONCLUSION
Michael Jordan was one of the greatest basketball players of his time, renowned for his perseverance, championship games, and numerous other accomplishments. Like Jordan, you should never give up and always try to persevere. Here is a quote by Jordan himself, “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
