Michael Jordan (born 17 February 1963) was an American basketball player who distinguished himself as a shooting guard for the Chicago Bulls from 1984 to 1993 and from 1995 to 2008, as well as for the Washington Wizards from 2001 to 2003. He is often considered to be the "greatest of all time" (GOAT) in basketball, rivalling LeBron James. Jordan was also a donor for the Democratic Party, hosting events supporting Senator and, later, President Barack Obama.
Biography[]
Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York on 17 February 1963, and his family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina while he was a toddler. He played basketball, baseball, and football in high school, and he was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team as a senior basketball player. In 1981, he accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina, playing for the Tar Heels. In 1984, he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls, and he became an all-star, reigning as MVP and NBA Champion from 1991 to 1993 and from 1996 to 1998. He was also an NBA All-Star from 1985 to 1993, from 1996 to 1998, and from 2002 to 2003.
In 1993, after the murder of his father during a carjacking, Michael Jordan decided to retire for a year, and he decided to follow his father's dream for his career, playing baseball for the Birmingham Barons as an outfielder. In 1995, he returned to the NBA, and the Bulls achieved a second "three-peat" from 1995 to 1998. In 1999, as the result of a lockout and the departures of his coach Phil Jackson and teammates Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, Jordan retired once more. From 2001 to 2003, he made a comeback with the Washington Wizards, and he played his final NBA game on 16 April 2003.
Jackson became involved with politics, having already become involved with business with his Nike Air Jordan sneakers. In 2004, he donated to Democratic Party senate nominee Barack Obama's campaign in Illinois, and he hosted a $20,000 a plate fundraiser for Obama in New York City during Obama's 2012 presidential re-election campaign.