Profile of a Legend: Michael Jordan
Many people consider Michael Jordan the best basketball player. Known for his high flying acrobatic dunks and a very high scoring average throughout his career, he is one of the best known basketball players in the world. He was a phenomenal player, helping his team the Chicago Bulls to many victories and NBA Championships to high level and he was also extremely marketable. These qualities just about make him one of the most recognisable athletes in the world today.
Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn but moved to North Carolina soon after. He attended high school in North Carolina but did not really make an impression. It was only when he went to play at the University of North Carolina that he really stood out. He led his university to an NCAA Championship and was named the College Player of the Year two years running until he was singed by the Chicago Bulls in his third year at university. He was named rookie of the year his first season and started to make a name for himself.
He was a very likeable person and soon became a fan favourite. His unbelievable playing skills on the court and his humility off the court made fans out of thousands. The fan attendance at Bulls games started to go up and people from all over the state came to watch him play. His real phenomenon and celebrity status were cemented by his shoe deal with Nike. In 1984 Nike was a fledgling shoe company and wanted to sign Jordan and create a brand of shoes for him. Although Michael wanted to sign with a bigger company he was persuaded to ink the deal by his family and agent. He created a small controversy when he wore the first red and black shoes on court and was repeatedly fined for wearing them by the NBA. Nike paid the fines and because of the added publicity a legendary shoe line was born. The Air Jordan line of shoes and apparel sell so well that it is now a separate brand owned by Nike but without any Nike logo anywhere.
Michael Jordan continued to shine with the Bulls leading them to six NBA Championships and leading the league in scoring record. Then came a strange time in Jordan's life; in 1993, his father was murdered in a random robbery shooting and soon after Jordan retired from the game of basketball to try something else. That something else was baseball. Baseball was a love of his father's and so he joined the Chicago White Sox in their minor league. His baseball career did not do too well for him and after one season playing with them he returned to basketball to lead the Bulls to three more championships. He played with the Bulls until 1998 when he retired for a second time to take up a presidential position at the Washington Wizards. However you cannot keep a good man down and he played for the Wizards for two seasons in 2000. He finally retired for the last time from the game he loves so much in 2003.
Jordan is a great humanitarian along with being the best basketball player ever. He has supported many charitable organisations in his time from the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the UNCF/College Fund and the Special Olympics. He also set up the James R. Jordan Boys and Girls Club and Family Life Centre which is named after his late father and this centre functions as a community centre for children, young adults and the elderly to give them a safe and constructive area to play and work in. Besides his abilities on the court, Michael is a true hero to people who would otherwise find themselves living a life of crime and poverty.
Jordan's appeal stretches across the globe with fans from all over the world almost worshipping him. He is today one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century having beaten out the likes of Muhammad Ali and Babe Ruth in a huge survey conducted by the sports network ESPN. His good looks, charm, strong personality, humility and fantastic basketball skills make this man not only one of the greatest basketball players of all time but also the greatest athlete. Now that his sons have started to play college level basketball, let's see if they can keep the Jordan name shining bright in the years to come.
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