MichaelJeffreyJordan(bornFebruary17,1963)isaretiredAmericanprofessionalbasketballplayerandactivebusinessman.HisbiographyontheNationalBasketballAssociation(NBA)websitestates,"Byacclamation,MichaelJordanisthegreatestbasketballplayerofalltime."[1]Jordanwasoneofthemosteffectivelymarketedathletesofhisgeneration,andwasinstrumentalinpopularizingtheNBAaroundtheworldinthe1980sand1990s.

　　Afterastand-outcareerattheUniversityofNorthCarolina,JordanjoinedtheNBA'sChicagoBullsin1984.Hequicklyemergedasoneofthestarsoftheleague,entertainingcrowdswithhisprolificscoring.Hisleapingability,illustratedbyperformingslamdunksfromthefreethrowlineatSlamDunkContests,earnedhimthenicknames"AirJordan"and"HisAirness."Healsogainedareputationasoneofthebestdefensiveplayersinbasketball.In1991,hewonhisfirstNBAchampionshipwiththeBulls,andfollowedthatachievementwithtitlesin1992and1993,securinga"three-peat."ThoughJordanabruptlylefttheNBAatthebeginningofthe1993-94NBAseasontopursueacareerinbaseball,herejoinedtheBullsin1995andledthemtothreeadditionalchampionships(1996,1997,and1998)aswellasanNBA-record72regular-seasonwinsinthe1995–96season.Jordanretiredforasecondtimein1999,buthereturnedfortwomoreNBAseasonsin2001asamemberoftheWashingtonWizards.

　　Jordan'sindividualaccoladesandaccomplishmentsincludefiveMVPawards,tenAll-NBAFirstTeamdesignations,nineAll-DefensiveFirstTeamhonors,fourteenNBAAll-StarGameappearancesandthreeAll-StarMVP,tenscoringtitles,threestealstitles,sixNBAFinalsMVPawards,andthe1988NBADefensivePlayeroftheYearAward.HeholdstheNBArecordforhighestcareerregularseasonscoringaveragewith30.12pointspergame,aswellasaveragingarecord33.4pointspergameintheplayoffs.In1999,hewasnamedthegreatestNorthAmericanathleteofthe20thcenturybyESPN,andwassecondtoBabeRuthontheAssociatedPress'slistofathletesofthecentury.HewillbeeligibleforinductionintotheBasketballHallofFamein2009.

　　Jordanisalsonotedforhisproductendorsements.HefueledthesuccessofNike'sAirJordansneakers,whichwereintroducedin1985andremainpopulartoday.Jordanalsostarredinthe1996featurefilmSpaceJam.Heiscurrentlyapart-ownerandManagingMemberofBasketballOperationsoftheCharlotteBobcatsinNorthCarolina.