Biography of Michael Jordan
"There's Michael, then there is the rest of us," Magic Johnson famously quoted. Even the brilliant stars of his era praise Michael's greatness. This shows how great he really is on the court. Michael has the unique combination of grace, power, speed, quickness, and an unquenchable competitive desire. But, who knew that Michael was cut from the varsity team when he was a sophomore at Laney High School? Are you out of your mind! I know that if I were the coach, I would definitely keep a guy of Michael's caliber. During this time, Michael was just a slim guy with average skills. His failure to make the varsity team motivated him to strive to be the best by practicing as often as the sun rises. He attended North Carolina in college and in his freshman year he knocked down the game winning shot at the National Championship game. After that shot, his life was never the same. In 1984, Michael was drafted third by the Chicago Bulls. He was supposed to be drafted second by Portland but they chose Sam Bowie instead. He signed a shoe contract with Nike shortly after the draft day. Today, Michael Jordan's shoes are the most sought after sneakers in the market because many admires him and the eye catching shoes he helps design. His signature shoes similar to his style of play redefined the NBA because it is the first shoe that wasn't dominantly white. So the league banned it but he kept on wearing them while it cost him money every game he did. Nike supported him all the way and paid all the fines and after this shoe sales skyrocketed to its all time high. Everything was going well with Michael. He won the Rookie of the Year Award, All-Star Game MVP, Slam Dunk Champion, and he caught everybody's attention with his blazing dunks. Except he didn't have a championship ring which is every great player's goal. His quest for the championship title was stalled when the Detroit Pistons knocked his Chicago Bulls out of the playoffs for two consecutive years. The Pistons (aka The Bad
Cited: For the Love of the Game: My Story by Michael Jordan. Edited by Mark Vancil. Crown Publishers, INC. New York. 1998
NBA.com: Michael Jordan Bio. NBA Media Ventures. 2007. 13 May 2007
Jones, Ryan. "Jordan Forever." SLAM Magazine. 100th issue. Aug 2006. 79-86