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Michael jordan biography essay
Michael jordan biography essay
Introduction of michael jordan
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Michael Jordan, considered one of the greatest to every play the game of basketball, was born in Brooklyn in 1963 and raised in North Carolina. As a senior in high school he was selected to the McDonald’s All-American Team, and then later accepted a scholarship to play for the University of North Carolina. After three seasons of college ball in which he averaged almost 18 points and 5 rebounds a game. He was selected 3rd overall in the 1984 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls after Hakeem Olajuwon (a hall of fame center with the Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (considered a major bust by the Portland Trail Blazers).
In his first season with the Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan averaged 28 points a game and voted to the All-Star game, because of all the attention Jordan received his teammates refused to pass him the ball. Instead of letting the freeze-out during the All-Star game deter him he went on to win Rookie of the Year. The following season he would break his foot causing him to miss the rest of the regular season. He would return for the playoffs where in the second game of the series against the Boston Celtics he set the record for most points in a playoff game with 63; however the Celtics would win the series and would later on lose to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 1991 season was the start of the first three-peat, the Chicago Bulls led by the face of the franchise, Michael Jordan, had another All-Star caliber player Scottie Pippen. Michael Jordan and the bulls would go on to win their first championship beating the Lakers; he also won his second MVP since 1987 as well as his first NBA Finals MVP. He would go on to win his second MVP award in both the regular season and in the finals, also winning his second NBA Championship. His s...
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...d now has annual revenues of more than $1 billion with MJ getting a piece of the action…. The Jordan Brand's market share of the U.S. basketball shoe market is 71% according to SportsOneSource.
A decade worth of athletes has had the chance to eclipse Michael Jordan in the minds of the consumer. Yet even out of the spotlight Jordan remains the sports personality with the greatest endorsement chops in the U.S.”( Badenhausen).
With all of the money he made from various sponsorships and his Jordan brand, he became the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats after purchasing the team from Robert L. Johnson.
His Airness was inducted into the hall of fame in 2009. Jordan was also able to add to his legacy a movie with a Looney Tunes movie called “Space Jam”. He still hopes to add to his collection with the thought that the Bobcats will become a playoff contender one day.
Michael Jordan, in his prime, was thought of as one of the greatest basketball champions of all time. A shooting guard, standing at six-six, Jordan was able to out play anyone in his position. He started his career at the University of North Carolina, where he helped his team win a national championship. He then was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984-85 season. While playing for the Bulls, Jordan received many awards such as, MVP, five championships, Olympic gold medals, slam dunk contests, and many more defensive and offensive awards. Jordan simply dominated the nineties and left the game as a NBA Finals winner in 1998.
In the history of business, there has been a clear record of industry heads finding something or someone as a mainstay and bedrock for their respective companies or corporations; there is often a chief product that keeps many businesses afloat, even in the rough times. Apple found it's own in 2001 with the iPod. McDonald's has had the Big Mac since the late 1960s. Nike, however, found their goldmine in a person with Michael Jordan. Walter LaFeber's Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism tells the paints the picture of the rise of young Michael Jordan from his middle-class family in racist North Carolina up through college and into the NBA where he becomes an international sports icon. It tells the story of how Jordan catches the eye of Nike's ambitious co-founder and CEO, Phil Knight, and how he was transformed from a young, rebellious black hoopster into the face of a multi-billion dollar transnational corporation while stretching its touch all of the way to the far reaches of Asia. LeFeber's book also delves into the darker issues and topics addressing Jordan and Nike, such as race and sports and how they played a part during scandals that surrounded MJ off of the court along with the growth of Nike abroad and their dealing with technological changes in manufacturing while facing criticism for their labor practices.
He was also selected to be an NBA all-star as he averaged 30 to 40 points per game. While when it came to Michael’s second year in the NBA he broke his foot early in the season and was forced to sit out. While having his year off from the game, he decided to go back to school to finish his final year of college. His 3rd year wasn’t all so great either as the Bulls had another losing season, but they still made it to the playoffs. Michael would also score 63 points to set an NBA playoffs record. As the 1989 season approached the Bulls had plenty of players to help Michael on the court. The Bulls would lose in the second round of the playoffs, though to an eastern powerhouse in the Detroit Pistons. As for the next three seasons, the Bulls would lose to the Pistons in the playoffs. The pistons had a great plan to keep Michael from being a terror on the court by something called the “Jordan Rules.” The Jordan Rules invented by the Pistons meant to rough him up or play him tough. Michael was pushed around by the Pistons because he wasn’t very hefty. While in the 1991 and 92 season the Bulls blew by the league not even the Pistons could stop them as the Bulls would go back to back beating the Suns and the Trail Blazers. While in between the two seasons Michael and many other star NBA players took place in the 1992 Olympics the team later became known as the NBA Dream Team. There was no chance of anyone
Michael Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls from 1984 to 1998 winning six NBA championships from 1991-1993 and 1996-1998. He was also awarded the Most Valuable
He was drafted 3rd overall in 1984. (“Michael Jordan Fast Facts”). Jordan averaged .515% field goal .845% free throw 2 offensive rebound 4.5 defensive rebounds 5.9 assists .8 blocks 2.4steals 28.2 points.(“Michael Jordan Stats”). Jordan and the Bulls made the playoffs Jordan’s first year as a pro. He also got rookie of the year and went to the all-star game. Then his second season was cut short by an injury (Biography.com Editors). After his second year in 1986-87 Jordan was the second player to ever score more the 3000 points in a season. The year after that he was named the Most Valuable Player of the year. He got it 4 years in 1991, 1992, 1996 and, 1998. By the late 1980s the Chicago bulls were becoming more popular team because of Michael Jordan. In 1990 the Chicago bulls and Jordan won their first National basketball association championship by defeating the Lakers. While Jordan was dominating the NBA during 1980s and 1990s he started getting endorsements by Nike (Biography.com
In the fall of his sophomore year at Laney High school 5 foot 9 Michael was cut from the varsity basketball team. Instead of MJ the coach elected to go with height instead of quickness. From the beginning of the season where he was cut, Michael grew 5 inches before the beginning of the next year. The next two varsity years Jordan averaged 25 points per game, and was the first kid from his high school to average a triple-double. He eventually would make the team and lead them to a state championship. At the end of his high school career, Jordan attended the Mcdonalds All-American game where he hit 2 free throws to win the game. Jordan finished with 30 points. This record still exists today.
The other reason why everyone should know mike is that he was the highest paid player in the world basketball in the 80?s and 90?s (?Breaking Sports News?). His contract is worth 30mil sign with the Chicago Bulls in 1984. This breaking news during the 1984-1985 season was all over the sports world excited to see what he can accomplish in this great sport of basketball. According to Time magazine, ?Jordan was the best to ever player to the game?. He changed the way basketball was played.
Michael Jordan was born on February 17th, 1963 to father James and mother Delores Jordan (King, Jason). Although the Jordans put real emphasis on academics over athletics, they encouraged Michael to practice hard, set high but realistic goals, and keep his grades up after learning that he had athletic skills. Michael preferred baseball and football to basketball, but one he hit high school he decided to play professional basketball (Michael Jordan).
Michael Jordan, what comes to your mind when you hear that name? Michael had played for the bulls and had gotten 6 championship rings with the team. Well, is it just me or does that sound like a lot of time in the game of basketball? In 1982 he took a big step up from highschool to college, where he wanted to pursue the basketball dream. He went to college at North Carolina where he played NCAA basketball for just one year before he was drafted in 1984. All eyes were on him when he went on the court, because that just how good he was at the game of basketball. Michael Jordan is one of the greatest players in NBA history, maybe even the greatest of all time.
Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. Jordan's family moved to moved to Wilmington, North Carolina while he was young along with his three siblings. He attended Ogden Elementary School, and later Trask Junior High School. Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School, where he anchored his athletic career by playing baseball, football, and basketball ("Michael Jordan" Wikipedia). When jordan was twelve, he played with his local baseball team called the Babe Ruth All-stars. Jordan helped his team win there championship (Mattern 79). As A freshman at Laney, Jordan was cut from the varsity team and was reduced to playin junior varsity. His sophmore year he was cut from the varsity team once again, but this time, his best friend Leroy Smith, made the team. When Michael found out he did not make the team, he said:
Michael Jordan, portrayed by Jim Naughton in the biography Taking To The Air: The Rise of Michael Jordan, is well regarded as not only the greatest basketball player of all time but also the face of a generation. During the mid to late 1980s NBA basketball was simply treading water. As a result of the lack of a marketable superstar, the NBA was losing popularity to the National Football League and Major League Baseball. Following Jordan’s emergence, the NBA’s attendance rose dramatically and it’s worldwide popularity skyrocketed. Michael Jordan returned basketball to its past popularity in the United States and revolutionized the way the world viewed the game of basketball. (Harriman) Michael Jordan’s life is succinctly depicted in Taking to The Air: The Rise of Michael Jordan. Jim Naughton focuses on Jordan’s influence on worldwide sports and culture as one of the most publicized and marketed athletes of all time. Naughton explains the circumstances in Jordan’s upbringing that gave him the ability to be a humungous star. This biography is examined by Kirkus Reviews. They describe Naughton’s biography: “Besides offering a solid chronological biography and record of Michael Jordan’s basketball career, here Naughton also gives an astute assessment of this superstar’s impact on society.” (“Taking to the Air”) The article in the Kirkus Review explains that this biography investigates Jordan’s impact on marketing while telling the story of his life. Like Kirkus Reviews, I too believe that Naughton’s work goes into great description about Jordan’s upbringing and later career while also examining his cultural impact. Throughout his life, Michael Jordan has topped the sports and entertainment worlds by becoming the greatest basketball pl...
...rs proved true and Mike come out of retirement. In his 5th game back he scored 55 points. Jordan definately still had it. He also led his team to a second 3-peat. (three championships in a row) Jordan retired for good with 6 NBA finals MVP’s. (BioLife.com) Conclusion Michael, the "perfect" player still needs his family. Mike’s story goes to show that family is important. Whether you family is your biological parents or parent, step parents or parent, grandparents, sisters or brothers, aunts or uncles, or you adopted or foster parents or parent, they are still your family. Family is a vital part of life, and love even more vital. One thing if you don’t see anything else, see not to take advantage or take your family for granted because one day they may not be here. Don’t forget about the people who made you who you are. Never get so full of yourself that you only care about what you do. Basketball is what Mike does, Michael Jordan is who he is.
Nike was not his first choice, as he was turned down by Adidas before he signed with Nike, among many other endorsements. “According to Forbes magazine, Brand Jordan remains a $1 billion sales business for the sports manufacturer. He’s also negotiated big sponsorship deals with the likes of Gatorade, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s.” (therichest.com). Jordan used these endorsements to become one of the richest atheletes in the world. After his playing career was in the books, Jordan wanted to stay in the league. “ It hasn’t been all ups for the dunkmaster. Jordan invested $275 million to be shareholder of the Bobcats in 2010. The team, which has been relentlessly terribly over the last few seasons, is currently valued at $315 million, which makes Jordan's two-thirds stake worth around $210 million.” (therichest.com). Jordan still owns a stake of the team, which has since changed it’s name to the Hornets. He is the second richest African-American in the
Michael Jordan is considered, by many, to be the greatest basketball player of all-time. However many do not know who he is as a person, or what he has contributed to basketball. Michael Jordan may be the greatest basketball player of all-time, but he is much more than a basketball player. He has contributed to many different charities, he was a baseball player, and he is a golfer. He is a champion off the court just as much as he was on the court to many people who receive donations from him. Jordan was a champion on the basketball court, but he is still a champion in the hearts of many off the court.
So, along came the Jordan Era in the 1980s, 1990s, and the 2000s when Michael Jordan dominated the court offensively and defensively. With being widely known as the great player he was, he received many endorsement deals form widely known brands and companies. LaFeber discussed how Michael Jordan “earned about $25 million… and only $3.8 million came from his Bulls salary” in 1992 (79). The rest of the money he received was from endorsements including, Illinois State Lottery Commissions, Nike, Guy Laroche, McDonald’s, Gatorade, and Bugs Bunny. His success in the global market set him apart from the other earlier commercial triumphs. Products associated with Michael Jordan’s name “conquered the United States and spread across the mass cultures of Europe, Asia, and Latin America, made newly accessible by cable and satellites” (LaFeber 81). American sports reached its all-time high of potential buyers from around the world.