Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963 in New York City) is an American basketball player, a six-time NBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Since 2006 he has been a co-owner of the Charlotte Hornets. ¹⁾

A tragic event in his youth led to a phobia of water in his lifetime. When he was eleven, he nearly drowned himself at the baseball camp. He's not relaxed on boats even around large bodies of water to this day. ²⁾

Until he started his high school year, his father told him to be a mechanic, for anyone who worked with their hands still had a nice career. Jordan had a senior year breakthrough in basketball, and his career changed direction. ³⁾

Jordan was named the NCAA College Player of the Year in 1983 and 1984.⁴⁾

Jordan has been chosen as a player for the U.S. Olympic basketball team first time in the summer of 1984. The team won the gold medal at the Los Angeles Games that year. ⁵⁾

One year shy of graduation, Michael Jordan was selected third overall in the 1984 NBA Draft. In 1984, he joined the Chicago Bulls. ⁶⁾

Jordan is credited with the origin of the baggy basketball shorts fad. He needed bigger shorts because he wanted to continue wearing his University of North Carolina Tarheel shorts under his Chicago Bulls jersey for each game. ⁷⁾

Soon Jordan debuted as a basketball league star, and he entertained audiences with his prolific ability to score. His high jumps, seen by making slam dunks from the free throw line during the slam dunk competitions, won this young player the nicknames “His Airness” and “Air Jordan.” ⁸⁾