Jordan had to ‘fly’ because he wasn’t tall enough

He persisted in his passion for basketball and in 1982 won the college league with North Carolina. In the June 1984 NBA draft, he was third in the first round of the Chicago Bulls.

That summer in 1984, shortly before winning the first of two Olympic gold medals in Los Angeles, the second was in Barcelona with “Dream Team” in the final against the Spaniard, photographer Jacobus Rentmeester took the iconic photo of Jordan in flight.

In his first years with the Bulls, he won two of three slam dunk contests All-Star Game, 1987 and the one that stayed in our retinas since February 6, 1988 when he flew from the free throw line until he crushed the ball in the ring on one of his attempts. defied the laws of gravity staying in the air for 0.92 seconds, which forged the legend of “Air Jordan”, to which the legend of “His Airness” was added.

It is estimated that in one of his “flights” he separated up to 122 centimeters from the ground.

Little by little it became bulls leaders with which he monopolized the six rings NBA and five MVPs. The first three consecutive titles, in 1991, 1992 and 1993. He drew the crowd to the stands of the old CThe Hicago Stadium will increase by 6,000 spectators.

His spectacular game, with incredible drives to the hoop or “impossible” shots, brought him an average of 30.1 points throughout his career, an all-time record in NBA which shares with Wilt Chamberlain, who was reflected in his seven consecutive victories as the top scorer of the regular season from 1986-87 to 1992-93 and in which he was also in the ideal five.

His leadership did not bypass big brands either. Nike has built its image since the mid-eighties he even dedicated his own line of shoes to him, “Air Jordan”.

Everything was abruptly ended by the violent murder of his father, who disappeared in July 1993, and whose body was found days later by the river. Sinking and without motivation to continue the game, he retired on October 6 and accepted himself as a refuge, as therapy, ubbaseball, with the Chicago White Sox, and golf.

Just five months after The Bulls will retire their number “23”, Jordan made a surprise and returned to train with the team. He assumed the role of leader for the second time, but his initial contribution was not enough and they were eliminated in the semi-finals Orlando Magic Conference. When the machinery was oiled, he shined again and the Bulls won three consecutive rings (1996, 1997 and 1998), in which he was the best scorer, close to thirty points, and he was also the MVP of the regular competition in 1996 and 1998. ..

Jordan connected his continuity in Bulls to but a technician Phil Jackson will continue the tenth season on his bench, 1998-99. A premise that didn’t happen and on January 13, 1999, Jordan retired for the second time. Two pillars of the team also stood out: Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.

In January 2000, he returned to the world of basketball, but from the office Washington Wizards, as president of operations and minority shareholder. But in April 2001, he returned to training, and in September, at the age of 38, he put on shorts again, confident that he could contribute and impart values ​​to a young team of a mediocre team. He failed to lead this third project, in which he lost a third of his goalscoring ability, and on May 7, 2003, he was fired from the club because he failed to achieve the goal of rebuilding the team.

He never played again, and after several failed attempts to stay connected to basketball, he became a minority shareholder in 2006. Charlotte Bobcats, one of the worst teams in the NBA, which he ended in March 2010 and which four years later returned to its original name, the Hornets.

Considered one of the best players in basketball history, he joined in September 2009 Hall of Fame and in November 2016, the president Obama recognized him with Medal of Freedom. In addition, from the 2022-23 season, the NBA gave his name to the MVP trophy.

His old sneakers and T-shirts have become cult items. A pair of the first Nike Air Ships fetched $1.5 million at auction in 2021, and a year later a Bulls jersey fetched just over $10 million.