User:Zagalejo/Sandbox
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. Widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he became the most effectively marketed athlete of his generation and was instrumental in spreading the appeal of the NBA (National Basketball Association) around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. He is currently a part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.
After a standout career at the University of North Carolina, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as one of the stars of the league, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring, tight defense, and athletic slam dunks. Jordan earned his first NBA championship with the Bulls in 1991 and followed that with titles in 1992 and 1993. In October 1993, he abruptly retired from the Bulls to pursue a career in minor-league baseball. However, he returned to basketball in 1995 and led the Bulls to three more championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998. His 1995-96 Bulls team is notable for winning 72 regular season games, an NBA record. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but he played two more NBA seasons as a member of the Washington Wizards from 2001 to 2003.
Jordan's numerous career accolades include five NBA Most Valuable Player awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star game appearances, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.[1] Since 1983, he has appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated a record 49 times,[2] and he was named the magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" in 1991.[3] In 1999, he was named "the greatest athlete of the 20th century" by ESPN,[1] and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press list of top athletes of the century.[4] Beyond basketball, Jordan has become notable for his many product endorsements for Nike, Coca-Cola, Hanes, McDonald's, and others. He has also starred in one feature film, 1996's Space Jam.
