Winter 2023 Part 3

 

Michael Jordan (60 Years Later)

There are a lot of people who changed history and culture for centuries and millennia. He is one human being who changed basketball forever not only with his athleticism and skills on the court. He is one of the most well-known promoters of business and sports in human history. He is Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan wasn't the first athlete to do what he has done. Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and other basketball players were iconic athletes in the NBA. Yet, Michael Jordan was the first basketball athlete who took his athletic basketball gifts to the next level of prominence that inspired the national and international growth of basketball. Former NBA Player NBA Allen Iverson was inspired to play in the NBA by Michael Jordan. Former international players like Dirk Nowitzki were inspired by the Dream Team to play basketball. Also, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player in NBA history without question. With him playing 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association, Jordan won six NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls, he was a 14-time NBA All-Star, he won 2 Olympic gold medals, he was a 2-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion, and he won the NBA MVP 5 times. These are just some of his many accomplishments. Like us, Michael Jordan isn't perfect. To accurately describe the story of a human being, you have to honestly talk about the good things that a person did and the mistakes in order for people (especially people in future generations to learn lessons to avoid the pitfalls of life). Michael Jordan's philanthropy has been extensive, and his life documents how powerful fulfilled dreams are. Dreaming is great, and you have to legitimate actions in light to get your dreams accomplished (filled with determination, hard work, kindness to others, courage, and standing up for justice for all). Michael Jordan has been on this Earth for almost 60 years being an inspirational cultural icon. 

Growing Up in Wilmington, North Carolina

Michael Jordan was born at Cumberland Hospital in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York City, on February 17, 1963. His parents are the son of bank-employed Deloris Peoples Jordan and equipment supervisor James R. Jordan Sr. By 1968, Michael Jordan moved with his family to Wilmington, North Carolina. He attended Emsley A. Landey High School in Wilmington. His athletic career increased when Michael Jordan played basketball, baseball, and football. Michael Jordan once tried to play on the high school basketball varsity team during his sophomore year. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall. He was deemed too short to play at that level. His taller friend Harvest Leroy Smith was the only sophomore to make the team. Jordan worked on his skills to be the star of Laney's junior varsity team. He played in 40-point games too. The following summer, he grew four inches and trained constantly. He earned a spot on the varsity roster, and he averaged more than 25 points per game over his final two seasons of high school play. When he was a senior, Michael Jordan was selected to play in the 1981 McDonald's All-American Game and scored 30 points. He averaged 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists per game for the season. Many college basketball programs wanted him to play for their teams like Duke, North Carolina, South Carolina, Syracuse, and Virginia.

UNC

In 1981, he accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in cultural geography. Michael Jordan decided to join the University of North Carolina. As a freshman in Dean Smith's team-oriented system at UNC, Michael Jordan was named ACC Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.4 ppg on 53.4% shooting (field goal percentage). Coach Dean Smith always taught his players to embrace team basketball play. The team concept motivated Michael Jordan throughout his professional basketball career. He made the game-winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown (which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing). Jordan later said that this shot he made was the major turning point in his basketball career. Michael Jordan during his three seasons with Tar Heels, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting, and added 5.0 rpg and 1.8 apg. Michael Jordan was selected by consensus to the NCAA All-American First Team in both his sophomore (1983) and junior (1984) seasons. After winning the Naismith and the Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984, Jordan left North Carolina one year before his scheduled graduation to enter the 1984 NBA draft. Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986. Jordan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography. In 2002, Michael Jordan was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team honoring the 50 greatest players in ACC history.

The 1984 Olympics  

Michael Jordan was part of the 1984 USA Men's Olympic Basketball team. He was the leading scorer with 17.1 points a game. The team's coach was Bob Knight. The Olympic Games in 1984 took place in the city of Los Angeles. Bob Knight has always been controversial because of his tactics as coach of the Indiana Hoosiers. The team was considered to be one of the strongest in U.S.A.'s history at that time, as it featured four of the five 1984 consensus first-team All-Americans, in Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Wayman Tisdale, and Sam Perkins. Prior to the Olympics, the team played eight games against NBA All-Star teams including Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Isiah Thomas, and Mark Aguirre. The Olympians won all eight games. That was shocking to some because those NBA players were already legends and icons. Michael Jordan proved himself to be one of the greats too. Later, the USA Olympic men's basketball team went 8–0 in the Olympic tournament, averaging 95.4 points per game, and holding their opponents to 63.3. Four players averaged double-figures in scoring: Michael Jordan (17.1), Chris Mullin (11.6), Patrick Ewing (11.0) and Steve Alford (10.3). Wayman Tisdale led the team in rebounding (5.9 per game), while Leon Wood led the team in assists (7.9 per game). The 1984 Summer Olympics allowed more people to witness the greatness of Michael Jordan. Jordan led in scoring and inspired the crowds with his speed and athleticism. Many other people on the team like Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin would join Jordan in the future 1992 Dream Team. Jordan recalled that while this Olympic experience was exciting, it had also been trying because of Knight: "I don't know if I would have done it if I knew what Knight was going to be like." 

 

Michael Jordan Historic 1984-1985 Rookie Season

Michael Jordan was part of the 1984 NBA Draft being one of the best draft classes in NBA History (along with the 1996 Draft Class and the 2003 Draft Class). One of the primary reasons why Jordan was not drafted sooner was because the first two teams were in need of a center. Trail Blazers general manager Stu Inman contended that it was not a matter of drafting a center but more a matter of taking Bowie over Jordan, in part because Portland already had Clyde Drexler, who was a guard with similar skills to Jordan. Michael Jordan made his NBA debut at Chicago Stadium on October 26, 1984 and scored 16 points. In 2021, a ticket stub from the game sold at auction for $264,000, setting a record for a collectible ticket stub. During his rookie 1984–85 season with the Bulls, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting and helped make a team that had won 35% of games in the previous three seasons playoff contenders. He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas. Roy S. Johnson of The New York Times described him as "the phenomenal rookie of the Bulls" in November, and Jordan appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the heading "A Star Is Born" in December 1984. The fans also voted in Jordan as an All-Star starter during his rookie season. Controversy arose before the 1985 NBA All-Star Game when word surfaced that several veteran players, led by Isiah Thomas, were upset by the amount of attention Jordan was receiving. This led to a so-called "freeze-out" on Jordan, where players refused to pass the ball to him throughout the game. The controversy left Jordan relatively unaffected when he returned to regular season play, and he would go on to be voted the NBA Rookie of the Year. To this day, Isaiah Thomas denied that he promoted a freeze out of Jordan. The Bulls finished the season 38–44 and lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in four games in the first round of the playoffs.

An often-cited moment was on August 26, 1985, when Jordan shook the arena during a Nike exhibition game in Trieste, Italy, by shattering the glass of the backboard with a dunk. The moment was filmed and is often referred to worldwide as an important milestone in Jordan's rise. The shoes Jordan wore during the game were auctioned in August 2020 and sold for $615,000, a record for a pair of sneakers.

Growing Pains in the NBA

Later, Michael Jordan started his 2nd season in the NBA from 1985-1986. The shoes that he wore during the August 1985 Trieste exhibition game sold for $615,000, a record for a pair of sneakers in August 2020. The 1985-1986 season was cut short, because Michael Jordan broke his foot in the third game of the year. He missed 64 games. The Bulls made the playoffs despite Jordan's injury and a 30-52 record. That was the 5th worth record of any team to qualify for the playoffs in NBA history during that time period. Michael Jordan recovered in time to participate in the postseason.   Against a Boston Celtics team that is often considered one of the greatest in NBA history, Jordan set the still-unbroken record for points in a playoff game with 63 in Game 2, but the Celtics managed to sweep the series. Jordan completely recovered in time for the 1986–87 season and had one of the most prolific scoring seasons in NBA history; he became the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to score 3,000 points in a season, averaging a league-high 37.1 ppg on 48.2% shooting. In addition, Jordan demonstrated his defensive prowess, as he became the first player in NBA history to record 200 steals and 100 blocked shots in a season. Despite Jordan's success, Magic Johnson won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. The Bulls reached 40 wins, and advanced to the playoffs for the third consecutive year but were again swept by the Celtics. 

Jordan again led the league in scoring during the 1987–88 season, averaging 35.0 ppg on 53.5% shooting, and he won his first league MVP Award. He was also named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, as he averaged 1.6 blocks per game (bpg), a league-high 3.1 steals per game (spg) and led the Bulls defense to the fewest points per game allowed in the league. The Bulls finished 50–32 and made it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in Jordan's career, as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. He won the 1988 NBA All Star Game Award. By the year of 1988, Michael Jordan was totally the best player in the league. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Bulls lost in five games to the more experienced Detroit Pistons, who were led by Isiah Thomas and a group of physical players known as the "Bad Boys." The Pistons won back-to-back championships in 1989 and in 1990. Many of them were controversial like Laimbeer for aggressive defensive tactics. In the 1988–89 season, Jordan again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg on 53.8% shooting from the field, along with 8 rpg and 8 apg. During the season, Sam Vincent, Chicago's point guard, was having trouble running the offense, and Jordan expressed his frustration with head coach Doug Collins, who would put Jordan at point guard. In his time as a point guard, Jordan averaged 10 triple-doubles in eleven games, with 33.6 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 10.8 apg, 2.9 spg, and 0.8 bpg on 51% shooting.

The Bulls finished with a 47–35 record, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the Cavaliers and New York Knicks along the way. The Cavaliers series included a career highlight for Jordan when he hit "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer in the fifth and final game of the series. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons again defeated the Bulls, this time in six games, by utilizing their "Jordan Rules" method of guarding Jordan, which consisted of double and triple teaming him every time he touched the ball.

The Bulls entered the 1989–90 season as a team on the rise, with their core group of Jordan and young improving players like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, and under the guidance of new coach Phil Jackson. On March 28, 1990, Jordan scored a career-high 69 points in a 117–113 road win over the Cavaliers. He averaged a league-leading 33.6 ppg on 52.6% shooting, to go with 6.9 rpg and 6.3 apg, in leading the Bulls to a 55–27 record. They again advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals after beating the Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers; despite pushing the series to seven games, the Bulls lost to the Pistons for the third consecutive season

Personal Life Developments

Michael Jordan is the fourth of five children.  He has two older brothers, Larry Jordan and James R. Jordan Jr., one older sister, Deloris, and one younger sister, Roslyn. James retired in 2006 as the command sergeant major of the 35th Signal Brigade of the XVIII Airborne Corps in the U.S. Army. Jordan's nephew through Larry, Justin Jordan, played NCAA Division I basketball for the UNC Greensboro Spartans and is a scout for the Charlotte Hornets. Michael Jordan married his first wife Juanita Vanoy on September 2, 1989, at  A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. They had two sons, Jeffrey and Marcus, and a daughter, Jasmine. The Jordans filed for divorce on January 4, 2002, citing irreconcilable differences, but reconciled shortly thereafter. They again filed for divorce and were granted a final decree of dissolution of marriage on December 29, 2006, commenting that the decision was made "mutually and amicably" It is reported that Juanita received a $168 million settlement (equivalent to $226 million in 2021), making it the largest celebrity divorce settlement on public record at the time. Michael Jordan wrote a love letter to actress and model Amy Hunter in 1989. Amy Hunter was on The Kingdom, Pacific Blue, The Scorpion King, and other shows and movies for over 30 decades. It is no secret that Michael Jordan had affairs which I don't agree with. Jordan proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto, on Christmas 2011, and they were married on April 27, 2013, at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church. It was announced on November 30, 2013, that the two were expecting their first child together. On February 11, 2014, Prieto gave birth to identical twin daughters named Victoria and Ysabel. In 2019, Jordan became a grandfather when his daughter Jasmine gave birth to a son, whose father is professional basketball player Rakeem Christmas.

This is Michael Jordan crying after winning his first NBA Finals championships with his first wife and his father. 

Finally winning the First NBA Championship

By the 1990-1991 season, Michael Jordan won his second MVP award after averaging 31.5 ppg on 53.9% shooting, 6.0 rpg, and 5.5 apg for the regular season. This season would definitely be different. The Bulls finished in first place in their division for the first time in sixteen years and set a franchise record with 61 wins in the regular season. With Scottie Pippen developing into an All-Star, the Bulls had elevated their play. 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; this time, the Bulls beat the Pistons in a four-game sweep.

The Bulls advanced to the Finals for the first time in franchise history to face the Los Angeles Lakers, who had Magic Johnson and James Worthy, two formidable opponents. The Bulls won the series four games to one and compiled a 15–2 playoff record along the way. Perhaps the best-known moment of the series came in Game 2 when, attempting a dunk, Jordan avoided a potential Sam Perkins block by switching the ball from his right hand to his left in mid-air to lay the shot into the basket. In his first Finals appearance, Jordan had 31.2 ppg on 56% shooting from the field, 11.4 apg, 6.6 rpg, 2.8 spg, and 1.4 bpg. Jordan won his first NBA Finals MVP award, and he cried while holding the Finals trophy. This was a changing of the guard from Magic to Jordan for who would take the NBA into the 1990's. Michael Jordan winning his first championship caused a new era of the NBA. Magic Johnson graciously and professionally congratulated Michael Jordan and his Bulls teammates for the victory. 

More on the First Three Peat

Michael Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance in the 1991–92 season, establishing a 67–15 record, topping their franchise record from 1990–91. Jordan won his second consecutive MVP award with averages of 30.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, and 6.1 apg on 52% shooting. After winning a physical seven-game series over the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs and finishing off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals in six games, the Bulls met Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals. The media, hoping to recreate a Magic–Bird rivalry, highlighted the similarities between "Air" Jordan and Clyde "The Glide" during the pre-Finals hype. 

In the first game, Jordan scored a Finals-record 35 points in the first half, including a record-setting six three-point field goals. After the sixth three-pointer, he jogged down the court shrugging as he looked courtside. Marv Albert, who broadcast the game, later stated that it was as if Jordan was saying: "I can't believe I'm doing this." The Bulls went on to win Game 1 and defeat the Blazers in six games. Jordan was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row and finished the series averaging 35.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 6.5 apg, while shooting 52.6% from the floor. By the Summer of 1992, Michael Jordan was the most popular sports athlete in the world other than Muhammad Ali. Jordan has grown into new heights. Michael Jordan was involved in the 1992 Dream Team during the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics (in Spain). The Dream team defeated its opponents by an average of 44 points en route to the gold medal game against Croatia. The scoring leader was Charles Barkley, the rebounding leaders were Karl Malone and Patrick Ewing, and the assists leader was Scottie Pippen. The team collectively was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2009, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010, and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017. The Naismith Hall calls the team, 'the greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet." In 2009, the Dream Team was elected to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame. The Dream Team had Michael Jordan, David Robinson, Christain Laettner, Patrick Ewing, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, Charles Barkley, and Magic Johnson. After that, Michael Jordan was already on icon status. Then, another NBA season existed.

In the 1992–93 season, despite a 32.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 5.5 apg campaign, including a second-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting, Jordan's streak of consecutive MVP seasons ended, as he lost the award to his friend Charles Barkley, which upset him. During the Bulls' 1993 NBA playoffs, Jordan has seen gambling in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the night before a game against the New York Knicks. The previous year, he admitted that he had to cover $57,000 in gambling losses, and author Richard Esquinas wrote a book in 1993 claiming he had won $1.25 million from Jordan on the golf course. David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA, denied in 1995 and 2006 that Jordan's 1993 retirement was a secret suspension by the league for gambling, but the rumor spread widely.

In 2005, Jordan discussed his gambling with Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes and admitted that he made reckless decisions. Jordan stated: "Yeah, I've gotten myself into situations where I would not walk away and I've pushed the envelope. Is that compulsive? Yeah, it depends on how you look at it. If you're willing to jeopardize your livelihood and your family, then yeah." When Bradley asked him if his gambling ever got to the level where it jeopardized his livelihood or family, Jordan replied: "No." In 2010, Ron Shelton, director of Jordan Rides the Bus, said that he began working on the documentary believing that the NBA had suspended him, but that research "convinced [him it] was nonsense".

Coincidentally, Jordan and the Bulls met Barkley and his Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals. The Bulls won their third NBA championship on a game-winning shot by John Paxson and a last-second block by Horace Grant, but Jordan was once again Chicago's leader. He averaged a Finals-record 41.0 ppg during the six-game series and became the first player in NBA history to win three straight Finals MVP awards. He scored more than 30 points in every game of the series, including 40 or more points in four consecutive games. Winning 3 straight titles was something that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird didn't do. By 1993 and especially after the win against the Suns, there were already discussions that Michael Jordan was the greatest NBA player in history. Ironically, in the future, Michael Jordan would make even more accomplishments that would solidify him as the greatest NBA player in history. With his third Finals triumph, Jordan capped off a seven-year run where he attained seven scoring titles and three championships, but there were signs that Jordan was tiring of his massive celebrity and all of the non-basketball hassles in his life.

Retirement and Tragedy

With the first three-peat, there is no question that Michael Jordan has proved the naysayers wrong. Even as early as 1992 (according to his 1998 autobiography For the Love of the Game. In the book, Michael Jordan wrote that he was exhausted due to the Dream Team run in the 1992 Summer Olympics), Michael Jordan expressed his goal to leave basketball to go and play baseball. Jordan faced massive stardom and scrutiny that the average person never experienced. One tragic event would change his life forever. That was when his father, James R. Jordan Sr., was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a highway rest area in Lumberton, North Carolina. He was murdered by 2 teenagers (Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery). The murderers carjacked his Lexus bearing the license plate "UNC 0023." His body was placed in a South Carolina swamp. It wasn't discovered until August 3, 1993. Green and Demery were found after they made calls on James Jordan's cell phone. They were both convicted at a trial and sentenced to life in prison. Michael Jordan was very close to his father and stuck his tongue out like his father did when he was absorbed in work. In 1996, Michael Jordan founded a Chicago area Boys and Girls Club and dedicated it to his father. On October 6, 1993, Michael Jordan announced his retirement from basketball sitting next to his first wife. This came about when I was in the 5th grade of elementary school. It sent shockwaves across the NBA, across America, and across the world. The news was on the front pages of newspapers around the world too. 

Jordan further surprised the sports world by signing a Minor League Baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox on February 7, 1994. He reported to spring training in Sarasota, Florida and was assigned to the team's minor league system on March 31, 1994. Jordan said that this decision was made to pursue the dream of his late father, who always envisioned his son as a Major League Baseball player. The White Sox were owned by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who continued to honor Jordan's basketball contract during the years he played baseball.

In 1994, Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, batting .202 with three home runs, 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, 114 strikeouts, 51 bases on balls, and 11 errors. His strikeout total led the team and his games played tied for the team lead. His 30 stolen bases were second on the team only to Doug Brady. He also appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 1994 Arizona Fall League, batting .252 against the top prospects in baseball. On November 1, 1994, his No. 23 was retired by the Bulls in a ceremony that included the erection of a permanent sculpture known as The Spirit outside the new United Center. Michael Jordan had a good baseball career, and he was getting better as time went on. 

By the 1993-1994 season, Michael Jordan wasn't in the lineup. They lost to the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. The 1994–95 Bulls were not the same championship team of just two years earlier. Struggling at mid-season to ensure a spot in the playoffs, Chicago was 31–31 at one point in mid-March; the team received help when Jordan decided to return to the Bulls.

 

The Comeback and Winning the Fourth NBA Championship

In March 1995, Jordan decided to quit baseball because he feared he might become a replacement player during the Major League Baseball strike. On March 18, 1995, Jordan announced his return to the NBA through a two-word press release: "I'm back." The next day, Jordan took to the court with the Bulls to face the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, scoring 19 points. The game had the highest Nielsen rating of any regular season NBA game since 1975. Although he could have worn his original number even though the Bulls retired it, Jordan wore No. 45, his baseball number.

Despite his eighteen-month hiatus from the NBA, Jordan played well, making a game-winning jump shot against Atlanta in his fourth game back. He scored 55 points in his next game, against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1995. Boosted by Jordan's comeback, the Bulls went 13–4 to make the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic. At the end of Game 1, Orlando's Nick Anderson stripped Jordan from behind, leading to the game-winning basket for the Magic; he later commented that Jordan "didn't look like the old Michael Jordan", and said that "No. 45 doesn't explode like No. 23 used to." Jordan responded by scoring 38 points in the next game, which Chicago won. Before the game, Jordan decided that he would immediately resume wearing his former No. 23. The Bulls were fined $25,000 for failing to report the impromptu number change to the NBA. Jordan was fined an additional $5,000 for opting to wear white sneakers when the rest of the Bulls wore black. He averaged 31 ppg in the playoffs, but Orlando won the series in six games.

Michael Jordan was freshly motivated by the playoff defeat, and he trained aggressively for the 1995–96 season. The Bulls were strengthened by the addition of rebound specialist Dennis Rodman, and the team dominated the league, starting the season at 41–3. The Bulls eventually finished with the best regular season record in NBA history, 72–10, a mark broken two decades later by the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors. Jordan led the league in scoring with 30.4 ppg, and he won the league's regular season and All-Star Game MVP awards.

In the playoffs, the Bulls lost only three games in four series (Miami Heat 3–0, New York Knicks 4–1, and Orlando Magic 4–0), as they defeated the Seattle Supersonics 4–2 in the NBA Finals to win their fourth championship. Jordan was named Finals MVP for a record fourth time, surpassing Magic Johnson's three Finals MVP awards; he also achieved only the second sweep of the MVP awards in the All-Star Game, regular season, and NBA Finals after Willis Reed in the 1969–70 season. Upon winning the championship, his first since his father's murder, Jordan reacted emotionally, clutching the game ball and crying on the locker room floor

More on The Second Three Peat

After the Chicago Bulls' 4th championship in 1996, Michael Jordan further made more accomplishments in and outside of the basketball court. By the 1996-1997 season, the Bull had a 69-11 record. They ended their season by losing their final two games to finish the year with 69-13. They missed out on a second consecutive 70-win season. The Chicago Bulls beat Washington and Atlanta in the Playoffs. They faced the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. This caused a rivalry between both teams. Dennis Rodman used mind games against Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning constantly. During the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, Michael Jordan had his first triple-double in All-Star Game history in a victorious effort. The MVP of the game went to Glen Rice. Then, the Chicago Bulls faced the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Finals. The Utah Jazz would be the toughest challenge that the Bulls ever faced in the NBA Finals too. The Jazz had the leaders of Karl Malone and John Stockon (whose coach was Jerry Sloan). In 1997, Karl Malone won the NBA MVP award in a tight race (986-957). This made Michael Jordan take it personally to prove that he was the best player in the League (which he was). The series against the Jazz featured two of the more memorable clutch moments of Jordan's career. He won Game 1 for the Bulls with a buzzer-beating jump shot. In Game 5, with the series tied at 2, Jordan played despite being feverish and dehydrated from a stomach virus. In what is known as "The Flu Game", Jordan scored 38 points, including the game-deciding 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining. The Bulls won 90–88 and went on to win the series in six games. For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Jordan received the Finals MVP award. 

By the Summer of 1997, the Chicago Bulls defeated a Greek basketball team in Paris to validate the Chicago Bulls as the best basketball team in the world. Also, Jerry Krause almost splits up the Chicago Bulls team in 1997. Jerry Reinsdorf and others prevented that from taking place. Yet, Krause wanted the upcoming season to be the last season of the Chicago Bulls with Pippen, Jordan, and Rodman together. Krause was wrong to make the Bulls split up so early, but Krause suffered much verbal abuse that was unjust. You can agree to disagree with someone on issues without verbal abuse. That is why the future 1997-1998 season was the last dance. By this season, the Bulls team was great but aging. By this time, Scottie Pippen was injured and had surgery with a bad contract. So, Pippen had to rest for a large part of the 97-98 season. Michael Jordan led the league with 28.7 ppg in that season. In the early part of the 97-98 season, the Chicago Bulls struggled. Michael Jordan was 35 years old in 1998 and playing greatly. Jordan had his fifth regular season MVP award, plus honors for All-NBA First Team, First Defensive Team, and the All-Star Game MVP. Rodman took up more play while Pippen was recovering from injury too. Dennis Rodman wanted to relax, so he went to Vegas to party and unwind. Michael Jordan had to get Rodman from Vegas to make him play basketball. When Scottie Pippen came back, the Chicago Bulls were rejuvenated. The 1998 All-Star Game had Michael Jordan winning MVP, and he competed against a young Kobe Bryant. Kobe would go on to be one of the GOATs and one of the top 10 greatest NBA Players in history. The Bulls won the Eastern Conference Championship for a third straight season, including surviving a seven-game series with the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals; it was the first time Jordan had played in a Game 7 since the 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals with the New York Knicks. The Bulls defeated the Pacers and had a tough journey. Jordan said that he had scratches in the series. Michael Jordan played some of his best basketball in the series. After winning, they moved on to a rematch with the Jazz in the Finals.

The Utah Jazz was ready. The Bulls fought at every game. They had massive victories and struggled too Scottie Pippen played bravely with a back injury at Game 6. The Bulls returned to the Delta Center for Game 6 on June 14, 1998, leading the series 3–2. Jordan executed a series of plays, considered to be one of the greatest clutch performances in NBA Finals history. With 41.9 seconds remaining and the Bulls trailing 86–83, Phil Jackson called a timeout. When play resumed, Jordan received the inbound pass, drove to the basket, and sank a shot over several Jazz defenders, cutting Utah's lead to 86–85. The Jazz brought the ball up court and passed the ball to Malone, who was set up in the low post and was being guarded by Rodman. Malone jostled with Rodman and caught the pass, but Jordan cut behind him and stole the ball out of his hands.

Jordan then dribbled down the court and paused, eyeing his defender, Jazz guard Bryon Russell. With 10 seconds remaining, Jordan started to dribble right, then crossed over to his left, possibly pushing off Russell, although the officials did not call a foul. Michael Jordan to this day denied that he pushed off anyone in that play. With 5.2 seconds left, Jordan made the climactic shot of his Bulls career, a top-key jumper over a stumbling Russell to give Chicago an 87–86 lead. Afterward, the Jazz' John Stockton narrowly missed a game-winning three-pointer, and the buzzer sounded as Jordan and the Bulls won their sixth NBA championship, achieving a second three-peat in the decade. Once again, Jordan was voted Finals MVP, having led all scorers by averaging 33.5 ppg, including 45 in the deciding Game 6. Jordan's six Finals MVPs is a record. The 1998 Finals holds the highest television rating of any Finals series in history, and Game 6 holds the highest television rating of any game in NBA history.

Retirement Again

By 1999, times were changing. The NBA had a temporary lockout. With Phil Jackson's contract expiring, the pending departures of Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman looming, and being in the latter stages of an owner-induced lockout of NBA players, Michael Jordan retired for the second time on January 13, 1999. On January 19, 2000, Jordan returned to the NBA not as a player but as part owner and president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards. Jordan's responsibilities with the Wizards were comprehensive, as he controlled all aspects of the Wizards' basketball operations, and had the final say in all personnel matters; opinions of Jordan as a basketball executive were mixed. He managed to purge the team of several highly paid players (like forward Juwan Howard and point guard Rod Strickland) but used the first pick in the 2001 NBA draft to select Kwame Brown (who came out of high school), and Brown was traded away after four seasons.

Despite his January 1999 claim that he was "99.9% certain" he would never play another NBA game, Jordan expressed interest in making another comeback in the summer of 2001, this time with his new team. Inspired by the NHL comeback of his friend Mario Lemieux the previous winter, Jordan spent much of the spring and summer of 2001 in training, holding several invitation-only camps for NBA players in Chicago. In addition, Jordan hired his old Chicago Bulls head coach, Doug Collins, as Washington's coach for the upcoming season, a decision that many saw as foreshadowing another Jordan return. 

The Washington Wizards

On September 25, 2001, Michael Jordan announced his return to the NBA to play for the Washington Wizards. He wanted to donate his salary as a player to a relief effort for the victims of the September 11 attack. He played great in the early part of the 2001-2002 season. He played nearly 30 points a game until his injury.  In an injury-plagued 2001–02 season, Jordan led the team in scoring (22.9 ppg), assists (5.2 apg), and steals (1.4 spg), and was an MVP candidate, as he led the Wizards to a winning record and playoff contention; he would eventually finish 13th in the MVP ballot. After suffering torn cartilage in his right knee, and subsequent knee soreness, the Wizards missed the playoffs, and Jordan's season ended after only 60 games, the fewest he had played in a regular season since playing 17 games after returning from his first retirement during the 1994–95 season. Jordan started 53 of his 60 games for the season, averaging 24.3 ppg, 5.4 apg, and 6.0 rpg, and shooting 41.9% from the field in his 53 starts. His last seven appearances were in a reserve role, in which he averaged just over 20 minutes per game. The Wizards finished the season with a 37–45 record, an 18-game improvement.

 

Playing in his 14th and final NBA All-Star Game in 2003, Jordan passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in All-Star Game history, a record since broken by Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.  The singer Mariah Carey sang a tribute to Michael Jordan, and Jordan made a shot over Shawn Marion during the 4th quarter. The East lost in Overtime in the 2003 NBA All Star Game. That year, Jordan was the only Washington player to play in all 82 games, starting in 67 of them, and coming from off the bench in 15. He averaged 20.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 spg per game. He also shot 45% from the field, and 82% from the free-throw line. Even though he turned 40 during the season, he scored 20 or more points 42 times, 30 or more points nine times, and 40 or more points three times. On February 21, 2003, Jordan became the first 40-year-old to tally 43 points in an NBA game. During his stint with the Wizards, all of Jordan's home games at the MCI Center were sold out and the Wizards were the second most-watched team in the NBA, averaging 20,172 fans a game at home and 19,311 on the road. Jordan's final two seasons did not result in a playoff appearance for the Wizards, and he was often unsatisfied with the play of those around him. At several points, he openly criticized his teammates to the media, citing their lack of focus and intensity.

With the recognition that 2002–03 would be Jordan's final season, tributes were paid to him throughout the NBA. In his final game at the United Center in Chicago, which was his old home court, Jordan received a four-minute standing ovation. The Miami Heat retired the No. 23 jersey on April 11, 2003, even though Jordan never played for the team. At the 2003 All-Star Game, Jordan was offered a starting spot from Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson but refused both; in the end, he accepted the spot of Vince Carter. Jordan played in his final NBA game on April 16, 2003, in Philadelphia. After scoring 13 points in the game, Jordan went to the bench with 4 minutes and 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter and his team trailing the Philadelphia 76ers 75–56. Just after the start of the fourth quarter, the First Union Center crowd began chanting "We want Mike!" After much encouragement from coach Doug Collins, Jordan finally rose from the bench and re-entered the game, replacing Larry Hughes with 2:35 remaining. At 1:45, Jordan was intentionally fouled by the 76ers' Eric Snow, and stepped to the line to make both free throws. After the second foul shot, the 76ers in-bounded the ball to rookie John Salmons, who in turn was intentionally fouled by Bobby Simmons one second later, stopping time so that Jordan could return to the bench. Jordan received a three-minute standing ovation from his teammates, his opponents, the officials, and the crowd of 21,257 fans. 

Life after the NBA

After his final retirement from the NBA, Michael Jordan went on to make more moves in his life. He was the Director of the Basketball Operations with the Wizards. Later, he was fired by Wizards owner Abe Pollin on May 7, 2003. Jordan felt betrayed and said that he would never come back to play for the Wizards if he had known he would be fired. Michael Jordan plays golf in charity tournaments, spent time with his family, and promotes his Jordan Brand clothing line. Since 2004, Jordan has owned Michael Jordan Motorsports, a professional closed-course motorcycle road racing team that competed with two Suzukis in the premier Superbike championship sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) until the end of the 2013 season. On June 15, 2006, Jordan bought a minority stake in the Charlotte Bobcats (known as the Hornets since 2013), becoming the team's second-largest shareholder behind majority owner Robert L. Johnson. As part of the deal, Jordan took full control over the basketball side of the operation, with the title Managing Member of Basketball Operations. Despite Jordan's previous success as an endorser, he has made an effort not to be included in Charlotte's marketing campaigns. A decade earlier, Jordan had made a bid to become part-owner of Charlotte's original NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets, but talks collapsed when owner George Shinn refused to give Jordan complete control of basketball operations. 

By March 17, 2010, Michael Jordan was the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcat being the only African American majority owner. He was the first former player to become the majority of an NBA Team. During the 2011 NBA lockout, The New York Times wrote that Jordan led a group of 10 to 14 hardline owners who wanted to cap the players' share of basketball-related income at 50 percent and as low as 47. Journalists observed that, during the labor dispute in 1998, Jordan had told Washington Wizards then-owner Abe Pollin: "If you can't make a profit, you should sell your team." Of course, I disagree with Jordan's decision. During the 2019 NBA offseason, Jordan sold a minority piece of the Hornets to Gabe Plotkin and Daniel Sundheim, retaining the majority of the team for himself, as well as the role of chairman.

On September 21, 2020, Jordan and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin announced they would be fielding a NASCAR team with Bubba Wallace driving, beginning competition in the 2021 season. On October 22, the team's name was confirmed to be 23XI Racing (pronounced twenty-three eleven) and the team's entry would bear No. 23. As of the end of the 2022 season, 23XI Racing has 3 wins, 2 of them coming from Wallace, and 1 coming from Kurt Busch. Michael Jordan has recently invested in a health clinic in Charlotte and invested against police brutality. He is also one of the most marketed sports people in history. He has been a major spokesperson for Nike, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, Gatorade, McDonald's, Ball Park Franks, Rayovac, Wheaties, Hanes, and MCI. In June 2014, Jordan was named the first NBA player to become a billionaire, after he increased his stake in the Charlotte Hornets from 80% to 89.5%. On January 20, 2015, Jordan was honored with the Charlotte Business Journal's Business Person of the Year for 2014. In 2017, he became a part owner of the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball. 

The recent 2020 Last Dance Documentary about the Chicago Bulls's 1997-1998 season was one of the best sports documentaries of all time. In the film, it showed information that the public didn't know. I didn't know that Dennis Rodman had a vacation in the middle of the season in Las Vegas. I didn't know that Michael Jordan was playing the piano after he won the 6th championship. I certainly didn't know that Jerry Krause wanted to split up the Chicago Bulls as early as the Summer of 1997. Michael Jordan is the majority investor in a golf course, Grove XXIII, under construction in Hobe Sound, Florida. As of 2022, his net worth is estimated at $1.7 billion by Forbes, making him the sixth-richest African-American, behind Robert F. Smith, David Steward, Oprah Winfrey, Kanye West, and Rihanna. In 2018, after Hurricane Florence damaged parts of North Carolina, including his former hometown of Wilmington, Jordan donated $2 million to relief efforts. He gave $1 million to aid the Bahamas' recovery following Hurricane Dorian in 2019. On June 5, 2020, in the wake of the protests following the murder of George Floyd, Jordan and his brand announced in a joint statement that they would be donating $100 million over the next 10 years to organizations dedicated to "ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education." In February 2021, Jordan funded two Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinics in New Hanover County, North Carolina, by giving $10 million. These facts refute the old lie that Michael Jordan doesn't give back to his community. He has always given back. Jordan appeared in the 2022 miniseries The Captain, which follows the life and career of Derek Jeter. Michael Jordan wrote four books about his life, basketball career, and worldview. 

The Jordan Brand has made donations to Habitat for Humanity and a Louisiana branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The Make-A-Wish Foundation named Jordan its Chief Wish Ambassador in 2008. In 2013, he granted his 200th wish for the organization. As of 2019, he has raised more than $5 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Michael Jordan's Incredible Legacy

Michael Jordan's legacy is set in stone as the greatest basketball player in history. Other players have been big, strong, and athletic. No basketball player in the NBA has combined the mind, body, spirit, athleticism, and competitiveness like Michael Jordan. As early as November 1984, people compared him to Julius Erving. During the 1984 Olympics, people already said that he would be a great NBA player. Michael Jordan has the greatest scoring average of any player in NBA history. He has tied Wilt Chamberlain's record of seven consecutive scoring titles. Michael Jordan is not only a great offensive player. He was a great defensive player too. Jordan also holds the top career regular season and playoff scoring averages of 30.1 and 33.4 ppg, respectively. He is fifth in NBA all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Karl Malone, and Kobe Bryant. He won five regular season MVPs in the NBA (he is tied with Bill Russell, and Kareem has six). Michael Jordan is the most decorated player in NBA history. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and selected to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. Jordan is one of only seven players in history to win an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal (doing so twice with the 1984 and 1992 U.S. men's basketball teams). 

Since 1976, the year of the ABA–NBA merger, Jordan and Pippen are the only two players to win six NBA Finals playing for one team. In the All-Star Game fan ballot, Jordan received the most votes nine times, more than any other play. The Associated Press voted him the greatest basketball player of the 20th century. Also, Michael Jordan helped to expand basketball internationally. He worked with many companies and groups to make basketball an American sport and a global sport in general. Michael Jordan's athletic leaping ability and skills inspired basketball players like Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Grant Hill, and other players. By 2009, Michael Jordan was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2016, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. Part of his legacy is his philanthropy and love for his family which, will always stand the test of time. The records and the accolades on the court are important. Yet, what is more important is helping the lives of fellow people in the world sincerely. 

By Timothy