Michael Jordan: The Greatest of All Time

Michael Jordan - The Greatest of all time?

Since 1982, the world has been has been exposed to the raw talent of Michael Jordan. He showed the world what he could do when he made the game winning basket for the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 1982 NCAA championship. While in the NBA, he played for the Chicago Bulls for most of his career, winning six NBA championships and earning the Most Valuable Player award 5 times. Now, Jordan has 3 children. They include two sons, Marcus and Jeffrey, and one daughter Jasmine. Michael Jordan is thought of as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but not "the best."

Michael was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York ("Michael Jordan"). Jordan was one of 5 children. He had two older brothers, one older sister, and one younger sister. Early in his life, Jordan played many different sports. His father, James, loved to see his son happy while playing sports, but he mostly liked Michael playing baseball. In high school, Jordan was emotionally crushed. While he was a sophomore, he tried out for the Laney High varsity team and was cut. That year he did play for the Junior Varsity team, but he getting cut was motivation for the rest of his life ("Michael Jordan").

After high school, Jordan accepted a scholarship from the University of North Carolina. As a freshman, Jordan did one thing that no other has ever done. He made the game winning shot against the Georgetown Hoyas. The Hoyas were being run by his

LEE 2

rival but future friend, Patrick Ewing. Jordan would come back for his sophomore year to play for UNC, but that would be his final year. He decided that he was going to enter the 1984 NBA Draft. Today that draft is still looked at as somewhat of a bust. Jordan was picked 3rd overall by the Chicago Bulls behind Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets, and Sam Bowie of the Portland Trailblazers. No one in the City of Chicago knew what he would bring to the table. Today, Jordan is still recognized for his attendance at the University of North Carolina. (Michael Jordan)

"Only" 16 points. That is said now about his first career game in the NBA. It does sound strange hearing Michael Jordan scoring only 16 points in a game, but it was a huge step into his NBA career. When David Stern announced the Chicago Bulls pick in the 1984 draft, no one would expect what was to come. In his first season with the Bulls, Jordan led the team in scoring and steals. He received the rookie of the year award and was named to the NBA's All Star team. Chicago was impressed with their rookie's talent and loved the way that he played. However, over the next two seasons Jordan was plagued by many injuries, including a broken foot that ended his season in the 1985-86 season. The Bulls still made the playoffs but fell to the Celtics in three games. Jordan did come back the next year, leading the Bulls back to the playoffs and earning a spot in the NBA's Slam Dunk contest for the 1986-87 season. He went on to defeat Dominique Wilkins by one point. The next season was an astonishing one at that. Jordan averaged 35 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, and got 259 steals and 131 blocks. Those defensive accomplishments went on to win him the NBA's defensive player award. During the 1988-89 season, Jordan improved in many categories. He averaged 8

LEE 3

rebounds and 8 assists while still averaging 32.5 points. Jordan also received a huge addition to the Bulls team getting Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant as starters. Although the Bulls lost to the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls still found the season a success. A new season came, and with it came a new head coach. Phil Jackson took over. This addition would in the future make Phil Jackson one of the most Winn ingest coaches in NBA history. During the 1989-1990 season, Jordan once again led the Bulls in points and back to the playoffs. The Bulls would once again lose in the Eastern Conference playoffs. (Michael Jordan's Biography)

The next season started a Dynasty for the city of Chicago. Jordan won the MVP award and led his team to the NBA finals for the first time in franchise history while averaging 31.5 points per game. The Eastern Conference finals were a rematch of the century. The Bulls would meet up with the Detroit Pistons again, and finally prevail. Jordan and the Bulls went on to face the Los Angeles Lakers and Magic Johnson in the NBA finals, and finally got what they wanted. They won it all and Jordan received the Finals MVP unanimously. (Michael Jordan)

The next season, the Bulls would continue the dominance that they showed the last season, achieving a 67-15 record and winning the MVP award for the 2nd straight season. It seemed that there wasn't one team in the entire league that could even contend with the Bulls. The media tried to make people think otherwise. The Bulls would once again reach the finals, but this time would face Clyde "The Glide" Drexler and the Portland Trailblazers. Everyone tried to make the battle between the two into a Magic Johnson and Larry Bird rivalry. In game one, Jordan scored 35 points in the first half.

LEE 4

The Bulls would go on to wrap up the series on 6 games and he would earn the Finals MVP award once again. (Michael Jordan)

In the 1992-93 season, the Bulls would once again reach the playoffs leading the NBA in wins. When the Bulls got to the finals, they would once again have a different problem to deal with. Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns. Barkley was having an outstanding season which earned him the MVP award. This series would not be as easy as the last two years for the Chicago Bulls. Although the Bulls did win the series in 6 games on a John Paxon jump shot, it has always been seen as one of Jordan's toughest series. (Jordan, Michael)

The first three-peat had been completed, and there was a lot more to look forward to for the Bulls organization. Although the three-peat was sweet, a tragedy struck.