The original Air Jordan 1 violated the NBA’s strict 1985 uniform policy, requiring players to only wear white shoes. Michael’s black and red Air Jordan 1s resulted in a $5,000 fine per game and totaled between $25,000-$50,000. Nike embraced the rebellious nature and marketed the shoes as “Banned from the NBA.”
According to Forbes, only three professional U.S. athletes reached billionaire status.
Jordan was the first to achieve it in 2014, followed by LeBron James and Tiger Woods.
After playing college basketball at the University of North Carolina, Jordan was selected as the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft.
Michael Jordan led what is widely known as the “Dream Team” of American basketball players to two Olympic gold medals.
Jordan wore his UNC practice shorts under his Chicago Bulls shorts for every NBA game. He felt the shorts gave him good luck.
One of Jordans first luxury purchases was
this Date Just Rolex. “His Airness” continues to
collect time pieces, including several watches worth $2 million a peice.
Jordan’s father, James Jordan, was murdered while sleeping in his car outside of a hotel. He pulled over to rest his eyes after a long day of golfing with Michael. The car jackers didn’t know who they had killed until they found Michael Jordans NBA ring, and a Rolex engraved with “To Dad, from Michael”.
Devastated by the loss of his father, Michael Jordan retired from the NBA at age 30 and pursued a career in professional baseball in 1993, honoring his father’s love for the sport.
Michael Jordan is known to stick out his
tongue on the court. This is a subconscious quirk he saw his father and grandfather do while concentrating.
Heather grey sweatpants and sweatshirts were first invented in the 1920’s for exercise. At the time, men wore suits and women wore dresses or skirts daily. With the help of iconic movie scenes from Flashdance and Rocky, sweatsuit’s practicality and comfort made them a favorite among athletes and
sweats became a symbol of fitness culture.
When Jordan returned to the NBA after two years, he chose to play with #45, his original high school number. He wore #45 for 22 games. But when he arrived for the 23rd game he wore #23 and remained #23 until he retired.
Michael Jordan’s #23 jersey remains the biggest selling NBA jersey of
all-time, followed by Kobe Bryant,
then LeBron James.
Michael Jordan and his brother, Larry, played on separate teams, both with #45. When they eventually played on the same team, little brother Michael had to choose a new number, so he decided half of 45 rounded up would work best. #23.
Mike played with #23 through high school, college, and into the NBA.
When Jordan returned to the NBA after two years, he chose to play with #45, his original high school number. He wore #45 for 22 games. But when he arrived for the 23rd game he wore #23 and remained #23 until he retired.
Michael Jordan’s #23 jersey remains the biggest selling NBA jersey of
all-time, followed by Kobe Bryant,
then LeBron James.
As a high school sophomore in North Carolina, Jordan famously failed to make the varsity basketball team
Michael Jordan started shaving his head in 1988 at the age of 25. While he is not the first athlete to do this, his iconic bald head led to the popularization of clean-shaven heads amongst professional athletes