How Did Michael Jordan Impact Society

To many, Michael Jordan was and will forever be the greatest basketball player of all time. Michael Jordan was an all-star basketball player and will leave a huge impact in the sports community. With his unique combination of skills he was able to shock the country with his amazing athleticism. Michael Jordan overcame adversity at a young age, earned plenty of awards and accomplishments, and left a vast impact on today’s society. Although Michael Jordan came known to be North Carolina’s best basketball player, he was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1963. At a young age, he shared a special bond with his father, which included them playing baseball as much as they could. Michael then followed his brother’s footsteps and started to play basketball

After his amazing career at the University of North Carolina, Jordan then decided to be entered into the NBA draft. Behind the picks of two 7-foot centers, Jordan was picked 3rd overall by the Chicago Bulls (NBA.com Staff 5). He quickly emerged as the one of the NBA’s greatest all-around basketball players. He was awarded the NBA’s “Rookie of the Year” in 1985. Jordan was seen as the NBA’s best player earning the “NBA Most Valuable Player” in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, and 1998. Along with his many MVP titles, he was also a 14 time All-Star in the league. Jordan and his Chicago Bulls went to the NBA Finals numerous times and Jordan was voted the Finals’ MVP 6 times. He earned multiple All-Offensive and All-Defensive team awards (Michael Jordan Stats 1). Jordan played in the 1984 and 1992 Gold Olympic medal teams. Throughout his career, he played in a total of 1,072 games and averaged 30.1 points per game, racking up a total of 32,292 points (Michael Jordan Biography 2). Because of his successful career, many players pursue to be as good or better than Michael

Jordan has influenced the lives of players around the world by his insane basketball skills, as well as his appreciable personality. When Jordan first entered the league, the attendance in the Bulls’ arena rose 87 percent than the previous season. Not only did his presence impact home games, he also influenced the crowds of away games, because they knew that Air Jordan would be coming to town (Harriman 2). Off the court, Jordan received many endorsement deals including Nike, Gatorade, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Wheaties, Hanes and more than a dozen others. With his many commercials and advertisements, from having his own brand of Nike shoe, and being starred on the Wheaties box, Jordan became even more popular than what he already was (Badenhausen 3). He also became an idol to many people, especially teens and kids. “Watching Jordan play and seeing how great he was, influenced many teens and kids around the world” (MJ Influences 1). Many of the kids wanted to grow up and be as good as MJ. Whether it would be sticking their tongue out just as Jordan would or wearing the iconic number 23, Michael is acknowledged around the world. Jordan was also very involved in various charities such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which granted wishes for children who had life-threatening medical conditions, and the Special Olympics, which provided sport activities, such as training and