Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York, and when he was still a toddler, his parents moved to Wilmington, North Carolina.

Jordan played baseball, basketball, and football as a child. He loved baseball, but his love for basketball started growing when his older brother, Larry, kept beating him in one-on-one pick up games. Because of this, Jordan was determined to become a better basketball player.

Jordan played basketball for Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. Ironically, he was cut from the varsity team his sophmore year. Instead of giving up after not making the team, Jordan used it to encourage himself to do better, spending hours on the basketball court. He said that whenever he was working out and got tired, and he figured he should stop, he would just picture the list in the locker room without his name on it, and that was enough to get him going again. Jordan eventually made the team, and led them to the state championship.

After high school, Jordan accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina. As a freshman, Jordan's popularity grew as he scored the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA championship game against Georgetown. He was selected college player of the year in the 1983-84 season, and led the US Men's Basketball Team to an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics.

In 1984, Jordan went to the NBA. He was selected third in the draft by the Chicago Bulls. Jordan played his first game as a pro against Washington on October, 26, 1984. He became an immediate impact on the league, and proved that he belonged among the elite players. Jordan finished his rookie season as one of the top scorers in the league, averaging 28.2 points a game, was named Rookie of the Year, and was also selected to the All-Star Team. Jordan led the Bulls to the play-offs every season, and finally made it to the playoffs in 1991, where he led them to the first of their three consecutive NBA Championships.

Following Jordan's third NBA championship, he had some troubles. Jordan's father pulled over one night to take a nap on his way home and was murdered by armed robbers. The NBA also began an investigation into allegations that Jordan had illegally bet on NBA games, but he was eventually cleared. These events eventually caused Jordan to lose his motivation and the sense of having to prove something as a basketball player, and he felt it was time to step away from the court.

Jordan sought a new challenge to play professional baseball. He signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. He was assigned to the Birmingham Barons, and played an outfielder position. His presence in the minors grew large numbers in attendance, but Jordan's batting was uncharacteristic of his athletic skills. In his first summer with the Barons, he batted .202 with 114 strikeouts in 127 games.

On March 18, 1995, Jordan announced that he would be playing basketball again. He ended his short baseball career and rejoined the Bulls near the end of the 1994-1995 regular season, eventually losing to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Jordan once again had something to prove to the world, that he was still the greatest basketball player to ever play the game, and that he would be even greater in the season to come. Michael Jordan led the Bulls to an astonishing 72-10 record, the best regular season in the history of the NBA. Jordan led the league in scoring with 30.4 points per game, was named the All-Star MVP, the league MVP and the NBA Finals MVP, as they went on to win their fourth NBA championship in 1996. He was selected that year as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance into the next two seasons,