Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a retired American professional basketball player and active businessman. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.
After a stand-out career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he led the Tar Heels to a National Championship in 1982, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line at Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball. In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat". Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons in 2001 as a member of the Washington Wizards.
Jordan's individual accolades and 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, and the 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 (33.4 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame on April 6, 2009 and will be inducted in September 2009.
Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam. He is currently a part-owner and Managing Member of Basketball Operations of the Charlotte Bobcats in North Carolina.
“Learning is a gift, even when pain is your teacher!”
“The best come from the worst”
“Not every flying hero has a cape.”
“If I had been playing for money I would have complained a long time ago that I was underpaid.”
“I have failed many times, and that's why I am a success.”
“There is no "I" in team.”
“I failed over and over and over and that is why I succeed.”
“some people wish it would happen, some pepole want it to happen, others make it happen”
“If nobody will help you, do it alone! There is no 'i' in team, but there is '1' in WIN!”
“I can appect failure, but I cannot accept not trying.”
“I play to win, whether during practice or a real game.”
“Every time I feel tired while I am exercising and training, I close my eyes to see that picture, to see that list with my name. This usually motivates me to work again.”
“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.”
“Failure is acceptable. but not trying is a whole different ball park.”
“Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.”
“I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying”
“There is no "I" in team but there is in win.”
“As athletes, we're used to reacting quickly. Here, it's 'come, stop, come, stop.' There's a lot of downtime. That's the toughest part of the day. ”
“The basketball court for me, during a game, is the most peaceful place I can imagine. On the basketball court, I worry about nothing. When I'm out there, no one can bother me...”
“What is love? Love is playing every game as if it's your last!”
“Once I made a decision, I never thought about it again.”
“My mother is my root, my foundation. She planted the seed that I base my life on, and that is the belief that the ability to achieve starts in your mind.”
“Everybody has talent, but ability takes hard work.”
“The key to success is failure.”
“If you do the work you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life.”
“I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.”
“Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.”
“I've never lost a game. I just ran out of time.”
“You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.”
“Don't let them drag you down by rumors just go with what you believe in.”
“To learn to succeed, you must first learn to fail.”
“I failed so therefore I succeed. ”
“I realize I'm black, but id like to be viewed as a person, and that is everybody's wish.”
“The minute you get away from fundamentals – whether its proper technique, work ethic or mental preparation – the bottom can fall out of your game, your schoolwork, your job, whatever you’re doing.”
“If you quit ONCE it becomes a habit.Never quit!!!”
“I Own the guy guarding me”
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, and others make it happen.”
“To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don't isolate.”
“My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.”
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
“Make It Happen.”
“He fallado una y otra vez en mi vida,por eso he conseguido el éxito.”
“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying.”