Last Updated on June 26, 2025 by Mathew Diekhake
Here’s a detailed profile of basketballer Michael Jordan:
- Full Name: Michael Jeffrey Jordan
- Nickname: Air Jordan
- Nationality: United States (born in Cumberland Hospital)
- DOB: Born February 17, 1963
- Hometown: Wilmington, North Carolina
- Height: 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 meters)
- Weight: 216 lbs (98 kg) during his playing career
- Wingspan: 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 meters)
- Standing Reach: 8 feet 10 inches (106 inches)
- Vertical Leap: 48 inches (max vertical leap)
- Shoe Size: Size 13 (US)
- Shoe Brand: Air Jordan 1 Retro, Air Jordan 2 Retro, Air Jordan 3 Retro, Air Jordan 4 Retro, Air Jordan 5 Retro, Air Jordan 6 Retro, Air Jordan 7 Retro, Air Jordan 8 Retro, Air Jordan 9 Retro, Air Jordan 10 Retro, Air Jordan 11 Retro, Air Jordan 12 Retro, Air Jordan 13 Retro, Air Jordan 14 Retro, Air Jordan 17 Retro, Air Jordan 18 Retro
- Number: 23 (North Carolina), 23 (Bulls), 45 (Bulls), 23 (Wizards), 9 (Team USA)
- Position: Shooting guard (SG)
- High School: Emsley A. Laney High School, Wilmington, North Carolina
- College: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (North Carolina Tar Heels)
- Draft: 1984, 1st round, 3rd pick overall by the Chicago Bulls
- Teams Played For:
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- Chicago Bulls (1984–1993, 1995–1998)
- Jordan spent the majority of his career with the Bulls, winning six NBA championships (1991–1993, 1996–1998).
- He earned five NBA MVP awards and established his legacy as a dominant player during these years.
- Washington Wizards (2001–2003)
- Jordan came out of retirement a second time to play two seasons with the Wizards.
- While he did not achieve the same level of team success, he remained a highly productive player and mentor.
- Chicago Bulls (1984–1993, 1995–1998)
- 2K Rating: 99 (Bulls)
- Accolades:
- NBA Championships:
- 6-time NBA Champion: (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) with the Chicago Bulls (Chicago Bulls Championships)
- Jordan was the Finals MVP in all six championships.
- NBA Awards:
- 5-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP): (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998)
- 14-time NBA All-Star: (1985–1993, 1996–1998, 2002–2003)
- 3-time NBA All-Star Game MVP: (1988, 1996, 1998)
- 10-time All-NBA First Team: (1987–1993, 1996–1998)
- 1-time All-NBA Second Team: (1985)
- NBA Rookie of the Year: (1985)
- NBA Defensive Player of the Year: (1988)
- 9-time NBA All-Defensive First Team: (1988–1993, 1996–1998)
- 10-time NBA Scoring Champion: (1987–1993, 1996–1998)
- NBA Steals Leader: (1988, 1990, 1993)
- NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion: (1987, 1988)
- Finals MVPs:
- 6-time NBA Finals MVP: (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
- Holds the record for most Finals MVP awards in NBA history
- Olympics:
- 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist:
- 1984 Summer Olympics (Amateur)
- 1992 Summer Olympics with the “Dream Team”
- Career Totals & Achievements:
- 32,292 career points (30.1 points per game, highest in NBA history for a career average)
- 6,672 rebounds
- 5,633 assists
- Retired with 5,987 points in the playoffs, the most in NBA playoff history at the time
- NBA Hall of Fame Inductee: 2009
- Other Notable Achievements:
- NBA 50th Anniversary Team: (1996)
- NBA 75th Anniversary Team: (2021)
- FIBA Hall of Fame Inductee: (2015)
- ESPY Awards: 3-time winner of Best Male Athlete
- Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year: (1991)
- Game Stats:
- College Stats: Michael Jordan College Stats
- Career Stats: Michael Jordan Career Stats
- Playoff Stats: Michael Jordan Playoff Stats
- Kids: Three children (Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine)
- Siblings: Michael Jordan has two brothers (Larry and James) and one sister (Deloris)
- Retirement Age:
- First retirement: 1993 at age 30
- Second retirement: 1999 at age 36
- Final retirement: 2003 at age 40
- Net Worth: Michael Jordan Contract History; his Jordan brand is worth over $1.5 billion
Player Overview: Michael Jordan is the best shooting guard to have ever played basketball. Athletic, skillful, talented, and driven, he dominated the NBA during the 90s to win 6 NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan had several attributes that made him special: he could palm the basketball as though it were a baseball to most others; he had the highest vertical leap out of any basketballer in history, and it made him look like he could fly, hence the nickname Air Jordan, and he was as competitive as anyone else who ever played the game. Unlike most people, I do not think that basketball players are getting more skilled in general. Back when I grew up in the 90s, the best players were really good at driving the ball to the basket; driving was their main talent. Nowadays, it’s virtually impossible to find anyone who can drive the ball well. Basketball leagues aren’t producing great drivers of the basketball because they’ve changed the rules. Nowadays, it’s like a dance to the ring; you need footwork. There was little of that when I played. The best athletes made it to the basket and put the ball in. Not coincidentally, the best athletes also prevented an offense from getting to the basket. Often that was the same person. I couldn’t even begin to come up with a name in today’s NBA that can drive the ball like Michael Jordan. They don’t exist.
Notes:
- Similar players to Michael Jordan include Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and Anthony Edwards.
Fun Facts
- His 48-inch vertical leap has been unmatched since he left the NBA.
- He had his Chicago mansion on sale for 12 years for a mere 15 million dollars and it still wouldn’t sell, even with all the fans he has (his basketball cards nearly sell for that).
- He came out of retirement twice to play NBA basketball again. The first year he sat out (1993-94), it was because his father had been murdered.
- He watched baseball a lot with his father as a boy and decided to try to be a pro baseball player for the Chicago White Sox when he retired from the NBA for the second time (1998-99 to 2000-01).
- Kenny Smith called Michael Jordan the most complete basketball player to have ever played the game.
- While playing with the Bulls, he would wear a new pair of Jordan basketball shoes each game and give the pair he wore after each game to a local charity in Chicago.
Photos
Blogs:
September 15, 2024 @ 8:32 pm
I don’t know that I agree with Kenny Smith when he says Michael Jordan is the most complete basketball player. Naturally, backcourt players have better ball-handling skills and backcourt player skills, but we shouldn’t judge a frontcourt player based on a backcourt player’s skills — they’re two completely different positions on the basketball court. The average backcourt player couldn’t come close to dominating the paint the way the average frontcourt player does — how much value does this deserve when assessing who is the most complete basketball player? Big men don’t bounce the ball up the basketball court and it’s not expected of them to work on those skills. I don’t think it’s fair to say that that makes them a less complete basketball player. The most complete center ever to play basketball shouldn’t be judged on their point guard skills — they should be judged based on how complete their interior games were around the paint.