Michael Jordan is a retired NBA basketball player who earned the MVP award five times while leading the Chicago Bulls to six championships.

MJ is a former professional basketball player, Olympian, businessman, and actor. From the mid-1980s until the late 1990s, he was considered one of the greatest basketball players ever.

Jordan won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and was awarded the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award on five separate occasions. In addition, Jordan became the most decorated player in the NBA with five MVP awards during the regular season and three All-Star MVPs.

Early Life

On February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born. Jordan developed a competitive edge at a young age while growing up in Wilmington, North Carolina. Every game he played, he wanted to win.

Jordan had a happy childhood with a loving family. His mother, Delores, was a bank teller who later became an author. James, his father, worked for General Electric as a maintenance worker before becoming a manager. Larry, Deloris, Roslyn, and James Jr. were Jordan’s four siblings.

Jordan learned how to play baseball from his dad, who also built a basketball court in their backyard.  Unfortunately, his dad was shot and killed in an automobile robbery in the summer of ‘93.  His body was discovered in a marsh in McColl, South Carolina after he was missing for 11 days. After being tried and convicted of the crime, the teenagers were sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder.

Professional Basketball Career

MJ’s professional basketball career began in 1984 when the Chicago Bulls chose him. He was the third overall choice, after Houston Rockets’ first-round pick Hakeem Olajuwon and Portland Trail Blazers’ Sam Bowie; the draft also included legends like John Stockton and Charles Barkley.

Jordan quickly established himself on the floor. He contributed to the team’s playoff appearance and averaged 28.2 points per game that season. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year and was picked for the All-Star Game due to his performance.