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Michael Jordan Biography Essay
Michael Jordan Biography Essay
Michael jordan biography
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Individual Description - Section 1
Michael Jordan is unquestionably the greatest National Basketball Association (NBA) player of all time and the most effectively marketed athlete of his generation. His career is glittered with accolades including: Six championship rings, five most valuable player (MVP) awards, ten All-NBA first team awards, fourteen All-Star awards, three All-star MVP’s, one of fifty greatest players in NBA history as well as two Olympic gold medals to list a few (NBA, 2014). However, in spite of all the biographies and news articles relating to Michael Jordan, one is left wondering; do we know Michael Jordan at all? In The Jordan Rules, Smith stated that Michael Jordan is a creation of the media and the Bulls’ marketing machine (Smith, 1993). This is the aura surrounding Michael Jordan; one where a holographic media representation is delivered by a clever marketing team and a cunning Jordan himself.
Who is Michael Jordan?
Michael Jeffrey Jordan grew up in suburban Wilmington, North Carolina. (To paint a picture of Wilmington, the TV series Dawson’s Creek was filmed on location in Wilmington, along the idyllic Cape Fear River.) Michael is the fourth of five children raised by James and Deloris Jordan. Siblings James, Larry and Delois are older than Michael who is closely followed by sister Roslyn (Joseph, 1997; Jordan & Lewis, 1996). The Jordan’s worked hard to give the children the life they had and taught the children the value of hard work and dedication.
Reports by Porter (2007) highlighted two suspensions from school, once for reacting to a racial slur on a school bus, and a second for slipping out of school to buy candy. Both suspensions were efficiently dealt with by Mr. and Mrs. Jordan (Jordan & L...
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... justified. Jordan has however had to face a number of losses since his retirement. Speculation suggests that gambling; womanising and arrogance cost him his first marriage and led to a hefty divorce settlement.
At age 50, Michael Jordan hasn't lost the legendary competitiveness that defined him as a player. He's still talking trash, challenging guys half his age to one-on-one games, and throwing down cash on the golf course. At this point, it's clear that his primal desire to beat people wasn't limited to the basketball court (Manfred, 2013).
So, here we are, Michael Jordan, with his 2009 Basketball hall of fame induction speech left us with no doubt that he is angry about being old, angry that he can no longer play like he used to, angry that he is no longer the winning competitor. What drives him now are his bitter recollections of past hurts and injustice.
It was not until the year 2002 that the NBA was able to find someone to match Jordan’s dazzling acrobatic style of play. His name is Lebron James. Lebron, who plays shooting guard and small forward, stands at an athletic six-eight. James, however, never played in the NCAA. He was drafted straight out of high school in the 2003-04 season, by the Cleveland Cavaliers. James is already on the road to success by achieving co-rookie of the year, and he appeared in the Olympics. James is expected to be a champion, but he may not have what it takes to become a real champion such as Michael Jordan was. Before Jordan or James can be categorized as a champion, they have to be able to handle pressure, fame, and maintain a positive relationship with their team. When comparing Jordan and James’ clutch capabilities, or their ab...
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.
Michael Jordans talent is so amazing. “Maybe this guy is God disguised”, former Boston Celtic Larry Bird said about Jordans talent. This really shows how people viewed his talent and liked the way he played the game of basketball. Michael Jordans talent is so amazing , he’s so incredible and beyond unreal. The things he did and accomplished in the basketball league shows his true talent. In 1984, at 21 years of age, Jordan made the United States Olympic Games basketball team under coach Bobby Knight. Averaging a remarkable seventeen points a game, Jordan led the team to a gold medal in eight straight wins! The Olympic win brought Jordan to high visibility in basketball circles and made him a household name in America. Jordan continued soaring new heights , even when he fractured his ankle early in the 1...
Unfortunately, the comparison is being made seemingly every day, and the article by Mr. Mathis is full of fallacious material. His extreme uses of exaggeration and card stacking, along with many harsh examples of hasty generalizations, makes a claim that Michael Jordan is and always will be the greatest player to play basketball. An opinion is simply an opinion and anyone is entitled to their opinion, but using fallacies to formulate his response to the issue makes it too finite and too biased in favor of Michael Jordan. There are so many clear and dramatic exaggerations throughout the article. Michael Jordan is described as being “the most unstoppable assassin of all-time, the smartest marketer of all-time” and then sarcastically mentioned as “the savviest shoe salesman of all-time” (Mathis, par. 2).
Is Michael Jordan the man that changed the game of basketball forever? Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, NY. When Michael was 7 years old his family moved to Wilmington, NC. As a kid, Michael played all sports, and he was a very talented baseball player. Michael would often cut from his classes to practice basketball or would get into altercations with other students.
Michael Jordan can say he has had an amazing career and accomplished many things in his life. From his childhood to adulthood, he has done remarkable things. Most people hope to have a life and career like
Jordan’s friends admired him and value his friendship because he is a considerate and noble man. The Jordan’s are "pretty laid-back people". (Naughton, 1997, Pg. 19) Fred Whitfield, a friend of Jordan states, "he was just a real clean-cut guy with his head on straight." (Naughton, 1992, Pg. 18) "He hates to be embarrassed, he can’t take that. He can dish it out all the time, though. "If you make a mistake, he’ll let you know about it," states Buzz Peterson, a college roommate. Kevin Jones, another college friend, to whom Michael gave one of his tailored tuxedos, states "these gifts are Jordan’s way of making sure his buddies don’t get left behind." (Naughton, 1992, Pg. 23) Rod Higgins of the Golden State Warriors, who is Jordan’s best friend in the league states "to deal with him, you have to go right back to him just to make the night not so long." (Naughton, 1992, Pg. 22-23) Adolph Shiver was Michael’s summer time playmate at Empire Park in Wilmington, his classmate at Laney High School and began again Chapel Hill. Jordan has a big circle of friends but these were a few of the closet.
When people think of basketball and the great players that play today we all think of Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and I mean lets face it we can name players whom play the game very well till we are blue in the face. All these players that were thinking of and naming have something in common which is none of them can compare to what Michael Jordan has done to the game. Some people say he destroyed the game making it that everything people accomplish is compared to what he has done in his career. Which happens when everyone i...
When I began my report I didn’t know much about Michael Jordan, but I did know that he was “undoubtedly the greatest player in the history of the NBA'; (“Michael Air Jordan'; 1). It seemed like every time I heard the word basketball I also heard the name Michael Jordan. There’s just no avoiding him. If you are watching television you might see him playing basketball or golf. If you were reading a magazine there will probably be an advertisement with his picture. If you were walking down the street you might see a kid wearing Air Jordan shoes or a Bulls jersey with “JORDAN'; on the back of it. This man is probably as recognizable as the Pope.
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 Jeffery Jordan was born on February 17th, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York but, would go to college at the University of North Carolina(UNC) where he would become an All- American his sophomore and junior year, become the College Player of the Year and win an National Championship. After leaving UNC at the end of his junior year season, Jordan would spend a majority of his career in Chicago, Illinois when he was drafted by the NBA team the Chicago Bulls 21 years later. Throughout his career many people knew Michael Jordan would become what was known as The “G.O.A.T”. While in the NBA, Jordan was recognized for his countless achievements, athleticism and the way he impacted the sport of basketball. In 1985 when he was drafted, Jordan was easily nominated for Rookie of the Year over future NBA hall of famers such as Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon and John Stockton. During his reign, Jordan was a six-time NBA champion in the years 1991 through 1993 and 1996 through 1998 and was one of few athlet...
Michael Jordan was around 14 years old when he went to The Bronx, he used to be from Queens. He was nervous about starting a new school and meeting new people but the first thing he wanted to see was the basketball team and see if he can earn a place there. He knew what he was good at but he wasn’t sure how good these kids from the Bronx where, he heard they were tough and very good but he always stayed optimistic and confident. He knew that high school was was suppose to be harder for his education, but in all honestly, he was more interested in the basketball team. Jordan was more interested in making the team for many reasons, he always thought that if he made the basketball team he would be able to make it farther in life.
Few professional basketball athletes’ names are recognizable to the avid, diehard basketball fans and the uninterested layman alike. One of the first, if not the first, athlete to pop up in anyone’s head is the legendary Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan, also known as His Airness, MJ, and Air Jordan, is widely considered the greatest basketball players of all time. Throughout his professional career, Jordan kept changing the game and redefined the entire sport of basketball. However, in 2002, an aspiring athlete by the name of LeBron Raymone James, also known as King James or simply LeBron, immediately rose to prominence and caught the attention of the entire NBA community. The young star quickly proved his tremendous skill, receiving the hype of being the next Michael Jordan. Looking closer, I found that the similarities between the two players are striking.
Jordan was not a star in the film, but the whole movie was about his talent and skills as a basketball player. Like Mike, Jordan was an icon in the eyes of many, but most importantly children. Jordan’s upbringing is relatable to many Americans, which is why he is one athlete that people admire and inspire, therefore, creating the icon that Jordan is today.
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...