To celebrate the sports superstar, here are seven facts about his life and iconic career.
Throughout the history of professional sports, there have been very few sportsmen who have been able to equal the extraordinary success that Michael Jordan has had. Jordan became an unstoppable scoring machine and multiple-time champion after entering the National Basketball Association in 1984 as a gangly rookie with superhuman leaping skills. He also became a marketing icon who hung out with Bugs Bunny and inspired millions of children to “be like Mike.” Here are seven facts about the life of this legendary athlete, whose legend continues to loom large almost twenty years after the last time he laced up his Nikes in an NBA game:
1. According to the rules, he was never removed from the basketball team at his high school.
The myth of Jordan being kicked off the basketball team at his high school has been a part of his personal narrative for a long time. However, the truth has been somewhat stretched, much like an adolescent Jordan hanging from his chin-up bar in order to grow taller. When Jordan was a sophomore at Laney High School in North Carolina, he attempted to try out for the varsity squad, but he ended up being placed on the junior varsity team instead. Jordan was never actually “cut” from the team. A significant factor in this decision was that Laney was in desperate need of taller players, and as a result, they decided to pass on the 5’10” Jordan in favor of his friend Leroy Smith, who is 6’7″. In point of fact, Jordan utilized this perceived slight as incentive to work his tail off in order to improve, which resulted in amazing results when he experienced a growth spurt that caused him to reach a height of 6 feet 3 inches as a junior.
2. It was almost impossible for him to form a collaboration with Nike.
The long-term professional partnership that Jordan had been working on with Nike came dangerously close to failing. After entering the NBA, he was initially interested in wearing Adidas, and he was also extensively pursued to promote a much smaller company named Spot-Bilt but ultimately decided against it. On the other hand, Nike went all out to sign the rookie player for the Chicago Bulls. They offered him an insane agreement that was at the time worth $500 million per year for five years, as well as the opportunity to customize a sneaker to his preferences. Jordan was still adamant about going with his first pick, so he went back to Adidas for a second time. However, the firm was unable to match the ransom that Nike was offering. As a result, a partnership that was a match made in marketing heaven came into being; Nike introduced the Air Jordans in May of 1985, and by the end of the year, the line had produced more than one hundred million dollars in revenue.
3. His college major was cultural geography.
Jordan graduated from UNC in 1986 with a cultural geography degree despite leaving a year early to pursue his job. In that field, what does one do? Cultural geography is an introduction to meteorology, he said at a basketball camp Q&A years later. Jordan’s backup plan was to become a weatherman if he couldn’t dunk over seven-footers. Adds a new meaning to “Air Jordan,” no?
4. His passion is golf.
Jordan’s love of golf began in the summer of 1984 when he played with future pro Davis Love III. This cocky athlete thought he could par all 18 with a little work after parring one hole that day. His pursuit of perfection prompted him to squeeze in as many rounds as possible in his downtime, including a memorable 1991 snub of President George H.W. Bush’s White House invitation with the NBA champion Chicago Bulls. He hosted the Las Vegas Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational Pro-Am Golf Tournament from 2001 until 2014.
5. Jordan switched to baseball because of his dad.
Jordan’s 1993 decision to forsake basketball for baseball was conceived years before. James, his dad, loved baseball and encouraged his son play two sports like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, who had success. After James was killed in a carjacking in July 1993, Jordan picked up a glove to memorialize his dad. In his one season of minor league baseball, he failed, but several were amazed by his adaptability to a game he hadn’t played since high school. His manager that year, Terry Francona, believes Jordan could have cracked the majors if he kept trying.
6. Gambling is his hobby.
Jordan’s gambling is another popular pastime. He was known for convincing teammates to gamble on practically every activity, from golf to card games to rock-scissor-paper throwdowns, but his zeal to always boost the stakes often put him in danger. Jordan was subpoenaed in 1992 to testify about a $57,000 cheque he gave a suspected drug dealer following a weekend of poker and golf. The next year, businessman Richard Esquinas wrote Michael and Me: Our Gambling Addiction. My Cry for Help! Jordan never received a gambling-related punishment, but rumors persisted that NBA Commissioner David Stern secretly suspended him for a year to play baseball.
7. His Nike relationship earned over $1 billion.
Jordan was the NBA’s highest-paid player in only two of his 15 seasons, despite winning six championships, five MVPs, and 10 scoring titles. Coca-Cola, Gatorade, and Hanes endorsements saved him from searching the cushions for loose change. Jordan’s association with Nike has been his most profitable, earning almost $1 billion in 2020. He also profited from NBA franchise appreciation after buying a majority stake in the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) in 2010. After Forbes named Jordan a billionaire in 2015, he now receives royal pay.