A Brief History
On February 6, 1988, Michael Jordan soared into basketball history with his unique slam dunk, taking off from the free throw line!
Digging Deeper
Digging deeper, we find this stunning feat earning him the moniker “Air Jordan” and the genesis of the Jumpman logo.
Although his incredible jumping ability commanded the attention of basketball fans, Jordan was much more than just a flashy slam dunk artist. A fine ball handler and one of the best defensive players of all time, “MJ,” as he was frequently called, was a complete player with no deficiencies in his game and a team player to boot, as evidenced by his teams winning 6 National Basketball Association championships (with the Chicago Bulls) and him personally winning 5 NBA Most Valuable Player Awards.
Incredibly, his list of accomplishments goes on and on: 14 times an All Star; 3 All-Star-Game MVP awards; 6 NBA finals MVP awards; 10 scoring titles; and more! He had even played for a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion University of North Carolina team before joining the NBA. In spite of his seemingly perfect fit into the role of greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan actually quit basketball in 1993 to play professional baseball! After 2 years of minor league ball, Jordan returned to the NBA where he finished his career as the player with the highest per game scoring average (30 ppg) and highest career playoff game scoring average (33 ppg).
Then, for the second time in the middle of his storybook career, Jordan again retired in 1999 but returned in 2001 to play for the Washington Wizards for 2 more years. Not yet finished with basketball, Jordan is now a majority owner of the NBA team the Charlotte Bobcats.
Forever associated with Nike athletic shoes and apparel, Air Jordan basketball shoes are highly coveted by young adults and teens across the world, with new and special editions sparking buying frenzies and often costing over $200 a pair! Nike certainly hit the advertising jackpot when they signed Michael Jordan! MJ, or “His Airness” as some call him is also associated with Hanes underclothing.
As a highly recognized and beloved sports celebrity, Jordan certainly sets a high standard for those who would be king. Are you listening Lebron?!
Question for students (and subscribers): Do you think Michael Jordan or Lebron James is the greater basketball player? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!
Your readership is much appreciated!
Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Oliver, Frank. JORDAN – The Concise Biography (Biography Shorts Book 2). 2012.
Pytka, Joe, dir. Space Jam (DVD) (Rpkg). WarnerBrothers, 2011. DVD.
Indeed, watch the following video and tell me that is not the ultimate dunk:
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1169 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=1169">33 Comments
I think this is very cool. I remember watching LeBron James do this dunk not too long ago and everyone made comments about it. Michael Jordan was definitely the greatest basketball player ever and I think this dunk is a great way to remember something great about him.
Although I’m not the biggest basketball fan, Michael Jordan would have to be my all time favorite. He was the reason why my little brother wanted to become a nba star. That’s something I love about him. He can inspire someone so young and note even knowing him.
I am not a big basketball fan, but I do have to admitt that Michael Jordon is kickass
My brother is also a big fan of Michael Jordan and has watched DVDs of him playing basketball since he was young. I agree that he was an amazing basketball player-one of the best that has ever played.
I have never gotten into sports but I know a couple of family members who are big fans of MJ. I was unaware that he left basketball for baseball for a bit. Neat piece of trivia to know!
This is an interesting article.
weird question… why does no one post to this from class? I really hope that those of us that actually make an effort to post still get pertisipation points.
Dear Todd, Those who do post with names I can make out as to who the student is (such as you, Deanna, Judy, and Rylee below) will for the sake of participation get credit on days where the total posts are below the actual number of students in the class. In any case, if you post on the day the article appears and not all of your classmates have done so yet, they might have just not yet gotten around to it. The posts should be made by the end of the week, so if people do not post on the day of the article, that is okay, as long as everyone in the class has posted twice by the weekend. In other words, the class has until Sunday to post for this article. Best, Matthew
I had always been a fan of Michael Jordan as a kid and find him to be an impressive player, probably the best, and a great role model for younger kids.
Michael Jordan was a very talented player, and is my daughters favorite. Lebron James is a very talented player also, as long as he doesn’t have to share the ball. Enjoyed the information on MJ.
I was also unaware that Michael left basketball for baseball for a while. Cool info to know about him!
I did not know he also played baseball! He’s probably a great athlete no matter what sport he is playing! I admire his skill level for basketball by far!!
I didn’t know he also played baseball! Pretty much he was a beast in sports in my opinion!
Michael Jordan was a great player, but he beat the cavs way too many times in the playoffs. You think people would have figured out that when he stuck his tongue out, he was getting ready to shoot.
To this day, my favorite NBA player of all time.
Some of the many reasons why I actually know who MJ is.
The dunk that launched the most popular brand of shoes to ever be made in human history. This is the “Air Jordan” dunk! Awesome!
A truly great athlete.
Great athlete and will always remain one of the best, watch the Looney Toon’s movie with him in it and you will know so much about him. It’s called “Space Jams.”
michael jordan is my favorite athlete..he was truly gifted
I have nothing but respect for the man who was in Space Jam.
What a great article!
Such a great person to look up too. He worked so hard and deserves all the credit that he still receives.
i am not into sports either. I just think they get paid way to much for what they do while the rest of America is struggling to put food on their tables
Still the greatest. We’ll see if James becomes competitive like Jordan was. Until then he won’t be Jordan.
I am not a huge sports fan but this was really interesting to read. I know plenty of people who love Michael, just not my thing.
Michael Jordan is legendary!!!!
Michael Jordan did so much for the sport of Basketball and the way we play it today. His dunk was one of the most popular dunks in the NBA of all time. And his career was far more impressive with 6 NBA championships.
I love Michael Jordan, i dont think anyone will be better than he was. Lebron has no chance. Jordan is a legend and always will be. I loved him in the movie Space Jams, still probably one of my favorite movies.
Michael Jordan is a legend. How many people can say they played two pro sports leagues, and ACTS too! (spacejam).
Im indifferent, not a basketball fan =/ But I did enjoy watching Space Jam!
I think MJ is the best Basketball player ever. It would have been interesting to see him as a baseball player though
Not only did/does he have an incredibly admirable career but he absolutely loves what he does and it can’t get much better than that.
Today Jordan works for the front office of the Bobcats, is still the face of a Nike line, and owns a professional motocross team.