Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born to Mr. and Mrs. James Jordan in Brooklyn, New York. He could easily have become a street bum if he had succumbed to the pressures of his immediate environment. He started out with a life of few advantages and limited fortune, but he had a desire, a vision and a determination to succeed regardless of the obstacles. It is clear that the basis for his phenomenal success came from true greatness which comes from within. Michael was attracted to basketball from an early age. His small stature at the time made the sport seem like a distant dream, yet he persevered. Later, he accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of North Carolina. He was selected college player of the year in the 1983-84 season, and led the US Men’s Basketball Team to an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics. Jordan entered the NBA in 1984, drafted number 3 overall pick in the NBA draft of that year, behind Hakeem Olajuwon who was drafted number 1 overall. Once in the NBA, Michael became an immediate sensation in the league and proved that he belonged among the elite players. He finished his rookie season averaging 28.2 points per game and was named Rookie of the Year, and also made the All-Star team. Jordan led his team, the Chicago Bulls, into the playoffs in every season, but didn’t make the NBA Finals until 1991, where he led the Bulls to their first of three consecutive NBA Championships (1991, 1992, and 1993). The 1992 olympics in Barcelona witnessed the first time that professional basketball players were allowed to take part in the basketball tournament at the olympics. The US team, dubbed ”The Dream Team” because it brought together legends of the NBA in the same team, had Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan as arrowheads of that team of superstars, arguably the greatest basketball team ever assembled. Soon after the Chicago Bulls won the NBA title for the third consecutive year, Michael lost his dad in the summer of 1993, the victim of a robbery attack. The grief of his father’s death influenced his decision to retire

from the NBA before the start of the 1993/94 season. After an uneventful career in Major League Baseball with the Chicago White Sox, and unable to outgrow his love for competitive basketball, Michael returned to the NBA on March 18, 1995. It is a testament to the impact Michael Jordan had made on the commercial world that when he announced he was returning to the NBA, the news alone sent stocks through the roof on Wall Street (the New York Stock Exchange). Once back in the NBA, Michael and his beloved Bulls picked up from where they left off, and renewed their dominance of the league, winning the NBA championship for the next three seasons (1996, 1997 and 1998), thus becoming the first team in NBA history to repeat the “three-peat” (a three-peat is winning the championship three straight seasons back-to-back). The break-up of the Bulls dynasty by owner Jerry Krause led to Jordan’s second retirement from basketball before the start of the 1998/99 season. However, on January 19, 2000, Jordan returned to the NBA not as a player, but as part-owner and president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards. On September 25, 2001, Michael Jordan announced he was moving from the Wizards’ front office to the dressing room and returning to the NBA to play for the Washinton Wizards on a two-year contract.

Throughout his life, Michael has consistently displayed an amazing capacity to improve himself through practice. In practice, he was always the hardest working player on the team. If his team-mates were not working hard enough, he got on them himself to work harder, and pushed the coach to expect more from the team. He was a person who never took his talents for granted, but continously appllied himself to be better.

Playing with the Wizards, Michael achieved yet another moment in his spectacular career, scoring his 30,000th career point on January 4, 2002 against his former team, the Chicago Bulls. He retired for a third and final time after playing his final game on April 16th, 2003. Michael Jordan, it is agreed by all involved with the game, is indeed the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball. He was a five-time league MVP (Most Valuable Player), a ten-time scoring champion, a six-time NBA Finals MVP, and won six NBA championships. He finished his career with 32,292 points, and a career average 30.12 ppg (points per game), the best in NBA history. Michael’s inner belief in himself and perseverance enabled him to become the greatest basketball player of all time, and a global icon of the 20th century.

So, go on. Dare to dream. Like Mike. Dare to believe. Like Mike. Dare to achieve. Like Mike. So, go on. Be Like Mike. The only person who can stop you from becoming successful is YOU.

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