Legends of Sports

Early life

Motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's junior varsity squad, and tallied several 40 point games. The following summer, he grew four inches (10 cm) and trained rigorously. Upon earning a spot on the varsity roster, Jordan averaged about 20 points per game over his final two seasons of high school play. As a senior, he was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team after averaging a triple-double: 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists.

In 1981, Jordan earned a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of Omega Psi Phi and majored in cultural geography. As a freshman in coach Dean Smith's team-oriented system, he was named ACC Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.4 points per game (ppg) on 53.4% shooting (field goal percentage). 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 described this shot as the major turning point in his basketball career. During his three seasons at North Carolina, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting, and added 5.0 rebounds per game. He 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. The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick, after Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers). Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986.

Professional career

During his first season in the NBA, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting. He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas, and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the heading "A Star is Born" just over a month into his professional career. Jordan was also voted in as an All-Star starter by the fans in his rookie season. Controversy arose before the 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 him the ball throughout the game. The controversy left Jordan relatively unaffected when he returned to regular season play, and he would go on to be voted Rookie of the Year. The Bulls finished the season 38–44, and lost in the first round of the playoffs in four games to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Jordan's second season was cut short by a broken foot which caused him to miss 64 games. Despite Jordan's injury and a 30–52 record, the Bulls made the playoffs. Jordan recovered in time to participate in the playoffs and performed well upon his return. Against a 1985–86 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. The Celtics, however, managed to sweep the series.

Jordan had recovered completely by 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 points 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 blocks in a season. Despite Jordan's success, Magic Johnson won the league's Most Valuable Player Award. The Bulls reached 40 wins, and advanced to the playoffs for the third consecutive year. However, they were again swept by the Celtics.

Awards

1983-84 NCAA ------------ AP Player of the Year
1983-84 NCAA ------------ John R. Wooden Award
1983-84 NCAA ------------ Naismith Men's College Player of the Year Award
1984-85 NBA -------------- Rookie of the Year
1987-88 NBA -------------- All-Star Game MVP
1987-88 NBA -------------- Defensive Player of the Year
1987-88 NBA -------------- MVP
1990-91 NBA -------------- Finals MVP
1990-91 NBA -------------- MVP
1991-92 NBA -------------- Finals MVP
1991-92 NBA -------------- MVP
1992-93 NBA -------------- Finals MVP
1995-96 NBA -------------- All-Star Game MVP
1995-96 NBA -------------- Finals MVP
1995-96 NBA -------------- MVP
1996-97 NBA -------------- Finals MVP
1997-98 NBA -------------- All-Star Game MVP
1997-98 NBA -------------- Finals MVP
1997-98 NBA -------------- MVP

Honers

1981 McDonald's ------------- All American
1982-83 NCAA AP ---------- All-America (1st)
1983-84 NCAA AP ---------- All-America (1st)
1984-85 NBA ---------------- All-NBA (2nd)
1984-85 NBA ---------------- All-Rookie (1st)
1986-87 NBA ---------------- All-NBA (1st)
1987-88 NBA ---------------- All-Defensive (1st)
1987-88 NBA ---------------- All-NBA (1st)
1988-89 NBA ---------------- All-Defensive (1st)
1988-89 NBA ---------------- All-NBA (1st)
1989-90 NBA ---------------- All-Defensive (1st)
1989-90 NBA ---------------- All-NBA (1st)
1990-91 NBA ---------------- All-Defensive (1st)
1990-91 NBA ---------------- All-NBA (1st)
1991-92 NBA ---------------- All-Defensive (1st)
1991-92 NBA ---------------- All-NBA (1st)
1992-93 NBA ---------------- All-Defensive (1st)
1992-93 NBA ---------------- All-NBA (1st)
1995-96 NBA ---------------- All-Defensive (1st)
1995-96 NBA ---------------- All-NBA (1st)
1996-97 NBA ---------------- All-Defensive (1st)
1996-97 NBA ---------------- All-NBA (1st)
1997-98 NBA ---------------- All-Defensive (1st)
1997-98 NBA ---------------- All-NBA (1st)

Jorden's Career Salaries

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