Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan Free Online Research Papers Basketball is a team sport in which two teams try to score points against one another by putting a basketball through a hoop. It is played with twelve to fifteen people from each team but only five people on the court at a time from each team. Basketball was first played in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Basketball is one of the most popular and widely viewed sport in the world. There have been many great basketball players, but not as great as Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. On February 17, 1963 Michael Jordan was born to a middle class family in Brooklyn, New York. Although he was born in Brooklyn, New York, he moved to Wilmington, North Carolina at a young age and grew up there.(World Book 166) This shows that he must have missed his hometown. Michael Jordan was one of the five children of James and Deloris Jordan. Michael Jordan’s father, James Jordan, worked as a General Electric plant supervisor and his mom, Deloris Jordan worked at a bank. This shows that his parents had to provide for seven people while being not that rich. His father taught him to work hard and not to be tempted by street life. His mother taught him to sew, clean, and do laundry. This means that his parents loved him and cared for him. Jordan had two brothers and two sisters. Both of his brothers were older than him. Larry Jordan and James R. Jordan were his older brothers. He also had an older sister, Deloris Jordan, and a younger sister, Roslyn M. Jordan. (Pietrusza 10-11) Michael Jordan and his father both liked baseball as their first sport, but Michael Jordan followed his brother, Larry Jordan. Larry Jordan didn’t play in the NBA, but he played against Michael Jordan in his backyard. Michael Jordan was way shorter than Larry at that time. Larry was also stronger and bigger than him. Larry Jordan always beat him, but Michael Jordan never gave up.(Pietrusza 11-12) Michael on remarked: ‘It’s an instinct that makes me love to win and hate to lose at any game. My older brother Larry used to beat me in one-on-one basketball games. He’d say something about it and I’d get ticked off and fight him.’ (qtd in Pietrusza 11) This shows that Michael Jordan loved to play basketball and never wanted to give up. Michael Jordan modeled himself after Larry Jordan. Michael Jordan was now ready to go to high school. He went to Laney High School. He had one very big problem. He was like all the other Jordans, he was short. Michael Jordan was only five feet five inches. Then he began to grow quickly. When he entered high school he was five feet ten inches tall. Michael Jordan now had the jumping skills of his brother Larry plus his own height. This shows that he was working really hard to accomplish this. In his sophomore year he tried out for the basketball team, but he didn’t make it. He was shocked. He was a decent p0layer and he knew he was at least better than one competitor who had made the team. (Pietrusza 12) Jordan once recalled: ‘I went to my room and I closed the door and I cried. For a while I couldn’t stop.’ (qtd in Pietrusza 12)But when he got over the shock, he became more crazed to be a better player. This means that he really loves basketball and doesn’t want to quit. Michael Jordan was now determined to make the varsity team and prove his coach wrong. Actually, his coach wasn’t wrong at all. He knew that Michael Jordan was better that the last player he had picked for the varsity team, but he also knew that if Michael Jordan made it he wouldn’t get to play that much. This means that his coach actually wanted him to get better. The place for Michael Jordan to get better was on the junior varsity team so the coach put him on it. Michael Jordan gave all he had on the junior varsity team. He averaged 28 points per game as the team’s point guard. Michael was the best player on the JV team and he hoped he would be added to the varsity roster because the vars ity team was headed towards the state tournament, but he didn’t get picked. The next year he was no longer five feet ten inches tall, but he was six feet three inches tall and he was ready to be on the varsity team. He had made the varsity team this year. In Michael Jordan’s senior year he was in big trouble. Michael began to cut classes and he ignored hid studies. Laney’s principal called in James Jordan to tell him that Michael Jordan was excellent in sports but he also had to get his grades up. (Pietrusza 12-15) This means that Michael Jordan was lazy about doing his school work. When Michael was ready for college he decided to go to University of North Carolina after visiting several colleges. Michael Jordan was first nervous about being at UNC. He thought classes were difficult and the competition in basketball was tougher than anything he had ever faced before in his entire life. Soon Michael Jordan understood the Tar Heels coach, Dean Smith’s way of coaching. Dean Smith didn’t want a one man team, but he wanted a team that showed teamwork. (Pietrusza 15) This shows that the coach wanted all his players to do good. Michael Jordan’s teammates were quickly impressed by his skills and attitude. One of his teammates, Jimmy Black said: ‘I like Jordan’s overall game. He’s a competitor and a hustler and we need him on the floor.’(Pietrusza 15) This shows that Michael Jordan fit in right away with the rest of his team. Jordan was ready to play his first game and he did pretty good. After the game Michael said : ‘I felt real comfortable out there. I felt good on my shots. I did throw a bad pass, though, and I need to help out more on defense.’ (Pietrusza 15) The Tar Heels finished with twenty-four victories and only two loses. They were ranked as the nation’s number one college team. They were the favorite team when they entered in the NCAA tournament, but they barely got into the finals. There they faced the Hoyas and in the fourth quarter the Hoyas were leading 62-61. Coach Smith wanted Michael Jordan to take the last shot and he made it. Michael Jordan was also doing good in studies. He averaged a B. Jordan played well for the Tar Heels during his early college years. At the end of his junior year Coach Smith urged him to turn professional. Michael Jordan decided to skip his senior year and turn pro. He was ready for a higher challenge. (Pietrusza 15-20) He later revealed: ‘I had achieved everything possible on the college level and it was time for me to go and move on to bigger dreams and bigger goals, because I had achieved everything possible.’ (Pietrusza 20) Michael Jordan was now ready for the 1984 NBA draft. Michael Jordan didn’t want to be drafted any lower than fifth. Michael was drafted third to the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan wanted to be drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. (Pietrusza 21) This means that Michael Jordan doesn’t want to be on a losing team. After being drafted by the Bulls, Jordan said: ‘No, I’ve never been on a losing team before, but that doesn’t bother me. You don’t join any team expecting to go out there and lose. Chicago is a young team, and we have a lot of hard work ahead. The only way for the Bulls to go is up, and I’m really looking forward to making a contribution.’ (Pietrusza 22) Jordan was now ready to receive his contract with the Bulls. The Bulls gave Jordan a seven-season $6 million contract. Michael Jordan received the third highest amount ever paid to an NBA rookie. (nba.com/pla-yerfile/Michael_Jordan/) Michael Jordan was going to get more money because he lend his name to Nike to make Air Jordans. Michael Jordan played and won gold medal in the Summer Olympics. Michael played his first NBA season in 1984. His excellent performance won him NBA Rookie of the Year. This shows that Michael is getting to be one of the best players. Michael Jordan led in scoring almost every season. Michael Jordan won every major regular season award. In his first season with the Bulls, Chicago’s home attendance doubled. Soon Michael Jordan was popping u0p on television and in magazine ads and on billboards for such huge companies as General Mills, Coca-Cola, and Wilson Sporting Goods. Michael Jordan was everywhere. Fans voted him onto the 1985 NBA All-Star Team. It s hould have been a proud moment for Jordan, instead it wasn’t. Michael Jordan found out how much his teammates disliked him because he already became basketball’s biggest attraction. Before the game Jordan’s teammates decided to not let him get the ball that much. Phil Jackson took over as Bulls head coach. Jackson’s plan was to make a better-balanced offense instead of Collin’s plan to build the entire team’s offense around Michael Jordan. (Pietrusza 22-34) This shows that Jackson wanted a well-rounded team. Outside of NBA Michael had started to date Juanita Vanoy. In 1988 they had a son, Jeffrey Michael Jordan and in 1989 Juanita Vanoy and Michael Jordan married. They also had two more children. They had a boy and a girl. Their other son’s name was Marcus James Jordan and their daughter’s name was Jasmine Michael Jordan. The next season Michael Jordan and the Bulls made it to the Finals again. The Bulls were playing against th e Lakers. The Bulls beat the Lakers and Michael Jordan won the Playoff MVP honors. In the next season some teammates weren’t happy with Michael Jordan. President George Bush invited the Bulls to the White House. (Pietrusza 34-42) The whole team went except Michael Jordan. This shows that Jordan thinks he is higher than others. Once again the Bulls went to the Playoffs and made it to the Finals. They would go against the Portland Trailblazers. Once again they won and it was their second time. Michael Jordan joined the Dream Team and they made it to the Olympic Finals were they faced Croatia. At the end USA won. Now this was the third season Bulls made it to the Finals in a row and faced the Phoenix Suns. Although the Suns gave good competition, Jordan and the Bulls pulled off a three-peat and wont the 1993 NBA title. Michael Jordan started to hate basketball because if they lost they would blame it on him. After each game, Jordan couldn’t walk to his car and go home because fans were too crazy about him. After a while Jordan stopped going out. Then in 1993 another bad thing happened to Jordan. Jordan’s father was shot by two teenagers because they wanted to steal his $50,000 car. Michael Jordan was so sad that he decided to retire and fulfill his dad’s dream of playing baseball. Michael Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons, but he didn’t do so well. In 1994-95 season Michael came back to the Bulls. Then right after he came back, the Bulls won the Finals twice in a row. Michael Jordan now had won five championships with the Bulls. Now, the Bulls were going for their second three-peat. The Bulls won again and they won six championships in eight seasons wi th Michael Jordan. After his contract ended with the Bulls, he went and played with the Washington Wizards for two years. Jordan did play well for the Wizards, but he didn’t win any championship with them. (Pietrusza 43-91) After Michael Jordan retired from playing basketball, he decided to partly own the Charlotte Bobcats. Now everybody says that Michael Jordan is the best basketball player and everybody wants to be like him. Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever. 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