Life Story of 'His Airness' - Entertainment - http://maxpages.com/bananer/Micheal_Jordan

Some people joke that basketball star Micheal Jeffrey Jordan was born with wings. It's no
joke that this awesome guard appears to take flight each time he attempts to slam-dunk a
basketball, but wings have got nothing to do with it. This super player worked long and
hard to master the game of basketball.
Determination, not wings, "Air" Jordan explains, is how a normal kid from North
Carolina learned to "fly". The Jordan household was filled with love and warmth.
Michael's parents believed in supporting and encouraging their children, and taught them
the importance of striving to achieve their dreams.
"The way it was in our family," explains Micheal’s dad, "is that we try to make
something happen rather than waiting around for it to happen. We believe the surest way
is to work toward making it the way you want it."
"I was lucky," says Micheal. "I have parents who care. They gave me guidance and taught
me to work hard. I've learned my lesson."
Micheal will tell you that his mom and dad are responsible for instilling their good
qualities into their son. He also picked up a few other things from his parents, like his
habit of sticking his tongue out when playing basketball! His dad had the same habit
while working in the backyard, or while fixing the family car. Since father and son spent
so much time together when Michael was a child, Micheal picked it up. Today, he is
famous for the way he comes dribbling downcourt with his tongue wagging.
"I've been doing it for so long now that it's a habit that I just can't stop," he remarks.
Unfortunately, it isn't a habit he's proud of. Many coaches have told him that it's
dangerous. He could seriously injure himself if another player accidentally knocks him in
the jaw during a game.

Michael worries about kids imitating this habit of his. "If kids try to do it, and they bite
their tongues," he says, "that's something I don't want to be the cause of."
Many people say that Micheal has become a role model for kids. He agrees and takes this
role very seriously. He is pleased that kids try to be like him. For that reason, he is careful
in the things that he says and does. He doesn't smoke. He'd never do drugs. And he
doesn't drink.
"I know how positive I want my lifestyle to be," Micheal says seriously. "And that's the
way I live it."
When he remembers his childhood, he recalls what a shy and insecure boy he was.
Micheal says he felt especially uncomfortable around girls. He says they thought he was
"gooney."
"A lot of guys picked on me," recalls Micheal, "and they would do it in front of the girls.
They would joke about my haircut and the way that I played with my tongue [hanging]
out, all different things. I couldn't get a date with anybody!"
He was more comfortable at home, with his brothers and sisters. Micheal and his older
brothers, James Jr. and Larry, shared a love for sports, all sports. Micheal and Larry
played basketball together in a local league when Michael was seven or eight years old.
Larry was the basketball star then and went on to be a star player at Laney High School in
Wilmington. Micheal, who had not yet realized his basketball potential, joined little
league instead.
Micheal remembers that he was a pretty good pitcher. His best childhood memory is of
the one-hitter he pitched when he was 12 years old. He was voted the Most Valuable
Player after the game. He even won a scholarship to the Mickey Owen baseball camp.
By junior high school, Micheal was an all-around athlete. He pitched and played outfield
on the baseball team, played quarterback on the football team, and was a guard on the
school basketball team.
HIGH SCHOOL: Meanwhile, Larry was still the star player on the high school varsity
basketball team. Micheal was proud of his older brother but also envied him. While
Michael was a good basketball player, he knew that he needed to grow taller to play for
the high school varsity team, but that did not seem likely because no one in the Jordan
family was more than six feet tall.
Instead of giving up on basketball, Micheal worked hard at the game. To compensate for
his lack of height, he strove to improve his vertical leap.
Micheal’s dad saw how serious Micheal had become about basketball and constructed a
court in their backyard. Micheal spent so much time practicing on his new court that he
wore away the grass.
"We played neighborhood games for at least two hours every day, and on Saturdays were
out there all day," he says. He liked to play with guys who were bigger and better than he.
Michael thinks that playing with the big boys helped make him a better player.
All of that practice improved Michael's game. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he still
couldn't beat Larry in a game of one-on-one. It practically drove Michael crazy! But his
drive and determination made him try even harder.
"Michael got his competitive nature from his mother," says his dad.
On the other hand, Michael credits those one-on-one games with Larry’s the driving force
behind his will to improve. He may have become jealous of Larry's success on the courts,
but Michael also admired his older brother. In fact, the number 23 that Michael has worn
on his uniform since high school is his personal tribute to Larry. Larry was number 45 on
his high school varsity team. Michael chose 23 because it was approximately one half of
45. It was Michael's hope to be at least half as good as Larry.
"Larry always used to beat me on the backyard court," Michael says. "His vertical jump is
higher than mine. He's got the dunks and some three-sixties and most of all the same stuff
I have. And he's only five-seven! He's my inspiration."
When Michael entered his sophomore year at Laney High, he still wasn't tall enough to
make the varsity team. He played junior varsity instead, but wasn't happy about it.
During the season, Michael averaged a strong 27 points per game. He hoped that when
the varsity team went to the state tournament, he would be asked to play for them. But he
wasn't. In fact, when the varsity team went to the regionals, the coach only let him on the
bus because a student manager got sick. He didn't even have a ticket to the game! "I had
to carry the uniform of the star player to get in," says Michael, "and I never wanted that to
happen again. From that day on, I just worked at my basketball skills."
Meanwhile, Michael made the varsity football team! He also made the track team, where
he excelled in-what else?-the long and high jumps!
But Michael still worked long and hard to improve his basketball skills. It had become an
obsession with him. He began cutting classes in order to practice, and as a result, was
suspended from school three times!
Luckily, his dad stepped in to set him straight. James Sr. asked Micheal to stop and
reevaluate his goals. When Micheal explained that he had hopes of going to college to
play basketball, his father told him that if he continued to do poorly in school, no college
would want him.

"I knew he was right and I tried to change," Michael says. "I concentrated more on my
schoolwork. I had a goal and I knew I had to work to reach it."
Then a miracle happened. That summer, before he was to enter his junior year, he grew!
Four inches! He was 6'3" tall by the first day of school. "It was almost as if Michael just
willed himself taller," his father says.
When basketball season began that year, Michael finally made the varsity team. But
making the team wasn't enough. He knew he would have to work hard to stay on the
team. He longed for the moment when all of his efforts would pay off and he would shine
on the courts just his older brother Larry.
His routine was an exhausting one. From five until seven o'clock in the evening, he
joined the junior varsity team's practice, and then stayed on to practice with the varsity
team until nine. Saturdays and Sundays he played all day long.
His persistence paid off. During the holiday tournament that winter, Michael had his first
moment in the spotlight. Laney was playing arch-rival New Hanover High School, and
Michael scored his team's final 15 points, sinking a jump shot at the buzzer to win the
game!
The summer before Micheal's senior year, Lanai’s basketball coach got him into the
famous Howie Garfinkel's Five Star basketball Camp in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Going to Five-Star Camp was a major honor for Michael. The camp had the reputation
for providing the most intense training program in the country, and only the best
basketball players could attend, by invitation only. Many big-time university coaches
went to Five-Star Camp to scout promising players.
During his first of three weeks at the camp, coaches and scouts took notice of Michael.
They couldn't help but notice him. He won five trophies in the first week, not to mention
the Most Valuable Player award!
The second week, Micheal took the MVP award again and set a camp record by winning
an additional five trophies! "That camp changed how I felt about basketball and my
future," he says. "It was the turning point of my life."
Michael continued his strenuous regimen of basketball practice and schoolwork
throughout his senior year. Coach Herring, Laney's head coach, would pick him up at six
o'clock every morning so that he could get in an extra hour of practice before classes
began. Talk about dedication!
Soon, Michael had a new goal. To get a college basketball scholarship. And from the way
he was playing during his last season at Laney, there was no doubt that he would receive
a ton of offers from a ton of schools.
When the offers came pouring in, Michael found himself faced with a big decision: What
school should he go to?
He had always been a big fan of North Carolina State University because his basketball
hero, David Thompson, played there. But his mom was a big fan of the University of
North Carolina, which had one of the best basketball programs in the country.
Michael didn't make up his mind until he visited the UNC campus at Chapel Hill.
Needless to say, he made his mom very happy when he accepted a UNC scholarship and
got set to attend school there the following fall.
With his college future secure, Michael continued to shine on the court during his last
year at Laney, scoring an average of 27.8 points per game! He quit all other sports and
dedicated all of his time to basketball.

COLLEGE DAYS Fall 1981 arrived, and Michael started school as an official member of
the University of North Carolina basketball team, the Tar Heels. At first, he was scared
that he wouldn't be able to hold his own on a team. UNC had recruited some of the best
high school basketball talent in the country.
But when the college basketball season began, Michael found himself named to the Tar
Heels' starting lineup! This was a very special accomplishment in Michael's mind,
because it meant that the UNC coach, Dean Smith, thought he was just as good as the
other players, maybe even better. Usually freshmen are stationed on the bench to watch
and learn from their more experienced, older teammates. But there would be no sitting on
the bench for Michael Jordan!
College life treated Michael well. He did a terrific job on the basketball court and in the
classroom. Maintaining a B average, Michael decided to declare a major in geography.
Michael enjoyed an exciting freshman year socially as well. He shared an apartment with
his teammate Buzz Peterson, whom he had met at Five-Star Basketball Camp, and the
two fast became best friends. They spent their free time together, playing cards or
monopoly, dating, or hitting the golf course, another one of Michael's passions.
If you've ever heard the phrase "that championship season," you have an idea of exactly
what kind of year Michael had, playing for the Tar Heels. In fact, one of the most
exciting moments in college basketball history happened during Michael's freshman year.
Some say it was the moment Michael Jordan's career was launched.
The night was March 29, 1982, and the Tar Heels were playing the Georgetown Hoyas.
The game was being played at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a record
breaking crowd of 61,612 fans packed into the Superdome to watch the two teams play.
It was one of the largest crowds ever to attend a college basketball game in the United
States, and this was no ordinary game. This was the game that would determine the
NCAA national champions.
At this time, Michael Jordan was thought of as the Tar Heels' third-best scorer and
second-best player. The best player on the team was James Worthy, a forward who today
plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. Michael didn't stand out on the team, but was regarded
as an excellent player. He could score on shots from almost anywhere on the court and
created quite a spectacle when he leaped through the air and made fast and furious dunks.
The Tar Heels were the number-one team in the country; and the Hoyas, who were
known for their tough, physical style of play, were number six. They also had seven-foot
star center Patrick Ewing whom they nicknamed the "Hoya Destroyer." Today Ewing
plays for the New York Nicks.
Now it was time for the showdown between the Tar Heels and the Hoyas. The winning
team would be the 1982 NCAA champs.
From the start of the game, there was electricity in the air. Everyone was charged up, and
the noise at times reached deafening decibels. In addition to the hordes of people
watching in the Superdome, the game was seen on TV by millions of others across the
nation.
The beginning of the game was frustrating for the Tar Heels. Each time they tried to
score, the "Hoya Destroyer" was in their way! As the game progressed, however, the
teams provided an intense and entertaining matchup. James Worthy scored 16 of his
team's first 22 points. By halftime, the Tar Heels trailed by only one point, 32-31.
When the second half began, both teams played toe-to-toe, trading baskets to the crowd's
delight. Back and forth they ran, with one team scoring, and then the other. It was hard
keeping track of the score as it rose rapidly. One team was never ahead by much.
With less that a minute left in the game, UNC had possession of the ball and was trailing
by one point, 62-61. They passed the ball around, hoping to get it to their star player,
James Worthy. Worthy finally got the pass, but was so heavily covered that he couldn't
shoot.
There were 16 seconds left, and the Tar Heels desperately needed a basket! Worthy
looked around and saw that Jordan was open. He passed the ball out to where Micheal
was. Then, as everyone in the Superdome and across the country held their breath,
Micheal scooped up the ball, jumped, and swished a 17-foot jump shot through the
basket to give UNC the win 63=62!
The noise from the fans was deafening, the crowd went wild.
Micheal’s shot that night at the Superdome changed his life forever. From that moment
on, he was famous. The residents at Chapel Hill were so impressed with Micheal that
their local phone company put a picture of him taking that final shot on the cover of their
phone book!
He won All-America honors that year, in addition to being named Atlantic Coast
Conference Rookie of the Year, very impressive achievements. But those were only the
first of many awards and honors that Michael would be receiving in the months to come.
He continued to excel, having another outstanding season with the Tar Heels in his
sophomore year. But after two years, he was faced with a big decision. He knew that
staying at UNC and playing college basketball would only slow his development as a
player, so he decided to leave UNC after his sophomore year and join the National
Basketball Association.
The summer before joining the NBA, Micheal made history again, when he led the
United States basketball team to a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles,
California.
Evan people who didn't follow the game of basketball flocked to watch the Olympic
basketball games. There was talk of a dynamic young player from North Carolina who
could slam-dunk a basketball better than anyone else, and Americans were anxious to
witness his great talents firsthand.
THE PROS That fall, Micheal Jordan began his NBA career, playing for the Chicago
Bulls. Today, only a few short years later, he is not only the Bulls' star player, but one of
the best in the NBA. Attendance at Bulls' games has never been better, and it's all
because of Jordan. People say it's electrifying to watch him play in person. Sometimes, he
soar seven higher than the basket itself. And remember, the net is more than ten feet
above the court!

Talented stars like Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Los
Angeles Lakers are in awe of him. He has become a true basketball phenomenon.
In addition, Michael has since become the most famous basketball player in the world.
Major companies, such as Nike, Coca-cola, McDonalds, Wilson Sporting Goods, and
Chevrolet, have all signed Micheal to advertise their products. He has also lent his sweet,
smiling face to endorse everything from tuxedos to toys. And most recently, he appears in
a weekly cartoon series called ProStars with baseball/football star Bo Jackson and hockey
great Wayne Gretzky.
Of course, in North Carolina, Michael is a hero. In Chapel Hill, a restaurant has named a
tongue sandwich after him because of his tongue-hanging trademark. In Wilmington,
they've declared a Micheal Jordan Day.
Micheal; his wife, Juanita; and their son, Jeffrey, live in a big house in Northbrook,
Illinois. Off-season, the Jordans enjoy simple things, like relaxing at home, cooking,
going bowling, and playing golf. Micheal loves to play golf so much that he even has a
six-hole putting green in his basement! He has hopes of one day turning pro in that sport
as well.
As for flying...well, it certainly seems as if this 6'6" guy can fly. But being able to defy
the laws of gravity hasn't changed Micheal Jeffrey Jordan at all. Everyone that knows
him can tell you that Michael is still the same sweet, friendly, considerate guy he's always
been.
He's also a very caring person. In the past few years, Micheal has donated thousands of
dollars to a number of charities. Since he's frequently asked to donate money, he has
established the Jordan Foundation, which provides funds to charitable organizations.
"I'm not caught up in the flashy life," Micheal says proudly. "I haven't changed my
personality at all. I know where I came from and what it took me to get where I am."
His determination hasn't died down either. "I don't feel I've reached my peak as a player,"
he says. "I truly feel like I'll get better as I get older."
Hey...no one's arguing. In fact, ever since he led the Chicago Bulls to their first-ever
NBA-championship win on June 12, 1991, there's no denying that.

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Page Updated Fri Mar 9, 2001 6:51pm EST