Gliding
gracefully between opposing players, switching a basketball from hand to hand
in mid-air, and scoring - that as the image Michael Jordan projected, via satellite
to places as for away as Germany and Japan. His amazing athletic feats thrilled
and mystified millions of viewers and made him the first global superstar in
basketball.
Players, coaches and sports'
writers generally agree that Jordan was the greatest player in the history of
the game. As a freshman at the University of North Carolina, he led his team
to a NCAA Basketball Championship in 1 982 and was named "College Player of
the Year" in 1983 and 1984. Selected by the Chicago Bulls in 1984, Jordan promptly
proved that he was master of all aspects of the game and was chosen "Rookie
of the Year" in 1985. Before his retirement in 1993, Jordan led his team to
three consecutive NBA Championships.
Jordan is not just a phenomenal
basketball player, he is also a terrific human being. He personally made it
possible for several young people with disabilities to offend most of the Bulls'
home games. He channeled other charitable efforts through the Michael Jordan
Foundation which he co-founded with his Mother, Deloris Jordan. Michael Jordan's
wife, Juanita is a member of the foundation's board of directors as was his
father, James Jordan.
Their foundation is dedicated
to encouraging children and youth "who have been sidelined by life" to reach
their goals. Nationally, the foundation awards more than 40 grants per year
to various charitable organizations.
Jordan also owns a clothing
company, Jordan/Silverberg and a new restaurant, Jordan's in Chicago. Several
books written about Michael Jordan are Hang Time, Taking to the Air and his
autobiography Rare Air.
