“If you look up the definition of greatness in the dictionary, it will say Michael Jordan.” These famous words were stated by NBA legend, Elgin Baylor. Even though Michael Jordan didn’t even make the varsity basketball team as a sophomore, he went on to become one of the greatest players to ever play the game. He was taught from a young age, that to succeed, he had to outwork everyone else. Never was this more evident than in his high school and college years. This credo led to him becoming one of the most loved and successful athletes ever.Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York, to James and Deloris Jordan. When Michael was very young, his parents decided to move him and his 4 siblings to Wilmington, North …show more content…
When he was drafted, the Bulls were a losing team. They drew only around 6,000 fans at a home game. Jordan quickly turned that around. Crowds loved his incredible leaping ability and style of play. He reminded them of Julius Erving. He was named to the All-Star team and won Rookie of the Year. Jordan was sidelined for 64 of the 82 games in the 1985-86 season, but he returned to score 49 in the first game of the playoffs and 63 in the second game. The 1986-87 season was one of personal success for Jordan, he started the All-Star game and became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to score 3000 points in a season. Although he enjoyed all this success, Chicago never made it past the first round of the playoffs until 1988. Jordan focused on improving the other areas of his game and won Defensive Player of the Year and his first Most Valuable Player award in 1988. In 1991, Bulls management created a strong team around Jordan. They went on to win three straight NBA championships for 1991-1993. The summer after their third straight championship, Jordan's father was murdered. This tragedy, along with reports of Jordan’s gambling, put too much stress on Jordan and he unexpectedly retired from basketball to pursue a baseball career. He played for the Birmingham Barons from 1994-95,and although it was clear he wasn’t a baseball player, the rest and time away rekindled his love for