Inspiring Success Story of Michael Jordan: The Success Story Beyond Basketball
Michael Jordan is the basketball greatness to ever walk on this earth. He is an athlete who is known to have a huge business empire beyond sports. Michael Jordan is popularly known as MJ, a former basketball player and a successful businessman. He has played various matches and is a global sports icon. He is also known as Air Jordan and His Airness. In this article, let us learn more about Michael Jordan’s success story.
Success Story of Michael Jordan: The Success Story Beyond Basketball
Early Days and Education
Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Doloris and James Jordan on January 17, 1963. He had two elder brothers and two sisters. His parents raised him with the value of hard work. Michael Jordan, the basketball greatness, has always been very fond of this game. He attended Emsley A. Laney High School, where he played various sports. During his sophomore years. He tried to join his school varsity basketball team but was denied due to being just 5 feet 11 inches at that time. Jordan, being extremely competitive and fond of sports, decided to join the Lenny‘s junior varsity team, where he showcased his amazing skills towards this game by his senior year. He was able to secure his spot on the varsity team now with a height of 6‘3“. Here, he averaged around 29.2 points, which caught people’s attention towards his game. Michael Jordan had offers from various colleges to play basketball games, but he eventually decided to accept a scholarship from the University of North Carolina, where he studied cultural geography due to his immense interest in meteorology. During his time in college under coach Dean Smith, he trained rigorously, and his performance in games earned him the title of ACC freshman of the year. Eventually, Michael Jordan was selected for the NCAA All-American first team, where he played two seasons and was awarded the college player of the year in 1984. Jordan had to leave his college to enter the 1984 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls.
NBA Journey
The basketball greatness had an amazing career in the NBA, but it all started with his debut at Chicago Stadium on October 26, 1984. Michael Jordan’s success story would easily be assisted with his efficiency in the game during his early years. He became a fan-favorite phenomenon for the Chicago Bulls. This NBA legend’s journey had many achievements to it with his debut and rookie season. He was the Rookie of the Year in 1985. He was featured in various magazines due to his amazing gameplay. Basketball greatness like Michael Jordan had also initially faced many hardships, such as when he was frozen-out by his team, where his teammate would not pass the ball. But this never affected Michael Jordan’s confidence. Another mishap that Michael Jordan faced was during his second season in 1985-86: he broke his foot, but still, his determination towards the game made him come back with a bounce. He scored 63 points in a playoff game against the opposite team. After recovering, he was the only player apart from Wilt Chamberlain to score 3,000 points in a season. Jordan was growing in popularity quickly. He won his first championship in 1991 and later on, won two more championships in 1992 and 1993. He was the MVP in all three championships. Tragedy struck the basketball greatness when his father was murdered, due to which he decided to retire from the basketball career. In October 1993, he went on to pursue a professional career in baseball, which didn’t last long. He returned to the NBA in 1995, where he scored 55 points and again won 3 consecutive championships from 1996 to 1998 and was named the MVP twice. In January 1999, he decided to retire again. At the age of 38, in 2001, he returned to play two seasons with the Washington Wizards and finally retired in 2003. During his last game, he received a standing ovation. Michael Jordan had won two gold medals in the Olympic Games in 1984 and 1992.
Business empire beyond sports
Michael Jordan’s success story is also correlated with being an athlete entrepreneur. This baseball great had built a massive business empire, making him a billionaire. He is one of the most successful names to be added to athlete entrepreneurship. He had various collaborative deals with Nike, creating Air Jordan and the Jordan Brand, which earned him royalties. He owns the majority stake of the Charlotte Hornets and has founded the 23XI Racing team. He is also into restaurants and hospitality businesses. Currently, he has a net worth of over $3 billion. This NBA legend’s journey is all about determination, hard work and persistence.
