Michael Jordan is a retired basketball player and considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He joined the Chicago Bulls in 1984 and immediately wowed basketball crowds with his high scoring average and unbelievable dunks. He quickly became the face of the NBA, drawing huge crowds of sports fans.
Just over a month into Jordan’s first stint with the Chicago Bulls, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the caption “A Star is Born”. Despite winning Rookie of the Year and recording 3,000 points, 200 steals, and 100 blocks in his 1987-87 season, Jordan’s first couple of years on the Chicago Bulls didn’t result in a championship title for the team. The Piston Roadblock of 1987-90 didn’t help the team either. No matter how many points, steals, and blocks he averaged (and he averaged a lot), Jordan’s team was stopped from winning the playoffs by the Detroit Pistons from 1987 until 1990. The Pistons had a “Jordan Rules” strategy that involved double and triple teaming Jordan every time he got his hands on the ball.
All of this changed in 1991. From 1991-93, the Chicago Bulls took home three national championship titles: once against the LA Lakers, once against the Portland Trailblazers, and once against the Phoenix Suns. Throughout these years, Jordan averaged around 30 points every game and played some of the best defense the NBA has ever seen.
Tragedy came in 1993 when Jordan’s father was murdered at a truck stop. This painful even,t mixed with Jordan’s overwhelming celebrity, began to take a toll on his life, and the basketball star abruptly retired in 1993 to play minor league baseball. He didn’t stay away long, however. In 1995, Jordan rejoined the Chicago Bulls, and, after a rocky start, led them to another three-peat. From 1995-98, the Chicago Bulls dominated the game. In the 1995-96 season, they set the record for the best regular season record in NBA history: 72–10. Jordan came out of that period with a record of 6 Finals MVP awards.
Despite retiring and coming back in 2001-03 on the Washington Wizards, this 1995-98 run was the peak of Jordan’s career and secured his place in NBA history. He’s spent his retirement with his family in Chicago, playing golf and riding motorcycles.
via chicagonow.com