Michael Jordan is an American basketball player, entrepreneur, and part owner of the Charlotte Hornets basketball team. He holds NBA records for highest career average score in both regular season and playoff games. Jordan is a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, honoring him for both his individual career and for his participation in the 1992 US men’s Olympic basketball team.
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he grew up as one of five children in a working class family. His mother was a banker and his father was an equipment supervisor. He possessed both passion and noticeable talent for athletics at an early age, and played several sports during his school years.
Jordan attended the University of North Carolina, where he became a star player for the Tar Heels, a national championship team, for three seasons. Undeniably talented and committed the game, he was drafted to National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1984 and began to play for the Chicago Bulls.
Jordan continued to amaze and entertain basketball fans with his record scoring, consistent accuracy from the free throw line, leaping ability, and slam dunks. In total, Jordan played basketball for the NBA for 15 years, which included his tenure with the Chicago Bulls, as well as the period of time he played with the Washington Wizards. During his extremely successful career, he earned a reputation for being one of the best defensive basketball players in the history of the game.
Jordan’s success in basketball led to several lucrative product endorsements, including Gatorade, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Wheaties, Nike, and Hanes. Nike introduced the “Air Jordan†sneaker line in 1985, which earned him the affectionate nickname “His Airness.†In 2015, Forbes magazine estimated Jordan’s net worth at $1.1 billion.
Michael Jordan believes that skill is acquired through hard work and dedication to one’s goals. His rise to fame and ongoing success prove that even the biggest dreams in life are achievable if one perseveres.