Michael Jordan Biography

There is no sense of hyperbole in saying that Michael Jordan is not only the greatest player of the NBA in all times but one of the greatest athletes in all of the professional sports.

He is more than simply a sports icon; he’s the closest thing to a real-life superhero for millions of fans around the world.

Where Was Michael Jordan Born?

While most people associate Jordan with the state of North Carolina, he was actually born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were James Jordan Sr, an equipment supervisor, and Deloris Jordan, a banker. Jordan was the fourth of five brothers born to the couple, as he has two older brothers (Larry Jordan and James R. Jordan, Jr.), an older sister (also named Deloris), and a younger sister (named Roslyn). James Jordan Jr. would go on to enroll in the U.S. Army and retired as the Command Sergeant Major.

Michael Jordan Childhood

When Jordan was still a toddler, the family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, where he grew up. It was part of his later childhood where the story of “Michael Jordan’s height” would become part of his legend. As a youngster, Jordan was played multiple sports, including (American) football and baseball (which many people believe was his “first love”), in addition to basketball. As a sophomore in high school, Jordan tried out for the varsity basketball team but was denied a spot on the team because his coaches believed he was “too short” (he was 5’11 at the time). True to form, a motivated Jordan began to wreak havoc on the junior varsity high school basketball circuit.

Michael Jordan College Stats

Jordan left Emsley A. Laney High School as a member of the McDonald’s All-American Team, and after being recruited by every school in the area, enrolled at the University of North Carolina, playing for legendary head coach Dean Smith.

At the end of his freshman season, Jordan hit the game-winning shot in the NCAA Tournament Finals, earning North Carolina a National Championship title after defeating Georgetown University. Over the next two seasons, Jordan was named a consensus All-American, and in his junior year (which would be his final in Chapel Hill), he was named the consensus national college player of the year.

Jordan’s final stats over his three-year career in college was 17.7 points, five rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.

Michael Jordan Retirement

The list of Jordan’s accomplishments by the time he retired in 1998 would be worth a book of its own. The 14 All-Star game selections 10 selections to the All-NBA First Team, and even 10 NBA scoring titles don’t even begin to paint the story; neither do Jordan’s five Most Valuable Player award wins.

Instead, Jordan is best known for winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, and being named the MVP of the NBA Finals all six times. While he’s far from the player with the most NBA championships, it’s the standard to which all other NBA players have aspired…