As one of the top basketball players of all time, Michael Jordan dominated the basketball game from the mid-1980s through the latter part of the 1990s. Here are some interesting and undiscovered information and stats regarding Michael Jordan, the legend.
Michael Jordan (born February 17 13th, 1963) is an pro American basketballer, Olympic professional, athlete and actor. He is considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Michael Jordan dominated the game from the mid-1980s until the latter part of the 1990s.
“If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But 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.” Michael Jordan Michael Jordan.
These are undiscovered facts concerning this legend.
- Michael Jordan’s favorite character as a youngster was Magic Johnson and his own nickname was “Magic Jordan” as a result. He even was the owner of a license plate bearing the name on it. It was his first car , one from the year 1976. Grand Prix
- Michael Jordan’s first basketball coach was his father.
- A tragic event in his early years resulted in a lifelong fear of water. He saw a close friend fall into the ocean’s undertow , and drown. At the age of eleven the boy nearly drowned in baseball camp. Even to this day, he’s not a fan of boats or in large bodies of water.
- Jordan was a star in his final year of basketball, and his path to the NBA changed. As a senior , he averaged three-doubles (29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists) Jordan was named to make the McDonald’s All-American Team.
- Jordan received the honor of being named NCAA College Player of the Year in 1983 as well as in 1984.
- At the end of summer 1984 He was picked to be a part of the U.S. Olympic basketball team. The team also won gold in the Los Angeles games that year.
- The contract of 1984 (over 7 years) of the third-round draft pick who had amazing leaping skills was worth $6.15 million. Jordan was averaging 28.2 points per game, and helped the Bulls get to the playoffs. Jordan was awarded his NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1985. He was selected to play in his place in the NBA All-Star Game. He got on the right track to make a splash.
- His jumps were high, which he demonstrated through slam dunks performed from the free-throw lines during competitions with slam-dunks This talented athlete earned some nicknames like “His Airness” and “Air Jordan”.
- Jordan was the winner of Six NBA Championships, made fourteen NBA All-Star appearances and also won five NBA most important player awards. He was Defensive Player of the Year in 1988.
- Jordan has won every one of his games at his time in the NBA Finals in which he was a part of, with the exception of one. He is, therefore, the most accomplished athlete in the NBA either in the past or current.
- Sports Illustrated Magazine featured Michael Jordan as the greatest athlete of the last 50 years during their 1995 issue.
- ESPN classified Jordan as the 20th century’s most famous North American athlete, even over the sports legends Muhammad Ali and Babe Ruth. He’s unquestionably among the NBA’s greatest players of all time.
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- Jordan’s most favored jersey number was number 23. He was the number 23 during the high school and college years and for his playing career as a player for the Chicago Bulls. The only time he wore another number while playing for the team. On Valentine’s Day in 1990, the thief took his uniform from the locker rooms prior to the game. Jordan tried using a replica jersey of a fan however it wasn’t big enough. The equipment manager spotted an extra jersey that contained a number but no name. He was the 12th player in the game and scored 49 points.
- Jordan’s character was a major draw for him also. Jordan first appeared in the movie Space Jam in which he was himself. The film incorporated animation as well as live-action, and featured cartoon icons Daffy Duck as well as Bugs Bunny.
- Jordan is the owner of his own brand of sneakers known as Air Jordan. The first Air Jordans were released in 1985, and they are in high demand today. He earns about 60 million dollars annually through Nike as well as Jordan branding royalties. Nike’s Jordan Brand generates $1 billion in sales.
- Jordan’s contract with Nike nearly didn’t come to the point of. Michael was keen for him to put on Adidas but was additionally offered a contract to endorse a small company known as Spot-Bilt. Nike offered an offer of $500,000 per year over five years. They also pledged to customize the shoe to Jordan’s taste. Jordan did not give up on Adidas and he contacted them again. They were unable to compete with Nike’s offer however. Therefore, Jordan and Nike came to an agreement which was the beginning of history. Nike released Air Jordan and at the time of its closure in 1985, the brand had made around $100 million sales. The irony is that Jordan didn’t like his initial shoes, which were his Air Jordan I. Then he changed his mind after Jordan realized that the shoes were distracting from the rest of his teammates.
- Prior to 1997 Jordan had never made more than $4million in one season of basketball. Jordan was the league’s highest paid player for only two of his seasons. In 1997, he received $30 million. In 1998, he earned $33 million.
- From 2004 to the end of 2013 , he was the owner of Michael Jordan Motorsports. The company was an experienced closed-course motorbike racing team. They raced in the AMA sanctioned Superbike Championship with two Suzukis.
- He was the first former NBA athlete to be the major owner of an NBA team, and is the only african-American owner who owns a majority of the NBA team. He was named to the Forbes list of world billionaires in 2015. He was the only professional sportsperson who has achieved this level of success.
- Michael Jordan was married to Juanita Vanoy for a period of 17 years. They have three children: Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine. They separated in 2002, remarried, after which they divorced once more in 2006 and remarried. The divorce was an amicable, mutually-contained agreement. At the time of their divorce the final settlement for their divorce was $168million. It was among the most expensive divorce for a celebrity in the history of the world.
- Jordan’s father James Jordan, was murdered by two teenagers who stole his car as he lay in bed inside his vehicle. The body was dumped in the swamp of South Carolina, where it was found in Bennettsville. They were nabbed, found guilty and sentenced to prison for life. The murder of his father was responsible for Jordan’s decision to baseball, something his father had advised Jordan to do for a number of years prior to his passing.
