House That Jordan Built

Lore & Background

Jordan played college basketball with the North Carolina Tar Heels, winning a national championship in 1982. He was selected by the Bulls with the third overall pick of the 1984 NBA draft. With the Bulls, he won his first NBA title in 1991 and followed with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a three-peat. He abruptly retired before the 1993–94 season to play Minor League Baseball, then returned in 1995 and led the Bulls to three more championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998, as well as a then-record 72 regular season wins in 1995–96. He retired again in 1999, then returned for two seasons with the Washington Wizards from 2001 to 2003.

In Their Own Story

June 14, 1998. The United Center air was thick with popcorn, sweat, and eighty thousand hearts hammering in unison. Game 6 against Utah hung by a thread. Jordan dribbled near half-court, eyes locked on the rim, before flicking a glance at Pippen—a silent transfer of history. He drove, executed a crossover that seemed to defy gravity and physics alike, leaving Bryon Russell frozen in place. As he rose into the air, time appeared to suspend; the release came just as the buzzer screamed. The net snapped with a sound like a gunshot, triggering a sonic boom from the crowd. For one final, exhaling moment, the house was not just built; it was immortalized.

Reader's Guide

Jordan's individual accolades include six NBA Finals MVP awards, 10 scoring titles, five NBA MVP awards, an NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, 10 All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, 14 All-Star selections, and three All-Star Game MVP awards. He holds NBA records for career regular season scoring average (30.1 ppg) and career playoff scoring average (33.4 ppg). He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2009 for his individual career and in 2010 as part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team.

Did You Know?

• ESPN's SportsCentury series ranked Jordan as the 20th century's greatest North American athlete in 1999.
• He is one of only eight players to achieve the basketball Triple Crown.
• The NBA MVP trophy is officially called the Maurice Podoloff Trophy.
• Jordan starred in the film Space Jam (1996) and was the focus of the documentary The Last Dance (2020).