Michael Jordan King of the Basketball Court NBA

Author:
Linda Bilyeu
Updated:
Sep 25, 2013

michael-jordan-king-of-the-nba-basketball-court

Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant...

If you are a fan of basketball chances are you've heard the question - "Who do you think is better, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant?" I, of course, chose Michael Jordan.

I'm not going to compare why he's better than Kobe. I'm just going to state some random facts on why Michael is King.

Michael Jackson was King of Pop. Michael Jordan is King of the Court. Maybe I just have a soft spot for Michael's which makes me favor them. No, that can't be true since I'm not a fan of Michael Moore.

We all have reasons for favoring one player over another. Even though I'm an Orlando Magic fan and most of my favorite players are from the Magic, I still like Michael Jordan!

Come on, who doesn't want to be like Mike. He was dedicated, determined and a team player! He was a role model for many kids and adults. Heck he still is a role model!

He stood by the Nike motto ... Just Do It and so do I. I often use that slogan to get family, friends and myself motivated.

I'm not a fan of the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards or Charlotte Bobcats...I'm a fan of the player, the man.

I'm the same way with politics. I don't vote for a party, I vote for the man or woman.

Favorite quote: I realize that I'm black, but I liked to be viewed as a person. This is everybody's wish."

The Wiki Facts!

Accomplishments include:

Five MVP awards
Ten All-NBA First Team designations
Nine All-Defensive First Team honors
Fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances
Three All-Star Game MVP awards,
Ten scoring titles
Three steals titles
Six NBA Finals MVP awards
1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
He holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game)
In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN
He was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Michael Jordan Highlights

Random Facts about Michael Jordan

He will be 50 years old on Feb. 17, 2013 which makes Michael four months older than me.
MJ was born in Brooklyn, NY
As a kid his nickname was "Magic"
As an adult his nicknames are "Air Jordan" and "His Airness"
His idol was Julius Irving (Dr.J)
Rookie age was 21.
He wanted to go to UCLA, but they never recruited him. I bet they regret not making that call.
Went to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Was drafted to the Chicago Bulls with a simple flip of the coin.
He was king of the court for 13 seasons.
Majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats NBA Team.
Had the Bulls enact the "Love of the Game Clause" which meant that players could play in the off-season. Originally they couldn't because if a player was injured the team could let you go. MJ needed to play b-ball year round to clear his mind.
Was an Adidas fan and didn't want to sign with Nike, he changed his mind when he was offered his own shoe the Air Jordan which is still popular today! Oh and the millions of dollars in endorsements was an added bonus! MJ was the first NBA player to have his name on a shoe! Brand Jordan rakes in billions of dollars a year. I'd say Nike and Jordan were a match made in shoe heaven!
Was a bit surprised at the amount of drug abuse by fellow players. (Living under a rock?)
Handled haters like the professional he was. He continued to be the best he could be and he did that so well.
Had endorsement deals with Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, McDonald's, Rayovac, Wheaties, MCI and Gatorade. I was a big fan of his Hane's TV commercials! That was one endorsement I truly appreciated! Boxers or Briefs had the women wondering!!
He had three children with wife Juanita. Two sons and one daughter. Jeffrey, Marcus and Jasmine.
Juanita and Michael divorced in 2006. She received $168 million in the divorce settlement. The largest celebrity settlement on record at that time.
MJ's sons Jeffrey and Marcus are students at the University of Central Florida. My daughter and my son-in-law are graduates of UCF. Michael often attends his sons basketball games. My daughter was close to snapping his photo for me while attending a game, but a pole was in the way. I did get to see the back of his head though!
Was famous for flying to make a dunk!
Retired from the game of basketball three times.
In the years between 1989-1993: He married, had three children, won three NBA championships and his father was murdered.
Has a bronze statute named "The Spirit" in Chicago in his honor!
Was a vital member of the Dream Team! The 1992 Olympic gold medal winning USA Basketball team!
Stars in the movie Space Jam along with the Looney Tunes.
MJ's mother's mother died when MJ's mother was pregnant with him. My mother's mother also died when my mother was pregnant with me.
During his college years MJ lost a girlfriend and a friend due to drownings. His girlfriend was swept away in a flood. In another tragic event his friend was also swept away due to a strong undertow.
MJ played baseball for the Chicago White Sox during one of his retirements from the NBA. He preferred the closeness and the friendships of the MLB, over the coldness of the NBA players.
As a kid he always dressed up on Sundays in a jacket, slacks and tie. His four siblings teased him about his attire.
In 1995 the Orlando Magic knocked the Chicago Bulls out of the playoffs! GO MAGIC!

Random quotes of MJ and my comment.

"I think my father saw some things in me that I couldn't see in myself" (Ya think?)

"The better I got the better I wanted to become." (I like the way MJ thinks!)

"My appetite to learn was born out of my desire to eventually have as much control over the process as possible." (When I grow up I wanna be like Mike)

"Even at the end of my career I was always comparing myself to other players. I always wanted to be sure I was doing everything I could to stay on top." (Never accept second best)

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why-ive-decided-to-become-a-dolphins-fan-if-the-lions-win-the-super-bowl-this-year

"I never thought a role model should be negative." (Amen to that!)

"In the years between 1989 and 1993 I became a man." (I so agree)

"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. I can't accept not trying." (If it first you don't succeed, you have to try again.)

Boxers or Briefs TV commercial.

Random thoughts about MJ

"There's Michael, then there's the rest of us." - Magic Johnson
"I think he's god disguised as Michael Jordan. He is the most awesome player in the NBA." - Larry Bird 1986
"You can't retire! You have to come back. I've got to beat you!" - Patrick Ewing
"Every season, he made himself available to dozens of children who belong to the Make-A-Wish foundation - children with fatal diseases. Imagine how difficult it is to approach these kids with cheer and goodwill. Yet in a totally sincere way, Michael puts them at ease, lets them have a laugh and makes it possible for them to enjoy basketball." - Phil Jackson

Comments

Joe from north miami FL on May 31, 2014:

Even as a Heat Fan loving Wade and James I still give MJ king of the court.

Mike Robbers from London on February 16, 2013:

Cool hub here... we all miss him I guess :)

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on February 15, 2013:

Thanks Julio and Breathe!!

Julio E Olmo Sr from Florida, USA on February 15, 2013:

LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant are great knights, but Michael Jordan's still the King!

Breatheeasy3 from USA on February 14, 2013:

Hey Sunshine! Couple of things...first, very nice hub. You have a lot of folloers and I want to be just like you when I grow up...lol. Thanks for pointing out that little known fact about being born in Brooklyn...I'm from Brooklyn but reside in the south now, and get into many debates about this 'fact'...lol. But also wanted to ask how you choose your photos. Well, I see that you cite the source of the photo, but is that enough. Does the source own the photo and allow you usage. I get so confused about this and am left stuck not putting up any photos for my hubs, when I know they can help out a lot. I recently received a message about a photo I posted that I took from amazon, in which I am an affiliate, but still had to take it down. The photo thing still confuses me. :(

Julio E Olmo Sr from Florida, USA on February 01, 2013:

MJ is best ever!

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on August 25, 2012:

Hi Anjo, It's nice to meet another Michael Jordan fan! Thank you for sharing!

Anjo Bacarisas II from Cagayan de Oro, Philippines on August 10, 2012:

I selected Mike, he's a the best athlete on nba ever, excellent player and the way he play is awesome. Thanks for this hub! :)) great job!

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on August 07, 2012:

Hi James, Josh, CSNewYork! Thank you for stopping by Michael Jordan's tribute hub! I'm sure he'll appreciate your comments once he has a chance to stop by and read. He'll always be the King of the B-Ball Court!

CSNewYork from New Jersey on August 05, 2012:

Michael Jordan=Best ATHLETE of all time. Awesome tribute to Michael. Great hub!

Joshua Zerbini from Pennsylvania on June 24, 2012:

Great tribute to Jordan, the KING of basketball, I enjoyed all of the facts, and yes, some people don't know about his ownership of the Bobcats. Very informative hub Linda! I enjoyed your witty comments in response to some of his quotes! Voted up, funny, and awesome!

Olde Cashmere on June 23, 2012:

Awesome tribute to a legendary athlete and contributer to the human spirit. This man has been one of my biggest heroes ever since I saw him play when I was a kid. Thank you for this Sunshine, beautiful work. Voted up, awesome, beautiful, and interesting :)

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on April 28, 2012:

Hi Ange! I agree with you 110%. Thank you for sharing!!

ange on April 28, 2012:

he is just the greatest not only basketball player but athlete of all time,period.

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on April 26, 2012:

Hi Mark! I'm glad to hear that MJ is appreciated in the Philippines also!

markbabila on April 13, 2012:

hi mj got some tour here in philippines u r d best of all d best

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on April 07, 2012:

Hi Jeyaramd, Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Michael Jordan. Your words are just a few of the reasons why MJ is so admired. I hope he gets to read them one day!:)

jeyaramd from Mississauga, Ontario on April 05, 2012:

This is quite a tribute to Michael Jordan. I cannot remember being so mesmerized by an athlete as I have of Michael Jordan. He was also a great speaker and had a great persona. He was very articulate and a great team player. He brought the best out of his team. He was more crucial to the team than the coach.

I remember sitting through the entire game waiting for Michael Jordan's highlights. No one can slam dunk the way he does. He had a style of his own. He also did not try to take the limelight from everyone else. He helped all the other players reach their potential as well. He was a great spirit and a wonderful human being. Thanks for sharing a hub on one of my childhood idols. Voted up for awesomeness. Thanks Sunshine.

mark on April 03, 2012:

hi .....

can you please include a decent sports link in your comments.

here is the link

http://www.livesports30.co.cc

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on April 02, 2012:

Christy, Weestro, Dancilla ... Thank you for stopping by and giving MJ some love! I appreciate it and I'm sure he will also if he gets a chance to stop by and read this!:)

Priscilla from El Paso on March 31, 2012:

Really great hub, couldn't agree with you more about Michael Jordan, I liked the way he played basketball. Enjoyed this hub very much.

Pete Fanning from Virginia on March 24, 2012:

Kobe has a killer instinct, and kobe is one of the greatest offensive players of all time. This is only half of what MJ had! Great hub.

Christy Birmingham from British Columbia, Canada on March 23, 2012:

I liked the variety of facts here about Michael, well done! Voting up!

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on March 17, 2012:

Thank you walkc for the comment! To know MJ is to love him!:)

walkc from All Over on March 17, 2012:

this is great i have always been a basketball fan and of coarse a MJ fan and he was great . Thanks for the read.

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on March 15, 2012:

Knowyouwillbefine and making money, Thanks for stopping by!:)

Hey Sam, Anything is possible but since they were playing at the same time it might be doubtful. Maybe one day when Michael Jordan stops by this hub he'll let us know for sure!:)

Thank you for your tribute to MJ!

sam209 on March 15, 2012:

Now I will admit that I didn't know his nickname was Magic when he was young. His no. is 23! I wonder if that's a tribute to Magic's no. 32? Maybe he did the ole switcheroo?

Cool hub! Michael has always been one of my favorite players! Nevertheless, after he beat the Lakers in 91 for his first title, I bet against him for two years straight! Needless to say I lost every time! I'm a Laker fan so it took me two years to get over that championship lost. After game 1 was over I just knew we had them!

makemoney146 from India on March 12, 2012:

Thanks for sharing, it very nice.

knowyouwillbefine on March 12, 2012:

Completely agree with your hub. I doubt there will ever be anyone who comes close to the greatness of Michael Jordan!

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on March 11, 2012:

Hi Sue, Thank you for your comment and votes. Michael Jordan is the best basketball player ever. That's a fact:)

Sueswan on March 11, 2012:

Hi Sunshine,

I am not a fan of basketball or sports for that matter but I can see that Michael Jordan is a decent and caring human being.

Voted up and awesome.

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on March 11, 2012:

rLcasa, Thank you for sharing your thoughts and tribute to Michael Jordan. It's comments like yours that make me hope that one day MJ stumbles upon this hub and reads about how his "real" fans admire and respect him. Thank you again!

Rael Casalme from Dubai, United Arab Emirates on March 11, 2012:

The G.O.A.T.

I skipped my high school classes just to watch the Chicago Bulls play because of him.

To watch Michael Jordan play on each game is like getting excited to watch the greatest concert of all time each time.

The greatest happiness me and my friends had was when he got back in the game from retirement. In contrast, the greatest upset I had was when he left for good.

No more basketball games to watch after that. However, I tried watching, but there was already numbness, disconnection, or detachment from the game. The joy was no longer there. If Michael isn't there, I just don't feel it.

Sure, we've got good athletes, and we can name a few, but Michael is Michael. No one will be worthy of comparing. No one.

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on March 10, 2012:

Hi Jools! I'm not a big baseball fan, basketball is my sport of choice. It's something about the thrill of making those shots. Michael Jordan was a flying jumper...he rocked the basketball court and yes he's gorgeous:)

Jools Hogg from North-East UK on March 10, 2012:

I am only just getting into basketball - I am a big baseball fan though. I think he's gorgeous and I have seen some clips of him play, he's amazing. How does anybody jump that high? Wow! Great hub, voted up n shared.

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on March 10, 2012:

Cogerson and Jason, Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts on Michael Jordan. The King of the Court has many admirers with positive comments. I like it!!

Jason F Marovich from Detroit on March 09, 2012:

One trait Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant share is their appeal to youths. I watched Jordan play in his prime and, like Bryant, he could make your jaw drop with his play. But Jordan rose above the other players in the league like no other player since Wilt Chamberlain. He was just the superior athlete of his generation.

Awesome hub about an awesome sportsman.