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01
In a 1988 game against the Utah Jazz, Jordan dunked over John Stockton, who was 6′ 1 and 175 pounds. A Jazz fan heckled him, saying, ‘Why don’t you dunk on somebody your own size? The next trip down the floor, Jordan dunked again, this time on 6’ 11, 285-lb. center Melvin Turpin. He then turned to the fan and said, Was he big enough?
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02
Neither of his parents are more than 5′ 9 tall.
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03
In Space Jam 1996, Jordan tells the Looney Tunes that he used to wear his UNC shorts under his Bulls jersey in every game he played in. He really did this as a good luck charm.
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04
While most are familiar with his obvious #23 and the #45 he wore when he returned from a brief baseball career in 1995, Jordan also wore #12 in only one game in 1990 after an Orlando Magic Arena employee stole his uniform. It was a back-up jersey and did not even feature a last name. He scored 49 points in that game.
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05
His 1992 playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers, where he had 35 first-half points and nailed six three-pointers in a row, has been claimed by many as the closest anyone has ever come to playing a perfect game of basketball. Jordan was bypassed in the 1984 draft by the Trail Blazers, who picked Sam Bowie instead, a move that has gone down in history as one of the biggest draft-day blunders.
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06
During his record performance of 63 points against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, Larry Bird claimed that Jordan was God disguised as Michael Jordan.
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07
On 14 June 1998, Jordan made a shot that won the Chicago Bulls their 6th NBA championship in 8 years. Jordan Hits the Last Shot was ranked #2 in TV Guide‘s list of the 25 Most Awesome Sports Moments of the last 15 years 17 July 2005 issue.
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08
Jordan reinvented some of the traditions and rules in basketball. He started the trend of the long-length shorts, claiming he wore them that length so he could cover up his North Carolina shorts. His style caught on, and soon mostly everyone wore their shorts at a longer length. A new rule was also invented allowing a player to take one extra step if they were in the process of shooting, passing, or driving to the hoop because of how Jordan would do this often without getting a traveling call.
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09
While his baseball career was considered a sham and widely criticized, his performance was not as poor as depicted in the press. He only batted .202 with 3 home runs and committed 11 errors, but he also had 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, and 6 outfield assists. He led the Birmingham Barons with 11 bases-loaded RBI and 25 RBI with runners in scoring position and two outs. With those statistics, he may have been the best clutch hitter on that team.
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10
In 1999, ESPN voted him as the greatest athlete of the twentieth century.
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11
He has his own line of sportswear called Jordan, a division of Nike. The brand began with the Air Jordan I shoe in 1984.
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12
His father’s murder on July 23, 1993 was instrumental in Jordan’s first retirement before the 1993-94 season.
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13
Fortune estimated his net worth at $400 million. A virtual endorsement cash cow, no athlete has had a larger impact on the economy.
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14
Jordan is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in men’s basketball, in 1984 in Los Angeles and 1992 in Barcelona as part of the celebrated original Dream Team.
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15
He has a tattoo of the Greek letter Omega over his heart, representing Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, of which he is a member.
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16
Known as the world’s greatest clutch player in basketball for his numerous shots and high-flying moves to win games. He eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers twice from the NBA playoffs due to last-second shots, and won his last NBA championship with a steal and a shot.
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17
Children with ex-wife Juanita: sons Jeffrey Michael b. 18 November 1988 and Marcus James b. 24 December 1990, and daughter Jasmine Mickael b. 7 December 1992.
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18
He was picked third by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 NBA Draft, behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie.
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19
Contrary to popular belief, Jordan does not hold the regular season single game scoring record. Wilt Chamberlain has the highest at 100, followed by Kobe Bryant at 81, David Thompson at 73 and David Robinson at 71. Jordan’s single game-scoring high was 69 points, making his the fifth highest single-game scoring record in history.
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20
In January 2002, wife Juanita filed for divorce in circuit court in Waukegan, Illinois, citing irreconcilable differences. She sought permanent custody of the couple’s three children, their 25,000-square-foot home in Highland Park, and half the couple’s property. She withdrew the divorce papers a month later only to re-file them seven years later.
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21
He played with the Chicago Bulls for 14 years 1984-1998 and with the Washington Wizards for 2 years 2001-2003.
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22
He bought part-ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats now the Charlotte Hornets from majority owner Robert L. Johnson in June 2006. Jordan became the majority owner in 2010.
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23
His salary was approximately $80 million per year from endorsement deals, with a peak of $33 million from the NBA in the 1997-98 season.
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24
He attended Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. The gymnasium is now called the Michael Jordan Gym in his honor.
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25
He has numerous records and awards under his name and career, including most points in a single playoff game 63, most scoring titles 10, highest scoring average 31 points per game, and most three pointers in one quarter of a playoff game 5.
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26
His 37.1 points per game season average during the 1986-1987 season was the third highest in history. The first two were both held by Wilt Chamberlain.
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27
He buys custom-tailored shirts monogrammed with Michael or MJ.
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28
Jordan’s rookie three-point average was 17%, but rose to almost 43% by his 1995-96 season. Initially known for poor defense, rebounding and assists, Jordan became a regular on the NBA All-Defensive Team, was one of the few guards to win a Defensive Player of the Year award, and in 1988-89 averaged eight assists and eight rebounds to go with 35 points, the closest a player has come to averaging a triple-double since Oscar Robertson.
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29
He grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina.
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30
He is the Chicago Bulls’ all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals. The only category he doesn’t hold is blocks, still held by Artis Gilmore. His #23 is one of four retired numbers for the Bulls along with Bob Love’s #10, Scottie Pippen’s #33 and Jerry Sloan’s #4.
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31
He topped Forbes magazine’s The 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces with an estimated settlement of $150 million April 2007.
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32
He appeared, with Charlie Sheen, in a commercial for Hanes underwear.
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33
He wore the #23 for his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards. Sometimes he wore #45 because it was his older brother Larry’s number in high school.
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34
He was chosen by the NBA as one of its 50 greatest players of all time in 1996.
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35
He began shaving his head when he started going bald.
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36
He participated in three NBA Slam Dunk Contests, winning two of them.
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37
He attended the University of North Carolina from 1981 to 1984.
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38
He moved past Wilt Chamberlain for third-place all-time on the NBA scoring list on 23 January 2003.
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39
He was inducted into the ESPN Chicago Hall of Fame in 2011 inaugural class with Walter Payton, Ernie Banks, Dick Butkus, and Mike Ditka.
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40
He was chosen by People magazine as one of The Most Intriguing People of the Century.
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41
In 2007, Forbes magazine estimated his earnings for the year at $31 million.
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42
He was fired by the Washington Wizards due to player dissension, the team finishing 37-45 two years in a row, and dissonance in the organization involving Jordan’s people. He was hired on 19 January 2000 as chief executive and president of basketball operations. Owner Abe Pollin gave him free rein to run the Wizards, and Jordan eventually bought a percentage of the team. He got $10 million in severance. 7 May 2003.
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43
He lives in Chicago.
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44
He was a professional basketball player in the NBA from 1984-93, 1995-98, and 2001-03.
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45
He was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world.
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46
He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
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47
In 2000, he was named part owner and director of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards basketball team.
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48
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama on November 22, 2016, in a live televised ceremony held in the East Room of the White House, along with twenty other recipients.
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49
He married Yvette Prieto at the Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in April 2013.
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50
His wedding to Yvette Prieto cost an estimated $10.1 million.
