Michael Jeffrey Jordan is known by many people as the best basketball player ever to play the game. Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls, helping them obtained six championship titles in eight years. Now remembered for being the best and the most popular athlete in the sports world. He had a great influence on the people. “Jordan was just another great legend” (Stein 2). Being a role model on and off the court Jordan showed his abilities to play the game and his kindness towards other people, especially those who admired him the most. “His widespread appeal to fans has helped keep basketball one of the world’s most popular spectator sports” (Stein 1). Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the fourth of five children. His father was James Jordan and his mother was Deloris Jordan. Still a kid Jordan and his family moved away from the dangerous streets of Brooklyn, to go and live in a nice neighborhood located in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Michael was always into sports. His favorite sport was baseball. “He was discouraged by the fact that he could not play against his older brother and this would always get him mad” (Wolff 130). He was not that tall, but he didn’t lose hope of growing and achieving his long time goal of being a well-known professional athlete. By junior high Jordan was five feet and eleven inches. Even though his brother Larry was only five and seven inches, he would always beat Jordan in One on One’s games. Larry helped the young Jordan with his game, by practicing and guiding him during his vacation. By the time the summer ended Jordan was six feet and three inches tall and had mastered the game of basketball. He made the varsity the team in high school, where he impressed the media and a lot of coaches from different universities. After he graduated from high school, he decided to go and play for the University of North Carolina Where he was a big star and won a chanmpionship title with a last two-second shot. He was nominated player of the year. He then was drafted to the Chicago Bulls, where he had a long list of outstanding accomplishments. Jordan’s presence on the Chicago Bulls immediately woke up the interest of the fans. The entire franchise was very enthusiastic and felt very positive about their future. He was such a great player that on his first season he won the rookie of the year award with 28.2 points per game. The Bulls had a losing record before they had Jordan.
After the Bulls had Jordan, nothing else but good things began to happen for this franchise. He took the Bulls to the playoffs for five straight years in a row. But they would always loose to the Detroit Pistons or Boston Celtics. “One problem was that Jordan sometimes played at a level so above his teammates that the Bulls failed to function as a team” (Greene 8-9). During the 1989-90 season, The bulls signed Phil Jackson to be their new head coach. His new triangle plays helped Jordan use his offensive abilities. As his desire to win a championship developed more and more, he focused a little bit more on his defense than offense. As a result of his desire the Bulls won their first championship in history for the season of 1990-91. After the end of this wonderful and successful season, Jordan and the Chicago Bulls went on to win two more Championship titles, on which he was named the most Valuable Player of the league and finals. A tragic tragedy happened to Michael Jordan, Right after he had won his third championship.
Two teenagers had killed his father, James Jordan. Jordan got into a deep depression in which he was very wounded. This had a great impact on Michael’s live. When this incident happened, Jordan then decided to retire from the game of basketball. “He entered the sport of baseball, where he didn’t have any success” (Halberstan 6). After a long period in which he didn’t play basketball, he decided to come back because of the love and passion he had for this game. On his press conference, he only said two words “I’m back.” After his return, he led his team to their fourth title. Jordan continued dominating the basketball league for the next two seasons. Where they won two more championship titles, and also was named the most valuable player. The death of his father had made him a better person and player. Michael has influenced a lot of people. He has inspired people to watch him play and to learn how to play the game. You do not know what he is going to do. He goes right, and left, over you, around and under you. He twists, he turns. And you know he is going to get that shot off. And the best thing is that you just don’t know when. (Wolff 130) Michael Jordan was unstoppable and the best skill he had in his game was his unpredictability. You could have never been sure about what kind of spectacular play he was going to you on the basketball court. His realism and athleticism made him the best. Jordan’s popularity was greater than any real life person. “He was the athlete whom ordinary people throughout the world most wanted to see play” (Halberstam 7).
Also he was very popular because of his clothing industry and his famous “Nike Jordan sneakers.” Jordan was and still is a great role model. I used to see little kids buying his products, wearing his sneakers, and looking up to him. He used to play for no economic interest in tournaments during his free time. He would do this just to donate the money collected in these tournaments and then give it away to the needed. A lot of people would act as if he was a god. His inside was filled up with sweetness. This is all because his parents were very simple and hardworking people. In the last basketball game ever played at the old Chicago stadium, Scoie Pippen and Michael Jordan organized a charity contest in which Jordan scored 52 points. This special and noble even made Jordan feel very proud of himself. (Greene 81) The way he was raised helped obtain a long list of gals. Which gave him a good advice about life. His manner with all kinds of people was usually graceful. Especially for someone with so much pressure. He was very patient towards those people who tried to cheat him. His passion for the game made him lovable.
Everyone liked him and whoever didn’t was mistaken. Michael Jordan was the man, called not human sometimes for his spectacular and incredible plays. This man excited us during games like nobody has done it before. Jordan had it all inside and outside the court. He was both a respectable player and an honorable citizen. He made his presence on the court be felt. The name of Michael Jeffrey Jordan will forever remain in the minds and hearts of the people that watched him play. It will be a hard time for those who would try to explain who this “Legend” was to the young people that never saw him play, and that would always envy us for not having watched him.
