Michael Jordan played basketball for the Chicago Bulls. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and went to college at the University of North Carolina. In the 1982 NCAA title game against Georgetown, North Carolina was behind 62-61 when Jordan, a 19-year-old freshman, hit a jump shot, and North Carolina won 63-62. Georgetown was led by 7-foot center Patrick Ewing, who scored 28 points.
In the 1984 draft the Houston Rockets took Hakeem Olajuwon first, the Portland Trail Blazers took Sam Bowie second, and the Bulls took Jordan third. He played his first NBA game on October 26, 1984. In 1984-85, his rookie season, Jordan averaged 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists a game. The Bulls went 38-44 and lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs, and Jordan was named Rookie of the Year.
On April 20, 1986, Michael Jordan scored 63 points against the Boston Celtics, an NBA playoff record as of November 2026. In 1986-87, he led the NBA in scoring at 37.1 points a game. In 1987-88, Jordan led the NBA in scoring at 35.0 points a game, was named Most Valuable Player and was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year. In 1990-91, he led the NBA in scoring at 31.5 points a game and was named Most Valuable Player.
Michael Jordan's six NBA titles came in two groups of three in a row: 1991 to 1993, then 1996 to 1998. Michael Jordan first retired in 1993 after the Bulls won their third championship, and he played professional baseball. He returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and played the last 17 games of the 1994-95 regular season. He was the Finals Most Valuable Player in each of the six Finals the Bulls won. As of November 2026, he played 15 seasons in the NBA, for two teams, the Bulls and the Wizards.
As of November 2026, Michael Jordan ranks fourth in NBA career steals with 2,514; John Stockton is first with 3,265. As of November 2026, he averaged 2.3 steals a game over 1,072 regular-season games. As of November 2026, his career scoring average of about 30.1 points a game is the highest in the record book, and his playoff scoring average of 33.45 points a game is also the highest in that record book.
Words to know
- rookie: first-year player
- playoff: after-season game
- steals: taking the ball
- freshman: first-year
