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|Full Name: Michael Jeffrey Jordan |[pic] |Height: 6-6; Weight: 216 lbs. |
|Born: 2/17/63 in Brooklyn, NY | |Honors: Six-time NBA champion (1991-93, 1996-98); NBA |
|Drafted by: Chicago Bulls, 1984 | |MVP (1988, '91, '92, '96, '98); 10-time All-NBA First |
|Transactions: Retired, 10/6/93; Activated from | |Team (1987-93, 1996-98); All-NBA Second Team (1985); |
|retirement, 3/18/95; Retired, 1/13/99; Signed | |Defensive Player of the Year (1988); Nine-time |
|with Washington Wizards, 9/25/01. | |All-Defensive First Team (1988-93, 1996-98); Rookie of |
|High School: Laney (Wilmington, NC) | |the Year (1985); 14-time All-Star; All-Star MVP (1988, |
|College: North Carolina | |'96, '98); One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History |
|Nickname: Air Jordan | |(1996); Two-time Olympic gold medalist (1984, '92). |
|Complete Bio | Summary | Complete Stats |

By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. Although, a summary of his basketball career and influence on the game inevitably fails to do it justice, as a phenomenal athlete with a unique combination of fundamental soundness, grace, speed, power, artistry, improvisational ability and an unquenchable competitive desire, Jordan single-handedly redefined the NBA superstar.
Even contemporaneous superstars recognized the unparalleled position of Jordan. Magic Johnson said, "There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us." Larry Bird, following a playoff game where Jordan dropped 63 points on the Boston Celtics in just his second season, appraisal of the young player was: "God disguised as Michael Jordan.
A brief listing of his top accomplishments would include the following: Rookie of the Year; Five-time NBA MVP; Six-time NBA champion; Six-time NBA Finals MVP; Ten-time All-NBA First Team; Nine time NBA All-Defensive First Team; Defensive Player of the Year; 14-time NBA All-Star; Three-time NBA All-Star MVP; 50th Anniversary All-Time Team; Ten scoring titles -- an NBA record and seven consecutive matching Wilt Chamberlain; Retired with the NBA's highest scoring average of 30.1ppg.
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|Michael Jordan makes the jump shot that catapults the |
|Bulls over the Utah Jazz in the 1998 Finals. |
|Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images |

However, his impact is far greater than awards and championships. He burst into the league as a rookie sensation scoring in droves with an unmatchable first step and acrobatic drives and dunks and concluded his career as a cultural icon. Along the way, he became a true champion who spearheaded the globalization of the NBA with his dynamic on court abilities and personal sense of style that was marketed to the masses.
He was an accessible star who managed to maintain an air of mystique. He was visible as "Air Jordan," as part of a sneaker advertising campaign and endorsing other products as well as the star of the movie, Space Jam. However, he would vanish into retirement twice only