Michael Jordan Fast Facts

Here’s a look at basketball legend and NBA superstar Michael Jordan.

Personal

Birth date: February 17, 1963

Birth place: Brooklyn, New York

Birth name: Michael Jeffrey Jordan

Father: James Jordan, business owner

Mother: Deloris (Peoples) Jordan

Marriages: Yvette Prieto (April 27, 2013-present); Juanita Vanoy (September 2, 1989-December 29, 2006, divorced)

Children: with Yvette Prieto: Victoria and Ysabel, twins; with Juanita Vanoy: Jasmine; Marcus; Jeffrey

Education: University of North Carolina, B.A., Cultural Geography, 1986

Other Facts

Led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998).

Five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and six-time NBA Finals MVP.

Played 15 NBA seasons in total: 13 with the Chicago Bulls (1984-1985 through 1992-1993, then 1994-1995 through 1997-1998) and two seasons with the Washington Wizards (2001-2002 and 2002-2003).

Has enjoyed lucrative endorsement deals with Nike, Hanes, Gatorade, Upper Deck and others.

Played in 1,072 NBA games, scored 32,292 points, and had 5,633 assists and 6,672 rebounds.

Timeline

1982-1984 – Plays for the University of North Carolina. They win the NCAA championship in 1982.

1984 – Member of the US Olympic basketball team that wins the gold medal in Los Angeles.

1984 – Is drafted by the Chicago Bulls, the third overall pick.

1992 – Member of the “Dream Team,” helps the US men’s team win the gold in the Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

1993 – Becomes the first player to be named NBA Finals MVP three years in a row.

August 3, 1993 – The body of Jordan’s father, James, is found in South Carolina. Two young men are later convicted of his murder.

October 6, 1993 – Announces his retirement from the NBA.

February 7, 1994 – Signs a free agent minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox and is assigned to their AA affiliate Birmingham Barons.

March 2, 1995 – Leaves the White Sox spring training camp.

March 18, 1995 – Announces he is rejoining the Chicago Bulls and will wear number 45. His previous number, 23, had already been retired.

1996 – Is named NBA Finals MVP, regular season MVP, and All-Star Game MVP.

1996 – Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History by the NBA.

January 13, 1999 – Announces again he is retiring from basketball and that he is “99.9%” sure that he won’t be coming back.

December 1999 – ESPN names him Athlete of the Century.

January 19, 2000 – Becomes part owner of the basketball team, the Washington Wizards.

October 30, 2001 – After resigning his position as president of basketball operations and selling his part ownership, makes a comeback playing basketball for the Washington Wizards.

April 16, 2003 – Plays his last game, against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Wizards lose 107-87 and Jordan scores 15 points.

February 1, 2004 – Founds Michael Jordan Motorsports, a motorcycle racing team.

December 13, 2007 – An Illinois appellate court rules in favor of Jordan in a dispute with a former lover who alleges he promised her $5 million to keep quiet about their affair.

January 24, 2009 – Named the new “Chief Wish Ambassador” for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Jordan will be the most prominent figure on the foundation’s new Wish Ambassador Council.

September 11, 2009 – Is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

March 17, 2010 – The NBA’s Board of Governors approves Jordan’s purchase of the Charlotte Bobcats team, for $275 million. He becomes the second black majority owner of a major professional sports team.

February 6, 2013 – Pamela Smith files a paternity suit against Michael Jordan in Fulton County Superior Court (Georgia) claiming that Jordan is her son’s father.

March 4, 2013 – Files a dismissal to the paternity suit filed against him.

March 15, 2013 – Smith withdraws the paternity suit, without prejudice. The possibility of refiling remains, as she stands by her claim that Jordan is the father of her teenage son.

December 12, 2013 – Former Utah Jazz ball boy Preston Truman sells the shoes Jordan wore during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals at auction for $104,765. Despite suffering flu-like symptoms, Jordan scored 38 points and led the Bulls to win the game. Afterward, Jordan autographed and gave the sneakers, Air Jordan XII’s, to Truman.

May 6, 2014 – Little Brown and Company publishes his biography, “Michael Jordan: The Life.”

May 20, 2014 – The Charlotte Bobcats officially reclaim the Charlotte Hornets name after a long-running campaign.

November 22, 2016 – Jordan is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

October 2, 2017 – The sale of the Miami Marlins baseball team to a 16-person investment group for $1.2 billion is finalized. The investment group is led by principal owner Bruce Sherman and includes CEO Derek Jeter and Jordan — Jordan owns about 0.5%.

October 9, 2017 – Novant Health announces a $7 million gift from Jordan to open two Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinics in Charlotte, North Carolina.

September 18, 2018 – The Charlotte Hornets announce that Jordan, the principal owner and chairman, will donate $2 million toward the Hurricane Florence relief effort.

September 10, 2019 – Jordan announces he has pledged to donate $1 million to Hurricane Dorian relief efforts in the Bahamas.

October 18, 2019 – Jordan unveils the first of two medical clinics he has funded in Charlotte, North Carolina. The facility will offer care to Charlotte residents, including underinsured and uninsured patients.

July 29, 2020 – It is announced that Jordan and the Jordan Brand are donating $2.5 million toward fighting Black voter suppression. One million dollars is being donated to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc. and $1 million to the Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted People and Families Movement. The Black Voters Matter organization will receive $500,000. The commitment is part of a $100 million, 10-year pledge announced in June.

September 21, 2020 – Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin announce they will be teaming up to form a new NASCAR Cup Series team with Bubba Wallace as driver, according to an announcement by the Charlotte Hornets and Jordan’s spokeswoman, Estee Portnoy. The deal marks the first time a Black man will own a full-time race team in NASCAR’s premier series since Wendell Scott, who owned and raced his own car from the 1960s into the early 1970s.