Nathan Aaseng - Michael Jordan: Hall of Fame Basketball Superstar

Michael Jordan Hall of Fame Basketball Superstar

Michael Jordan is arguably the best basketball player ever to step foot on a basketball court. With five league MVPs, six NBA Championships, six NBA Finals MVPs, 14 All-Star appearances, and 10 scoring titles, Jordan's legacy is unlikely to be matched. Follow MJ through his record-breaking journey that includes three retirements, two Olympic Gold Medals, and ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats.

About the Author

Nathan Aaseng has written many books for young people on subjects varying from the Pope, to sports biographies, to plants that eat meat. One of his most recent titles with Enslow Publishers, Inc., is Weird Meat-Eating Plants.

Chicago Bulls fans smugly inched forward to the edge of their seats. The twenty-four-second shot clock had been turned off. In just a few ticks of the clock the fans would leap in celebration of another sweet playoff victory.

True, the Bulls led the Orlando Magic by only a single point. However, the basketball was safely cradled in the hands of Michael Jordan. His Airness, as sportswriters called him, was simply the best basketball player in the world. He had been away from the court for over a year, and the Bulls had suffered. Now he was back and there was no way the Bulls could lose.

Yet as Jordan dribbled up the court, the Magics Nick Anderson silently swooped in from behind. Before Jordan could react, Anderson reached in and tipped the ball. It bounced away from Jordan. Orlandos Penny Hardaway chased it down and threw a pass to Horace Grant who raced unguarded to the basket. Grant slammed home the ball for the winning points of the game.

Ball in hand, Michael Jordan dribbles up the court. Moments later, Nick Anderson of the Orlando Magic swooped in and stole the ball.

The basketball world looked on, stunned. Michael Jordan stripped clean like a rookie? Michael Jordan lost the ball and gave away the game? It was like watching a world-class gymnast fall flat on his face in a championship meet. Chicagos star added to the nightmare by passing up a last-second crucial shot, and instead, throwing a bad pass, which sealed Orlandos victory.

Jordan shook off the humiliation to pour in 38 and 40 points in the Bulls next two playoff games against Orlando. Yet the Magic outplayed the Bulls and took the series lead, three games to two. Facing elimination on their home court, the Bulls battled back. They pulled ahead comfortably in Game 6, 10294, with just a few minutes to play. Again, the game seemed as good as over.

Incredibly, Orlandos shooters went on a tear while Jordan and his mates fell apart. The Magic whittled down the Bulls lead and then actually pulled ahead. It was time for Jordan to answer with one of the miracle shots or impossible, twisting drives for which he was famous. Jordan launched a long shot... and missed not only the net, but the rim. He drove to the basket... and instead of soaring for a layup, threw a bad pass to a teammate. Orlando scored the final 14 points of the game to win, 108102. For the first time in four playoff seasons, Jordan walked to the locker room a loser.

A humble Michael Jordan sat in front of his locker, answering questions from the press. Im not going to sit here and try to make excuses, Jordan said. Obviously, were not the same team as eighteen months ago, when Jordan last played for the Bulls.

He did not add what many observers were sayingthat Michael Jordan was not the same player as eighteen months ago. The man who had won many National Basketball Association (NBA) scoring championships, and the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in three straight NBA championship series, had come down to earth. Nick Anderson, who had stripped Jordan on that crucial play, came out and said the obvious. Jordan, said Anderson, was not as sharp as he used to be.

Scottie Pippen watched Jordan suffer through the post-game grilling after the loss. No one knew better than Pippen how fiercely competitive his teammate could be. Even at the height of his success, Jordan practiced with a burning desire that was sometimes scary to his teammates. He was a driven man who could not stand to lose a round of practice shots.

Michaels not used to being in a position of talking about why we didnt win, and Im sure he didnt like it, Pippen observed. Maybe Jordan no longer was invincible. Maybe he could no longer dominate the league and lead the Bulls to the title. Yet he would not give up without a fight. Pippen knew that the Michael Jordan who came back in the fall would be a man on a mission. And while Jordan on a normal day had often been spectacular, he had been out of this world when he had something to prove on a basketball court.

Just ask Larry Bird. In the summer of 1984, Jordan stepped on a court against the Boston Celtics superstar for the first time. Jordan, a junior at the University of North Carolina, was a member of the United States Olympic team. They were about to play a team of NBA players led by Bird.

During warm-ups before the game, a basketball got away from the Olympic players. It bounced toward Bird, who was shooting on the pros side of the court. Jordan trotted over to fetch the ball. Bird picked it up. Jordan held out his hands for Bird to return the ball. Instead, Bird kicked it over Jordans head. He was showing me it was all business and I was beneath him, Jordan recalled. I didnt forget.

From that point, Jordan was on a mission against Bird. He and his Olympic teammates beat the pros that day. Then, two years later, Jordan almost single-handedly took on Bird and the Celtics in a playoff game. Jordan slashed through and soared over basketballs best team for four periods. He fired long jump shots past Bird and Celtics ace defender Dennis Johnson. He spun the ball through the long arms of Bostons big men, Bill Walton, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale. As time ran out, Jordan drew a foul and calmly sank two free throws to send the game into overtime.

Boston finally squeaked out a winbut not before Jordan scored 63 points, an NBA playoff record. The Celtics were shaken by Jordans performance. I thought he was awesome the last time we played him, said K. C. Jones. I dont have a word for him this time around.

Jordan had settled his score with Bird. The Celtics forward now wondered aloud if Jordan was God disguised as a basketball player. The message Jordan had delivered was clear: challenge Michael Jordan at your own risk.

Others had learned that lesson over the years. For several years, many experts claimed that Jordan was too selfish a player to win an NBA championship. Stepping up his play to uncharted levels, Jordan not only proved them wrong, but led his Bulls to three straight titles.

Now, after all that success, Jordan had not only lost, but had been embarrassed on the court. He had a score to settle. Scottie Pippen knew that the Bulls were in for an interesting year.

M ichael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the fourth child and third son of James and Delores Jordan. Shortly after Michaels birth, the Jordans moved back to Jamess hometown of Wallace, North Carolina. There, one more girl was born into the family. When Michael was seven, the family moved just down the road to Wilmington, in the southeastern corner of North Carolina.

Michael has credited his parents with paving the way for everything he has accomplished. From day one they taught me right from wrong, he said. His father showed him the value of hard work. Jamess steady effort helped him advance from mechanic to a plant supervisor with General Electric. Like her husband, Delores Jordan worked her way from a low-level position to supervisor at a local bank. She was the one most responsible for teaching Michael the value of discipline. Both parents kept after their children to study hard in school.