Michael Jordan

The greatest basketball player of all time, six-time NBA champion and global icon.

Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York, and raised Methodist with his four siblings.^[1] Michael Jordan secured six NBA titles while playing for the Chicago Bulls, a feat that contributes to his reputation as an all-time great.^[2][3][4]

Quick Facts

League: NBA
Born: 17 February 1963
Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.
High school: Emsley A. Laney (Wilmington, North Carolina)
College: North Carolina (1981–1984)
Draft year: 1984
Draft round: 1
Draft pick: 3

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Jordan accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1980, majoring in cultural geography because of an interest in meteorology.^[5] The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft.^[6] Jordan retired from basketball on October 6, 1993, later citing physical and mental exhaustion.^[7] He returned to the NBA in March 1995, scoring 19 points in his first game back against the Indiana Pacers.^[8]

Jordan was a student at Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina; during his sophomore year, he did not make the varsity basketball team.^[9][10] Over the next summer, Jordan's height increased by four inches, he earned a place on the varsity squad, and across his last two high school seasons, his scoring average exceeded 25 points per game.^[10] As a rookie, Jordan's per-game scoring average was 28.2 points, and he guided the Bulls to their first playoff appearance since the 1980–81 season.^[11]

What the cited sources add

Walks also noted that Jordan reverted to his old No. 23 jersey in Game 2, scoring 38 points in a Bulls win.^[12] The Bulls were fined $25,000 for not reporting the jersey change, and Jordan was fined $5,000 for wearing the wrong shoes.^[12]

References

Wikipedia, "Michael Jordan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Morrissey, "Chapter 1: Brooklyn", Chicago Tribune, September 10, 2009; Morrissey, "Chapter 1: Brooklyn", Chicago Tribune, September 10, 2009; Halberstam 2000, p. 17; Galloway, Paul (April 7, 1999). "Mrs. Jordan's Rules". . Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 30, 2023.; Isaacson, Melissa (September 9, 2009). "Portrait of a legend". . ESPN. Retrieved October 30, 2023.; Lazenby 2014, p. 43 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Michael Jordan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: . Database Basketball. Retrieved March 7, 2026.; Wilbon, Michael (June 7, 1991). "Great Shot! Jordan's Best Amazingly Goes One Better". . The Washington Post. p. D01. Retrieved October 30, 2023.; "1991 Finals stats". NBA.com. . Retrieved June 26, 2022.; "NBA Finals MVP Award Winners". NBA.com. . October 23, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2021.; Schwartz, Larry (2002). "Michael Jordan transcends hoops". . ESPN. Retrieved October 30, 2023. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Michael Jordan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: . Database Basketball. Retrieved May 5, 2025.; Lazenby 2014, p. 43; "NBA Finals MVP Award Winners". NBA.com. . October 23, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2021.; "Michael Jordan bio", NBA.com; "Michael Jordan Bio", NBA; Schwartz, Larry (2002). "Michael Jordan transcends hoops". . ESPN. Retrieved October 30, 2023. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Michael Jordan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Isola, "Michael Jordan scores 45 points to lead Bulls to sixth NBA title in win over Utah Jazz", New York Daily News, June 15, 1998; McGee, Nicholas (May 29, 2019). "Jordan's Bulls and Kobe's Lakers: The three-peat teams Golden State is trying to emulate". . The Sporting News. Retrieved Octob; "NBA Finals MVP Award Winners". NBA.com. . October 23, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2021.; Ryan, Jeff (June 14, 1998). "History of the NBA Finals: Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz – 1998". The Sporting News. . Retrieved May 9, 2017.; Cohen, Rachel (June 5, 2 en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Michael Jordan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Halberstam 2000, p. 17; Green Jr., "UNC: Quick Start In Recruiting War", The Chapel Hill News, November 4, 1980, p. 11; Green Jr., "UNC: Quick Start In Recruiting War", The Chapel Hill News, November 4, 1980, p. 11; LaFeber 2002, p. 32; Ricks, "'His Airness': Fun facts about Michael Jordan", ESPN, February 17, 2023; "Michael Jordan reveals he wanted to be a weatherman if he didn't make it in basketball", Fox Sports, August 10, 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Michael Jordan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: DuPree, "Trail Blazers don't regret bypassing Jordan", USA Today, November 26, 1984, p. 6C; Sakamoto, "Portland GM is happy with Bowie", Chicago Tribune, November 25, 1984, p. B2; Schoenfield, "The 100 worst draft picks ever", ESPN (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Michael Jordan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Berkow, Ira (April 11, 1994). "A Humbled Jordan Learns New Truths". . The New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2023.; Martin, Andrew (January 4, 1996). "'I Believe We Killed Jordan's Dad'". . Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 30, 2023.; Janofsky, Michael (August 16, 1993). "Two Men Are Charged With Murder Of Jordan". . The New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2023.; Janofsky, Michael (August 16, 1993). "Two Men Are Charged With Murder Of Jordan". . The New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2023.; Deb, "The Death of James Jordan: What en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Michael Jordan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Collier, "'I'm back.' Everything you need to know about Michael Jordan's 1995 return to the Chicago Bulls", chicagotribune.com, May 10, 2020; "Michael Jordan returns to Bulls in overtime loss to Indiana Pacers – Chicago Bulls", Johnson Publishing Company, April 3, 1995, p. 51–53; Hausman, "Superstars in the National Basketball Association: Economic Value and Policy", Journal of Labor Economics, 1997, p. 586–624; "Michael Jordan returns to Bulls in overtime loss to Indiana Pacers – Chicago Bulls", Johnson Publishing Company, April 3, 1995 en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Michael Jordan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lazenby 2014, p. 43 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Michael Jordan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Halberstam 2000, p. 17; Poppel, "Michael Jordan Didn't Make Varsity—At First", October 17, 2015; Halberstam 2000, p. 17; Poppel, "Michael Jordan Didn't Make Varsity—At First", October 17, 2015; "Michael Jordan – High School, Amateur, and Exhibition Stats", Basketball Reference; Lazenby 2014, p. 43; Williams, Lena (December 7, 2001). "Plus: Basketball; 'A McDonald's Game For Girls, Too'". . The New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2023.; Lazenby 2014, p. 43; "Michael Jordan – High School, Amateur, and Exhibition Stats", Basketball Refere en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Michael Jordan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hajducky, "Ticket stub from Michael Jordan's NBA debut sells for $264K, a record for a sports ticket", ESPN, December 17, 2021; "Michael Jordan", Database Basketball; "Chicago Bulls", Basketball-Reference; Gross, "Jordan Makes People Wonder: Is He the New Dr. J?", The New York Times, October 21, 1984; Goldaper, "Jordan dazzles crowd at Garden", The New York Times, October 19, 1984; Johnson, "Jordan-Led Bulls Romp Before 19,252", The New York Times, November 9, 1984; Johnson, "Jordan-Led Bulls Romp Before 19,252", The New York Times, Nove en.wikipedia.org
Walks, "Flashback: 20 years ago today, Anderson forces MJ back to No. 23", ESPN, May 7, 2015. facts only, no text reused. espn.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Michael Jordan (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.