Happy Birthday Michael Jordan

“I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed” - Michael Jordan

(Michael Jordan)

Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born February 17th, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. His family moved to Wilmington, NC when he was a toddler. In 1981 Jordan accepted a basketball scholarship to North Carolina and majored in cultural geography.

(Michael Jordan in college)

He was named ACC Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.4 points per game (ppg) on 53.4% shooting (field goal percentage).He made the game-winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing. During his three seasons at North Carolina, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting, and added 5.0 rebounds per game. Jordan left North Carolina one year before his scheduled graduation to enter the 1984 NBA draft. The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick.

(Michael Jordan during his 1st year in the NBA)

In 1984 Nike created a signature shoe for him, called the Air Jordan. Also in 1984 he would go on to be voted Rookie of the Year. In the 1984 Summer Olympics Jordan won a gold medal in basketball. The team was coached by Bob Knight and featured players such as Patrick Ewing, Sam Perkins, Chris Mullin, Steve Alford, and Wayman Tisdale. Jordan led the team in scoring, averaging 17.1 ppg for the tournament.

(Michael Jordan in the 1984 Summer Olympics)

Jordan's second season was cut short by a broken foot in the third game of the season, which caused him to miss 64 games. Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986. In the 1986-87 season Jordan became the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to score 3,000 points in a season, averaging a league high 37.1 points on 48.2% shooting. He became the first player in NBA history to record 200 steals and 100 blocks in a season. Jordan led the league in scoring again in the 1987–88 season, averaging 35.0 ppg on 53.5% shooting and won his first league MVP Award. He was also named the Defensive Player of the Year, as he had averaged 1.6 blocks and a league high 3.16 steals per game. In the 1988–89 season, Jordan again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg on 53.8% shooting from the field, along with 8 rpg and 8 assists per game (apg). In the 1989-90 season Jordan averaged a league leading 33.6 ppg on 52.6% shooting, to go with 6.9 rpg and 6.3 apg in leading the Bulls to a 55–27 record. In the 1990–91 season, Jordan won his second MVP award after averaging 31.5 ppg on 53.9% shooting, 6.0 rpg, and 5.5 apg for the regular season. In his first Finals appearance, against the Los Angeles Lakers, Jordan posted per game averages of 31.2 points on 56% shooting from the field, 11.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks. Jordan won his first NBA Finals MVP award, and he cried while holding the NBA Finals trophy.

(Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Left) and Michael Jordan (Right))

Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance in the 1991–92 season, establishing a 67–15 record.  Jordan has had a long relationship with Gatorade, appearing in over 20 commercials for the company since 1991, including the "Be Like Mike" commercials in which a song was sung by children wishing to be like Jordan. Jordan won his second consecutive MVP award with averages of 30.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game on 52% shooting. The Bulls went on to win Game 1, and defeat the Blazers in six games. Jordan was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row and finished the series averaging 35.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 6.5 apg, while shooting 53% from the floor. In the 1992 Summer Olympics, he was a member of the star-studded squad that included Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and David Robinson and was dubbed the "Dream Team". Jordan was the only player to start all 8 games in the Olympics.

(The Dream Team, Larry Byrd( Left) Michael Jordan (Center) and Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Right))

In the 1992-93 season the Bulls won their third NBA championship defeating the Phoenix Suns. Jordan became the first player in NBA history to win three straight Finals MVP awards. During the Bulls' playoff run in 1993, controversy arose when Jordan was seen gambling in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In that same year, he admitted to having to cover $57,000 in gambling losses. On October 6, 1993 Jordan announced his retirement. On February 7th, 1994 Jordan signed a contract with the baseball team, the Chicago White Sox. In 1994, Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, batting .202 with three home runs, 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, and 11 errors.

(Michael Jordan as part of the Chicago White Sox)

He also appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 1994 Arizona Fall League, batting .252 against the top prospects in baseball. On November 1, 1994, his number 23 was retired by the Bulls in a ceremony that included the erection of a permanent sculpture known as The Spirit outside the new United Center in Chicago, IL. On March 18, 1995, Jordan announced his return to the NBA. In the 1995-96 season the Bulls dominated the league, starting the season 41–3, and eventually finishing with the best regular season record in NBA history: 72–10. The Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA Finals to win their fourth championship with Jordan. Jordan was named Finals MVP for a record fourth time, surpassing Magic Johnson's three Finals MVP awards. In 1996 Jordan starred in the movie Space Jam along with Bugs Bunny and other Looney Toons characters.

(Michael Jordan in Space Jam (1996))

In the 1996-97 season for the fifth time Jordan received the Finals MVP award. Jordan and the Bulls won their sixth NBA championship, and secured a second three-peat in the 1997-98 season. Jordan was voted the Finals MVP, having led all scorers by averaging 33.5 points per game, including 45 in the deciding Game 6. Jordan retired for the second time on January 13, 1999. On January 19, 2000, Jordan returned to the NBA as part owner and President of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards. On September 25, 2001, Jordan announced his return to the NBA to play for the Washington Wizards.

(Michael Jordan as part of the Washington Wizards)

In the 2001-02 season Jordan torn cartilage in his right knee ending his season after only 60 games.  On February 21, 2003, Jordan became the first 40-year-old to tally 43 points in an NBA game. Jordan's final NBA game was on April 16, 2003 in Philadelphia. On May 7, 2003, Wizards owner Abe Pollin fired Jordan as Washington's President of Basketball Operations. Since 2004, Jordan has owned Michael Jordan Motorsports, a professional closed-course motorcycle road racing team that competed with two Suzukis in the premier Superbike championship sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) until the end of the 2013 season. On March 17, the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved Jordan's purchase of the Charlotte Bobcats, making him the first former player ever to become the majority owner of an NBA team. It also made him the league's only African-American majority owner. On May 21, 2013, Jordan filed papers to change the Bobcats' name to the Hornets, effective with the 2014–15 season.

(Michael Jordan as owner of the Charlotte Hornets)

Today is his 53rd birthday and we would all like to say happy birthday Michael Jordan.

Movies featuring Michael Jordan

• Space Jam (1996) as himself
• Michael Jordan to the Max (2000) as himself

Books featuring Michael Jordan

• Michael Jordan: the Life (2014) By Ronald Lazenby

Videos featuring Michael Jordan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL--gQ2AvJY  “Michael Jordan Top 10 Plays of Career”