Michael Jordan

Jordan going up for a lay up (www.eba-stats.com)

I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

Michael Jordan was born on January 17, 1963 in Brooklyn New York. His parents, James and Deloris Jordan, had five kids. They moved to Wilmington, South Carolina when he was very young. His father worked as a General Electric Company supervisor. His mom worked at a bank. Jordan failed to make the high school basketball team his first year. Later he made his sophomore team and led them to win the ACC championship. After his junior of college Jordan went to the Chicago Bulls. The summer before he played for the Olympic basketball team and won the gold medal. Michael Jordan showed that he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He wasn’t just good on the court but off of it as well. He showed that you need to have self control and kind heartedness to be a basketball hero, and that’s exactly what he did.

Jordan started out loving basketball and everybody wanted him to play. The Bulls were a losing team but with Jordan’s help he made them a winning team. In 1991 Jordan won his first NBA championship against the Los Angeles Lakers. That summer his father was murdered. He retired that year because of his father’s death and the media stating that he had gambling habits. After that he decided to play baseball, but that wasn’t working out so well so he decided to return to the NBA. Jordan led the Bulls to six championship titles. Jordan finally retired out of basketball in 2003 having the age of about thirty nine. People say it was the end of an era.

Michael Jordan has shown kindness in his life. He wasn’t one of the many selfish professional sports players that made millions of dollars and never gave any of it to charity. He sacrificed enough to be praised for it. He made many donations to kids that needed it. He donated money to help rebuild a new state of the art gymnasium for a school. He also donated $450,000 to Habit for Humanity to aid Louisiana after hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Jordan has many qualities but this is an unusual one for sports players.

Michael Jordan making the winning shot to win the (www.nba.com)

Michael Jordan also had self control. Some football players go out and do stupid things on the field like when they push other players around and getting fouled for it. Jordan didn’t play like that he played with discipline. He just wanted to go out and have a good time. He had a good job, it paid great and he loved doing it. Everybody wants that kind of job. He was a good role model. He didn’t go out and get drunk after a win and do something stupid to make people hate him. Michael Jordan showed that he had dignity and self control by showing it on the court.

Michael Jordan dunking the basketball (www.perfectpeople.net)

In conclusion, Jordan was a hero to many basketball fans of and after his time. He proved to be a great role model to younger children that looked up to him. Jordan changed the way sports were watched, and the respect that you give them. Many sports pros end up in jail or die because of drugs or alcohol, Jordan just played the game and went home. He gave and received respect on or off the court. He can control himself, and control the outcome of his doings. Jordan is an all around guy that everybody should aim to be one day. He, unknowingly, helped people look at higher goals, and set examples for others. Jordan didn’t have an easy life either. The stuff that Jordan did makes him a hero