Michael Jeffrey Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan, born February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York is a former National Basketball Association player, and is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time. Michael was a top athlete throughout his entire life.

"MJ" ended a career of 15 full seasons with a regular-season scoring average of 30.12 points per game, the highest in NBA history ahead of Wilt Chamberlain's 30.06. He won six championships, achieved 10 scoring titles, and was league MVP five times. He was named to the All-Defensive First Team nine times, and led the league in steals three times. Since 1983, he appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated a record-49 times, and was named the magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" in 1991. In 1999, he was named "the Greatest North American athlete of the 20th century" by ESPN, and placed #2 on the Associated Press list of top athletes of the century. The young MJ was a top athlete in three sports, basketball, baseball, and football; he was a quarterback.

MJ grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he attended Emsley A. Laney High School. He earned a basketball scholarship with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was then drafted into the NBA.

Michael Jordan was on top of the world. It was July 1993, soon after he led the Chicago Bulls to their third consecutive championship. Everything was going for him. And then all of a sudden, Michael’s father was murdered. While returning from a funeral of a family friend, Michael’s father was tired and pulled off to a rest area for a quick nap. Two local criminals broke into his Lexus (a gift from Michael), and killed him. They then proceeded to steal the car. Michael was devastated with the senseless, vicious crime, and two days before the 1993-1994 NBA season, Michael announced that he was retiring from basketball. The Chicago Bulls retired his #23 jersey. For the next year he persued becoming a professional baseball player. The year did not work out for Jordan. The next year Michael announced his return to the NBA on March 18, 1995. Although Michael had a two year break from basketball, he still performed very well. He played on until he again announced his retirement in 1999, but that wasn’t the end. Michael still had a drive for basketball. He stepped down from being the president of the Washington Wizards and announced he was back again. Michael, although his talent had decreased with age, still played quite well in the NBA. He finally said his goodbye to his loyal fans at the end of the 2002-2003 season.

(www.wikipedia.org)

Michael Jordan is certainly a hero in himself and a role model to people like me. He has done some pretty amazing things. They include:

• at the beginning of the 2001-2002 basketball season, Jordan donated his $1 million salary to help the victims of the September 11 attacks.

• Jordan is one of the most marketed sports figures in history.

• His awards include:

NBA Most Valuable Player Award: 1987-88, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1995-96, 1997-98

NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award: 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award: 1987-88

NBA Rookie of the Year Award: 1984-85

Naismith College Player of the Year: 1984

John R. Wooden Award: 1984

Adolph Rupp Trophy: 1984

ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year: 1983-84

NBA All-Star Dunk Contest Champion: 1987, 1988

• Six NBA championships (1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98)

• Two Olympic gold medals (1984, 1992)

As an athlete, I believe this man is more than a hero, he is a role model as well. He has accomplished so many things in his life, won so many awards, suffered the brutal loss of his father, donated money to people who needed it, and has been a role model to so many young athletes.