Facts about Michael Jordan

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Fact 1 Michael Jordan has won two Olympic gold medals in basketball, the first in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics when he was a college junior, the second in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain when he played as a member of the ‘˜Dream Team’, the first Olympic basketball team to feature active members of the NBA.

Fact 2 Jordan is the most decorated player ever in the NBA. He has won Rookie of the Year (1984), five times MVP (1985, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998), six times NBA Finals MVP (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998), three times All-Star MVP (1985, 1996, 1998), and in 1988 the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. He also won 3 NCAA awards: in 1984 The AP Plyer of the Year and the John R. Wooden awards, and in 1985 the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year award.

Fact 3 Michael Jordan is second on the list of the richest athletes, behind Arnold Palmer. Jordan’s net worth is estimated to be $650 million dollars. He still earns approximately $80 million a year from endorsements. Tiger Woods is fourth on that list.

Fact 4 Before he signed with Nike, Jordan was most interested in signing with Adidas, as he really liked wearing Adidas brand shoes. However, Adidas couldn’t come close to the money or other inducements that Nike offered. Jordan’s $500,000 deal for the first year, and $7 million for five years was by far the biggest endorsement package received by any athlete at that time.

Fact 5 In 1985, their first year, Air Jordan shoes earned $100 million for Nike. In 2012, their best earning year to date, Jordan brand shoes sold more than $2.5 billion dollars retail.

Fact 6 Jordan’s Chicago-area home, which is currently up for auction after failing to sell for the asking price of $29 million, sports his player number, 23, on the front gates.

Fact 7 The house boasts a full-sized basketball court, complete with locker rooms, showers, and a custom sound system. Jordan has been quoted as saying the house is too big for him now that his children are grown.

Fact 8 Michael Jordan’s dream growing up was to be a professional baseball player. He won the MVP award when his Babe Ruth League team won the state championship. In 1994 Jordan retired from basketball and played AA baseball, where he chalked up a .202 batting average, Not bad for a 31 year-old who hadn’t played competitive ball for 15 years.

Fact 9 Jordan has his own professional motorcycle racing team, Michael Jordan Motorsports. After discovering a passion for motorcycle racing, Michael founded the team in 2004 to compete in the AMA Pro Road Racing Series. The team has just announced it will not be back in 2014, but instead will be competing either in the World Superbike or MotoGP circuits.

Fact 10 Space Jam, the movie Michael Jordan made in 1996 with Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny et al., has grossed more than $230 million world-wide. It took in $27.5 million in domestic sales during its first weekend, and in its widest distribution was playing in more than 2600 theatres.

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