Name: Michael Jordan Age: 40 Nationality: American Claim to fame: The ‘shine’ is off the court ... again
PLAYERS, regardless of the sport, are generally known by the teams they represent. But that is for the lesser mortals. There are players who don’t need such crutches. They do it on their own and become larger than life. Michael Jordan is one such soul. Forget the team, he is the identity of the game of basketball itself. Now that his amazing career has apparently come to an end — apparently, because it is the third time he has thrown in the towel — his fans are dejected that the ‘shine’, his nickname, may well be off the court for good.
The standing ovation that marked Jordan’s final game lasted a good three minutes, with Jordan standing in the middle of the court, smiling, waving, nodding and chewing gum. A rock band sang It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye between the first and second quarters as a montage of Jordan’s career highlights was shown on the scoreboard.
Like most great names in history, Jordan made his mark almost as soon as he hit the scene. Born on February 17, 1963, in New York’s Brooklyn area, he played for the University of North Carolina from 1982 to ‘84 and led them to a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I championship. In a National Basketball Association (NBA) career that began in 1985, he became one of basketball’s most exciting players as a guard for the Chicago Bulls, and is generally considered to be the greatest player who ever played the game.
In 1991, 1992, and 1993 he led the Bulls to NBA championships and was the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1991 and 1992. He played for the 1984 US Olympic team and for the Dream Team of the 1992 Olympics, taking the gold medal both times. His basketball fame won him numerous commercial endorsements throughout the world, and he used his famous name and significant capital to launch a number of successful businesses.
Jordan shocked the basketball world by retiring from the game in 1993, after which he pursued a professional baseball career, but he rejoined the Bulls in 1995, leading them to victory again in the NBA championships in 1996 and 1997. In 1996, he starred along with the Looney Toons animated characters in the film Space Jam.
In 1998, he led the Bulls to their sixth NBA title of the decade, hitting the winning shot with 5.2 seconds left in the game against Utah. The second Jordan retirement came in January, 1999, but he returned to the NBA, at the age of 38, in September, 2001.
If his track record is anything to go by, no one can say for sure that the Jordan era is finally over. You never know when he might decide to give it yet another try. There is still hope for Jordan fans.
PLAYERS, regardless of the sport, are generally known by the teams they represent. But that is for the lesser mortals. There are players who don’t need such crutches. They do it on their own and become larger than life. Michael Jordan is one such soul. Forget the team, he is the identity of the game of basketball itself. Now that his amazing career has apparently come to an end — apparently, because it is the third time he has thrown in the towel — his fans are dejected that the ‘shine’, his nickname, may well be off the court for good.
