The Greatest to Ever Do It

 Jordan is undeniably the greatest basketball player of all time. You can try and argue that his era was different than the era players play in now, but you have to understand that Jordans era was a lot more rough and physical, and being he wasn't the most physically dominant, he still wiped the floor with every team in the league for 15 years. If you're still unsure, here are his awards and accomplishments listed out (Credit to NBA Stat Directory). 6× NBA champion (1991–1993, 1996–1998) 6× NBA Finals MVP (1991–1993, 1996–1998) 5× NBA Most Valuable Player (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998) 14× NBA All-Star (1985–1993, 1996–1998, 2002, 2003) 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1988, 1996, 1998) 10× All-NBA First Team (1987–1993, 1996–1998) All-NBA Second Team (1985) NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1988) 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1988–1993, 1996–1998) NBA Rookie of the Year (1985) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985) 10× NBA scoring champion (1987–1993, 1996–1998) 3× NBA steals leader (19...

 Jordan's greatness never stopped short outside of his basketball talent. Jordan was the first NBA player to become a billionaire in 2014.  Nike What began as an initial five-year, $250,000 deal he signed in 1984, evolved into a disruptor of the shoe injury now known as the Jordan Brand. Jordan’s Jumpman logo has become a massive standalone business, which generates $3 billion in revenue each year for Nike. MJ rakes in around $100 million a year from Nike in royalties alone. Gatorade Long before social media became the platform for lifestyle endorsements, Gatorade signed Michael Jordan in 1991. MJ was coming off his first Bulls championship and was given a 10-year, $13.5 million contract to be the first and only celebrity spokesman for the brand at the time.  As Gatorade quickly became a household name after what many still remember as the "Greatest Sports Commercial of all time," it was what the upstart sports drinks business wanted. Jordans famous 1992 "Be like Mik...

Why was Jordan so great though? How did North Carolina's 6 foot 6 guard, selected third overall, come to dominate a league full of overwhelmingly big men? Jordan's scoring ability and volume was uncanny, and his efficiency on the court was better than any player in history.  Over his career, he averaged 30.2 pace-adjusted points per 36 minutes, easily the most of any qualified player since 1977.   But he also had a career true shooting percentage of 56.9 percent, much higher than the league average of 53.5 percent over the years of his career.  What's even more impressive is the lack of three-pointers Jordan attempted over his career. Only 7.2 percent of Jordan’s career field-goal attempts were threes, meaning he was doing the vast majority of his work inside the arc.  Jordan was able to post an incredible 51 percent field goal percentage, despite his tough shot selections. His percentage is notably higher than some other NBA legends, including Kobe Bryant (48 p...

As Jordan's career of dominance raged on, his impact on the league was mesmerizing. As the 1990-1991 season came to a close, Jordan had led the team to 61 win season, a franchise record at the time. The Bulls defeated the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening two rounds of the playoffs. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals where their rival, the Detroit Pistons, awaited them. However, this time the Bulls beat the Pistons in a four-game sweep. The Bulls advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history to face the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bulls won the series four games to one and compiled a 15–2 playoff record along the way. Jordan had finally brought home a championship to the city of Chicago, but his reign wasn't over yet. The next two consecutive seasons, the Bulls bullied the league and tacked on another two championships to their resume. Jordan and the Bulls had become the third team all-time to accomplish a three-peat, three c...

Jordans League Introduction: Michael Jordan was nothing short of being a legend in the sport of basketball. Over his 15 year tenure in the league, Jordan accumulated 6 NBA championships, 6 Finals MVP awards, 5 league MVP awards, 10 scoring titles, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game selections, and three All-Star Game MVP Awards. Jordan's number, 23, and his brand are quite literally the most recognizable symbols on the planet. You may be surprised by Jordan's sheer number of accolades, but his dominance goes beyond hardware. Michael had a fabulous first season, earning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He averaged 28.2 PPG,  6.5 RPG, and 5.9 APG. He also was selected to the All-NBA Second Team. Perhaps more important, the Bulls improved to win 11 more games than in the season prior to his arrival and made it to the playoffs. Jordan averaged 29.3 ppg in the first-round series, but sadly the Bulls lost in four gam...

Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn New York, In 1968, he moved with his family to Wilmington, North Carolina. Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, where he highlighted his athletic career by playing basketball, baseball, and football. He tried out for the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year but, at 5'11", he was deemed too short to play at that level (Source Chicago Turbine). Motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's junior varsity team, and tallied several 40-point games. The following summer, he grew four inches and trained rigorously. Upon earning a spot on the varsity roster, Jordan averaged more than 25 points per game (ppg) over his final two seasons of high school play. As a senior, he was selected to play in the 1981 McDonald's All-American Game and scored 30 points, after averaging 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists per game for the season. Jordan was recruited by numerous colle...