A look back at the timeline of Michael Jordan’s legendary career
On the occasion of the documentary series ‘The Last Dance’ being premiered by ESPN about Michael Jordan’s final championship, let’s look back at the timeline of this legend’s entire life and career.
Michael Jordan’s life and career were truly tumultuous. He is a basketball legend today, but in the past he was cut from the school basketball team just because… he was not tall enough. When his career began to take off, Jordan was teased by fate when his father passed away suddenly.
Without giving up, Michael Jordan brought his top basketball to conquer all challenges. He won the NBA championship 6 times in 8 years with the Chicago Bulls and became the player many call the best of all time – “GOAT, Greatest Of All Time”.
Legend Michael Jordan with 6 championship rings
On the occasion of the documentary series ‘The Last Dance’ being premiered by ESPN about Michael Jordan’s final championship, let’s look back at the timeline of this legend’s entire life and career:
February 17, 1963: Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father and mother are James Jordan and Deloris Jordan.
1979: Jordan encountered his first difficulties when he was cut from the basketball team at Laney High School, North Carolina. However, he did not give up.
1981: After two seasons of playing football at the high school level, Michael Jordan was elected to the McDonald’s All-American national team. He then accepted a scholarship from the University of North Carolina (UNC).
March 29, 1982: The first championship title came to Michael Jordan’s career when he launched a game-winner, bringing UNC to the NCAA championship against Georgetown.
June 19, 1984: Appearing at the 1984 NBA Draft, Michael Jordan was selected in the third round by the Chicago Bulls. The two players selected before him were two strikers: Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie. At this time, the NBA is still dominated by tall big men. But everything is about to change with the arrival of Jordan.
August 10, 1984: Michael Jordan scored 20 points in the final match of the basketball event at the 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles, winning the first Olympic gold medal with the US basketball team.
May 16, 1985: After an outstanding rookie season, Michael Jordan became Rookie of The Year – The best rookie of the year with an average of 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
September 15, 1985: Nike officially launched the Air Jordan 1, Michael Jordan’s first custom shoe model.
October 29, 1985: The first serious injury happened to Michael Jordan. He broke his foot in the match against the Golden State Warriors and had to miss 61 matches. However, Jordan still reappeared with the Chicago Bulls at the end of the season, ready to fight in the Playoffs round.
April 20, 1986: Not letting injury affect his performance, Michael Jordan set a record by scoring 63 points in the Playoffs match against the Boston Celtics, the highest score in NBA history up to that time. However, this performance came in a loss.
April 16, 1987: Nearly a year after the Playoffs record, Michael Jordan scored 61 points in a match against the Atlanta Hawks to end a three-game streak of averaging 54.7 points/game. This was also the season Jordan won the first NBA scoring king title in his career.
February 6, 1988: Michael Jordan defeated Dominique Wilkins at the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in Chicago, winning the championship for the second year in a row. The very next day, MJ won his first All-Star Game MVP title.
May 25, 1988: Overcoming two strong opponents, Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, Michael Jordan won the MVP title – Best Player.
Michael Jordan lifted the first MVP title of his career in 1988
May 7, 1989: Michael Jordan hit a game-winner to decide the Playoffs series between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. This throw is named “The Shot”. However, the path to conquering the championship cup has not yet come to fruition for Jordan.
July 10, 1989: After firing coach Doug Collins, the Chicago Bulls signed a contract with coach Phil Jackson, the fourth captain during Michael Jordan’s time playing at this club.
June 5, 1991: The change finally bears fruit. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls reached the first Finals series to meet the Los Angeles Lakers. This is where Jordan’s mid-air dunk became legendary.
Chicago Bulls defeated the Lakers thanks to the excellence of Michael Jordan and his teammates, MJ won the first championship of his career.
June 3, 1992: Michael Jordan hit six 3-pointers in the first half to open his second straight NBA Finals series. He turned to the audience and performed a divine shrug before the Bulls defeated the Portland Trail Blazers after 6 games to win the championship for the second time.
August 8, 1992: Michael Jordan and the “Dream Team” of the US team won the Olympic gold medal in Barcelona. MJ scored 22 points in the finals.
June 20, 1993: Michael Jordan scored 33 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in the game that decided the 1993 NBA Finals series. However, his teammate, John Paxson, was the owner of the 3-point shot in the game. winner, bringing home the 3rd championship trophy in 3 consecutive years for the Chicago Bulls.
August 3, 1993: While his career was flourishing, Michael Jordan had to go through one of the darkest days of his life. After being missing for 3 weeks, Michael Jordan’s father’s body was found in South Carolina.
October 6, 1993: Two months after the shock of his life, Michael Jordan announced his retirement for the first time because he was “no longer interested in basketball”. However, he also said that there was a possibility of returning. competition. At this time, Jordan was only 30 years old.
Michael Jordan announced his retirement at a press conference in 1993
February 7, 1994: Jordan signed a contract to play professional baseball for the Chicago White Sox. Away from the basketball court, MJ wants to try baseball to commemorate his late father who guided him to this sport.
March 18, 1995: After leaving basketball for 17 months, Michael Jordan suddenly announced that he would return to the Chicago Bulls. The fax with just two words “I’m Back” was something that caused a stir in the sports world at that time.
March 28, 1995: Encountering the New York Knicks at the “mecca” of Madison Square Garden, Michael Jordan wearing the number 45 shirt scored 55 points in the opponent’s basket. This was an NBA record at that time by an opponent playing at MSG Stadium. However, this record was broken by the late legend Kobe Bryant.
May 18, 1995: Michael Jordan’s late return failed to turn into a miracle for the Chicago Bulls as they were defeated by Shaquille O’Neal’s Orlando Magic. This is the first Playoffs series since 1990 in which Jordan plays the loser.
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were stunned in disappointment against the Orlando Magic
April 21, 1996: “The revenge of the defeated” Chicago Bulls revived. Along with Toni Kukoc, Scottie Pippen and rookie Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan and his teammates defeated the Washington Bullets with a score of 109-93 to win the 72nd match of the Regular Season.
This was a record 72-10 season with Jordan being the MVP of the tournament. It wasn’t until 2016 that the Golden State Warriors beat this record with 73 wins.
June 16, 1996: Chicago Bulls finished the entire Playoffs round with only 3 defeats, surpassing Gary Payton’s Seattle SuperSonics to become NBA champions.
As the best player, Michael Jordan won the 4th NBA Finals MVP title in his career and the 4th championship ring in 6 years.
The familiar image of Michael Jordan celebrating his championship, “bathing” in champagne and sucking on a cigar
November 15, 1996: The basketball cartoon Space Jam officially opened in theaters with Michael Jordan playing the main role alongside cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny or the Looney Toons family. Although the film received many mixed reviews, its revenue still reached $230 million.
June 11, 1997: Michael Jordan made a strong impression with the “Flu Game”, where he was completely exhausted due to illness but still scored 33 points in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Three days later, Jordan and the Chicago Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz in Game 6. Michael himself scored 39 points to finish off the opponent, becoming the NBA champion for the 5th time in his career.
July 24, 1997: Chaos appeared on the Chicago Bulls board of directors. The team signed a 1-year contract with coach Phil Jackson but warned that this would be his last season leading the club. Michael Jordan announced that he would not play for any coach other than Mr. Jackson.
This led to the Chicago Bulls calling the 1997-98 season “The Last Dance”. They allowed a group of reporters to fully record every moment that took place throughout the season and now, ESPN has compiled it to release a 10-hour documentary of the same name.
Coach Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan
June 14, 1998: Michael Jordan launched one of the most “clutch” throws in history. Facing the Utah Jazz at the NBA Finals, Jordan scored 43 points before eliminating Byron Russell and then successfully threw from mid-range, bringing the victory and the 6th championship in 8 years to the Chicago Bulls.
Pocketing the 6th Finals MVP title in his career, winning the championship 6 times and remaining undefeated at the NBA Finals, Michael Jordan announced that he would retire from his career because he was “too mentally tired while playing”.
September 25, 2001: Once again, Michael Jordan returned to basketball. This time, he no longer played for the Bulls but played for the Washington Wizards at the age of 39. Determined not to let age affect him, Jordan averaged 22.9 points per game in 60 appearances in his first season. .
March 16, 2003: After 2 seasons playing for the Washington Wizards, Michael Jordan played the last game of his career and scored 15 points. This time, he officially retired and did not return to play professional football again.
Michael Jordan left the field for the last time, retiring from his career with the Washington Wizards
September 11, 2009: Michael Jordan was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame. In his speech, Jordan left a very strong impression when targeting those who always doubted him throughout his career. This is also where “Jordan Crying Meme”, the image of a tearful Michael Jordan, was born.
March 17, 2010: Jordan acquired majority ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats Club (predecessor of today’s Charlotte Hornets) for $275 million, becoming the first former NBA player to own an NBA team.
Thanks to being the owner of the Charlotte Hornets and bringing in huge revenue every year from the Jordan Brand brand, legendary Michael Jordan became the first former NBA player to become a billionaire. Mr. Forbes’s assets were estimated at more than $2.1 billion in 2014.
2016: Michael Jordan received the Medal of Freedom from US President Barrack Obama, thickening the immortal legacy of one of the greatest players of all time.