On February 17, 1963, mom Deloris and dad James welcomed the newest addition to the Jordan family, little Michael. Shortly after his arrival, they returned to their home state of North Carolina, specifically Wilmington, where the boy took his first steps and touched a basketball for the first time.
The King of Laney
Right from the start? No. Michael’s journey to dominating his high school came after being cut from the team. Can you believe it? Michael Jordan was excluded from a basketball team. Yet, for coach “Pop” Herring, MJ was too small to play on the varsity team, despite showing undeniable talent.
Jordan was devastated, crying and humiliated, but he rolled up his sleeves and worked three times harder to join the senior Buccaneers. Fate also played its part as Michael grew nearly eight inches before starting his junior year: this was his ticket to a starting position on the Bucs.
He finished the season averaging 24.6 points and 11.8 rebounds.
He would never win a title with Laney, perhaps the only trophy missing from an otherwise immaculate collection, but even before entering college, MJ could count on being named MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Tournament and breaking record after record in high school.
At this point, he just had to decide which university to take his talent to, and after much reflection, Michael Jordan announced from his living room that he would wear the blue jersey of the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Learning from the Best
In Chapel Hill, Michael found a college basketball legend in Dean Smith, a coach known for being tough and having little regard for freshmen. Smith’s rigorous system intimidated many players who came to UNC, but not Jordan; his work ethic put him on the coach’s radar despite initial reservations.
Alongside James Worthy (yes, the same Worthy who became a multiple champion and Finals MVP with the Showtime Lakers), Jordan created a dangerous duo on both ends of the court. Talented and effective, these two players and Coach Smith led North Carolina to the NCAA finals where Jordan would face one of his long-time rivals, Patrick Ewing.
The game was tight; Georgetown responded shot for shot against the Tar Heels and found themselves ahead 62-61 with just seconds left on the clock as Pat envisioned victory. This would be just one of many disappointments he would suffer at Jordan’s hands.
Michael received the ball on the left side of the Hoyas’ paint and released a soft jumper that swished through with 15 seconds left. The final nail in Georgetown’s coffin came when Fred Brown made a reckless pass into Worthy’s hands.
Dean Smith and Mike—still called that at the time—secured their first title of their careers. It wouldn’t be their last, but it marked the beginning of a series of triumphs.
NBA? No, Olympics
There was still one stop waiting for Michael before turning professional: the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles with Team USA.
The American national team, led by Bobby Knight, consisted only of college players without any NBA stars. In this context, Jordan shone brighter than ever, leading the team to gold with an average of 17.1 points and eight victories in eight games.
We hadn’t even entered the most beautiful league in the world yet, and Jordan already had two coveted trophies. The Chicago Bulls were hopeful about drafting him in the upcoming draft.
“With the Third Pick…”
On September 12, 1984, after being selected third overall in the NBA Draft, Michael signed one of the most lucrative contracts in league history even before stepping onto an NBA court. Not only that, but the impact Jordan had already made in his still short career convinced Sonny Vaccaro, an executive at Nike, to bet on him as their next brand ambassador.
Mike signed a contract that tied him to Nike and brought him not only a pile of money but also his own signature shoe, the first of its kind: Air Jordan. Until then, athletes were required to wear generic shoes; only Converse had sponsored players like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
With this market move, Nike secured an incredible return on investment while expanding its brand to unprecedented levels. But back to basketball…
With his new flashy red and black Air Jordan 1s, Michael began dazzling Bulls fans with sensational performances, winning Rookie of The Year in 1985 and attracting significant media attention—a spotlight that didn’t win him favor with notable peers like Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons, with whom Jordan began a rivalry both on and off the court.
The Jordan effect brought the Bulls back to the playoffs significantly improving their record from the previous year but it wasn’t enough to surpass the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks. MJ’s first playoff experience ended prematurely but with all promises of a bright future ahead.
The Two Jerrys
To revive the Bulls’ fortunes at a front office level during the 85-86 season was Jerry Reinsdorf. The owner of the White Sox also ventured into basketball and brought along baseball scout Jerry Krause as General Manager.
Under Reinsdorf and Krause’s guidance, Chicago began building its future piece by piece with excellent draft picks and smart trades. The first piece was Tex Winter, inventor of the triangle offense, alongside then-coach Doug Collins.
On court, obviously, Jordan was once again pivotal as he led Chicago back to playoffs in his second year with 16 wins in their last 18 regular-season games. However, their path was interrupted by one of basketball’s superpowers from the ’80s: Larry Bird’s Celtics. Yet MJ was anything but timid; he scored 63 points in Game 2 despite losing it. To this day it remains one of the highest-scoring performances in postseason history.
But Chicago wasn’t taking off; it was too reliant on Jordan without alternative solutions during his off nights. In subsequent years he won MVP awards and was named Defensive Player of The Year while frequently leading league scoring yet dreams always shattered in playoffs. A change was necessary.
And that change showed up at their door wearing short pants and a hat with a peacock feather.
Coach Zen
The arrival of Phil Jackson, eccentric coach of Albany Patroons in CBA, wasn’t well received by Collins who swallowed hard for team’s sake after being convinced by Jerry Krause. Jackson was paired with Collins and Winter to learn how best to do his job before taking over as head coach in 1989.
Coach Zen infused all his quirks into Bulls’ dynamics while adopting triangle offense philosophy which he believed was key to Chicago’s success.
Meanwhile arriving were also Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, and Bill Cartwright, all players essential for what Jackson was building. Thanks to them Illinois franchise secured third place in Conference reaching Eastern Finals against Detroit Pistons—the Bad Boys led by Isiah Thomas. The series went down to Game 7 but ultimately Detroit’s rough-and-tumble play prevailed once again leaving Bulls hopes dashed just short of glory.
One, Two, Three…
The disappointment against Bad Boys was last straw for Jordan: next step must be title.
Desire fulfilled. Jackson coached them up convincing Michael to embrace triangle offense while allowing some offensive freedom; from then onward Bulls soared—61 wins in ’90-91 season followed by 67 wins ’91-92 then 57 wins ’92-93.
Needless to say these were three seasons where Chicago reached long-desired Finals against Lakers then Portland followed by Phoenix—all attempts fell short against them; Bulls were simply too strong too organized especially counting on a kid who had no intention whatsoever losing against anyone.
His plays were spectacular; numbers impressive (fifth all-time leading scorer):… during those three seasons he earned two MVP awards along with three Finals MVPs out three Finals played—these represent first three titles franchise history all signed by Michael Jeffrey Jordan.
Retirement
However pressure mounted heavily upon him—Michael grew tired demotivated no longer playing with joy once did; added onto everything came senseless tragedy: father James murdered by two robbers who found him asleep inside car.
For Jordan it became wound too deep heal upon parquet floor so October ’93 he announced retirement from basketball embracing idea pursuing career baseball—his childhood sport which served great connection point father shared together throughout life journey thus far.
Reinsdorf helped transition sending him first White Sox then one minor league affiliate—the Birmingham Barons—where finally Michael enjoyed himself no longer star burdened pressures instead just another player among many helping him rediscover himself motivations pushed throughout entire career journey thus far!
Meanwhile Bulls continued elite level league though failed match previous results losing Conference semifinals against Knicks halting streak three consecutive Finals appearances!
Yet something stirred rumors circulated regarding potential return Michael seen practicing occasionally…
“I’m Back”
Short yet tremendously effective statement: “I’m back“. That alone reignited excitement within Bulls who halfway through ’94-95 season welcomed back their most iconic player. Meanwhile jersey number twenty-three had been retired hanging ceiling United Center so Jordan opted wear forty-five—his number during brief baseball stint.
However lengthy absence took toll physical conditioning Barons certainly didn’t match professionals’ standards Bulls so took bit time get back into rhythm—but talent is talent. During meantime didn’t hesitate drop fifty-five points (among best scoring performances ever) against New York Knicks during famous double nickel game. This translation captures all key points discussed about Michael Jordan’s life story and career milestones up until this point.
Chicago, however, is not the unstoppable army of previous years, and the fresh blood of the Orlando Magic diminishes their aspirations once again in the Conference semifinals. Nick Anderson, a player for the Florida franchise, lets slip a comment that will mark a definitive turning point: “The 45 is not the 23.”
… Four, Five, and Six
His Airness returns to wear his historic jersey in the following season, which will go down in history as one of the best ever.
The Bulls have strengthened their roster; none other than Dennis Rodman, one of the best rebounders of all time, joins Jackson’s court, along with some reinforcements from previous years like Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc, and Ron Harper.
The march toward the Playoffs is triumphant; Chicago breaks the record for wins in the regular season up to that point with 72-10 and reaches the Conference Finals against the same Magic who interrupted their journey the previous year. However, history has changed.
The Bulls sweep 4-0 and advance to the Finals against Seattle, closing out the series in six games for their fourth title.
This is the prelude to another Three-peat. The Bulls dominate practically uncontested in the following years, facing the Utah Jazz led by Stockton and Malone twice in the Finals, winning both times.
The Last Dance
However, the 97-98 season is what will be renamed “The Last Dance” (the Netflix series is among the most-watched of all time) by Phil Jackson. Krause and Reinsdorf agree on what to do and announce that at the end of the season, the team will be dismantled: Jackson will not be renewed, and Pippen will be traded.
At that point, Jordan speaks up saying he would never play again if not for Coach Zen, thus fueling rumors of his retirement at season’s end.
Any other team would likely have crumbled under such stress and external influences, but not those Bulls.
62 wins and 20 losses, sweeping away the Nets and Hornets in the first rounds of the Playoffs and narrowly winning against Indiana in the Conference Finals: this is their record leading up to the 98 Finals against the Jazz. Jordan is once again league MVP for what could be his last season and wants to finish on a high note.
The series against Utah, just like last year’s, is tense to the limits due to stellar performances from both opponents’ stars—the best assist man in history and the second-best scorer ever. The mission requires yet another decisive effort from a now-exhausted Bulls team. In Game 6, after trailing nearly all game long, their efforts are rewarded.
Words cannot describe what happened; it wouldn’t do justice. I’ll let the images speak for me.
Jordan brings home victory and his sixth ring—the last for himself and his Bulls. The end of a winning cycle has arrived. Chicago lets go of its prized pieces, and Jordan steps away from playing basketball once again—this time for good.
Or perhaps just until 2001…
Washington Wizards
Convinced he could still play a couple more seasons at a good level, Michael—now thirty-eight—signs a contract with the Washington Wizards.
However, his last cartridges are far from those of any other athlete at twilight of their career. He averages 22.9 and 20 points in his two seasons with the Wizards, earning him two more All-Star badges.
It will be a brief chapter that definitively marks Michael Jordan’s farewell to playing basketball, with six NBA titles, six Finals MVPs, five regular-season MVPs, three All-Star Game MVPs, one Defensive Player of The Year award, and one Rookie of The Year award in his trophy case.
Son of North Carolina
In 2006, three years after retiring, he was named GM of what were then known as the Charlotte Bobcats, which returned to being called Hornets in 2014. Leading a team, MJ struggled more than he did on the court, making few right choices in drafts and even fewer in trades.
In 2010 he officially became owner of the team, which remains in his hands today. This current season has seen a marked improvement, and it seems that finally, the Hornets are ready to give their home owner some small satisfaction.
Yes, because for those who don’t know it, Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina—the birthplace of Michael. Not only because he was born there but because that’s where he took his first steps toward greatness—toward becoming the most iconic player of all time—the Greatest Of All Time.
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Author: Team Dunkest
December 8, 2024 | 3:45 am
