Michael Jordan: The Legend

841 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Michael jordan life essay

The 1970s were the most enigmatic years in the NBA’s first half century, best noted for its parity. According to many sports fans and critics, Michael Jordan is one of the most notoriously talented athletes of the twentieth and twenty-first century. His success and accomplishments on the basketball court helped to turn the spotlight towards the NBA during the eighties and nineties.
Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York (Michael Jordan). He was the fourth of five children born to James and Deloris Jordan. Both of Michael’s parents worked for a living. Michael’s father, James, was a mechanic and his mother, Deloris, worked as a bank teller (Michael Jordan). Due to the fact that James and Deloris felt the streets of Brooklyn were unsafe to raise their family, they moved to Wilmington, North Carolina. As a young child, Michael was immediately interested in sports. Baseball was the sport that Michael fell in love with first, but years later Michael started playing basketball.
Michael waited until his sophomore year to try out for the basketball team. He was cut from the varsity team and put on the junior varsity team (Christopher 12). The following summer he grew four inches and practiced tirelessly everyday. The next year he made the varsity team, and his hard work had paid off as he averaged twenty five points per game and was selected to the McDonalds All American Team following his senior season (Michael Jordan).
Michael’s outstanding junior and senior seasons caught the eye of various colleges including Duke, South Carolina, Syracuse, and Virginia. However, there was one college that stood out to him. In 1981 he accepted a scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill...

... middle of paper ...

...official owner. Jordan is still the present owner of the Bobcats. Jordan also is the owner of Jordan brand company which manufactures clothes and shoes. In April of 2009 Jordan received the most prestigious award; He was inducted into the Hall of Fame (Michael Jordan).

Works Cited

Christopher, Matt. Michael Jordan: Legends in Sports. New York: Little, Brown and Company,
1996. Print.
Keller, Thomas. “Michael Jordan Above the rim.” United Athletes 11 September 2002. Web. 7
November 2013
Michael Jordan. A&E Television Networks, LLC, 1996-2013. Web. 7 November 2013 http://www.biography.com/people/michael-jordan-9358066. Michael Jordan Biography. Encyclopedia of World Biography. JRank. Web. 7 November 2013. http://www.notablebiographies.com/Jo-Ki/Jordan-Michael.html NBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC, web. 7 November 2013.
http://www.nba.com/jordan/mj8485.html

Show More
Related

  • A Critical Analysis of Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Michael Jordan Vs. Lebron James

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • How Did Michael Jordan Changed Basketball

    1044 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Michael was a sophomore in high school he tried out for the varsity team and was cut. Michael was devastated when he got the news. Michael was determined to get on this team and he never gave up. Michael grew taller and expanded his game as his hard work paid off. Michael would perform so well in his final two years of school, he was

    Read More

  • Michael Jordan is an American Icon

    344 Words  | 1 Pages

    He created the shoes called?Air Jordan? and created a line of shoes called Jordan? which made him very famous. Nike?s profits upped 20% through 1984-1986 helping them to be the dominant shoe company in America (? The Best Frequent Flyer?). In 2007 his brand of shoes are still making money in stores everywhere around the U.S. Nike sold more Air Jordan?s than any basketball shoe ever made (?

    Read More

  • Michael Jordan's Success In The Game Of Basketball

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Artifact Speech Kyle Katz

    777 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Michael was in the tenth grade he got cut from his high school team and played junior varsity. He was very upset with the decision that the coach had made. He thought he was good enough to be a varsity player. Throughout the season on JV, Michael dominated. He averaged well over twenty points and had several forty point games. For the next two seasons, Michael Jordan had become one of the best players in the country. In his senior year he averaged 29.2 points, 10.1 assists, and 11.6 rebounds in his senior year. This led him to become on the McDonald All-American Team which is made based off the best players in the country. When he played in this game, he broke the r...

    Read More

  • Michael Jordan: King Of The Court

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    To Michael playing basketball in the NBA “seemed something of a distant dream'; (Halberstam 20), but even after he was cut from the varsity team Michael still practiced every day. Michael’s practice paid off in his junior and senior years when he was the best player on the varsity team. After high school Michael was off to the University of North Carolina where for three years he would have some amazing accomplishments in basketball.

    Read More

  • A Brief Biography of Michael Jordan

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...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.

    Read More

  • Michael Jordan is the Best Basketball Player Ever

    554 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thesis Statement: Michael Jordan set records and has set the example of what the greatest basketball player can accomplish and really set the standards of what a hall of famer basketball player looks like.

    Read More

  • Michael Jordan Stats

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Michael Jordan vs. Lebron James

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Michael Jordan Analysis

    1497 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Michael Jordan And Lebron James

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    For many years Michael Jordan has been seen as one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball. Michael Jordan was first drafted into the NBA by the Chicago Bulls as the third pick in the first round of the NBA draft of 1984, after finishing his college career at the University of North Carolina. Michael Jordan has been known for his high flying and stylish dunks ever since he first stepped into the basketball scene, but there is more to Michael Jordan than his ability to dunk.

    Read More

  • The Impact of Michael Jordan

    1010 Words  | 3 Pages

    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:

    Read More

  • Michael Jordan is a Basketball Role Model

    692 Words  | 2 Pages

    Despite a somewhat desperate childhood, Michael Jordan enjoyed his time at school. He did his first years of schooling at D.C. Virgo Junior High School and later graduated to Lanley High School where he began practicing intensively on his basketball skills. He was accepted in the University of North Carolina through a basketball scholarship. At the university, Michael took on the challenge of driving his teammates to a level of performance that they might never have achieved on their own. He scored the winning basket in the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship game in 1982. A sportswriter describes 'the relentlessness with which Michael Jordan prodded and cajoled the other players in leading them to championship season after championship season' (Lazenby 1996:37).

    Read More

More about Michael Jordan: The Legend

Open Document