<P> Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials, MJ, is an American former professional basketball player . He played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards . His biography on the official 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 considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s . He is currently the principal owner and chairman of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets . </P> <P> Jordan played three seasons for coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina . As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship team in 1982 . Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick . He quickly emerged as a league star and entertained crowds with his prolific scoring . His leaping ability, demonstrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in 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 before the beginning of the 1993--94 NBA season and started a new career playing minor league baseball, he returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and led them to three additional championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998, as well as a then - record 72 regular - season wins in the 1995--96 NBA season . Jordan retired for a second time in January 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Wizards . </P> <P> Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include six NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, ten scoring titles (both all - time records), five MVP Awards, ten All - NBA First Team designations, nine All - Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All - Star Game selections, three All - Star Game MVP Awards, three steals titles, 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 (33.45 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' list of athletes of the century . Jordan is a two - time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, having been enshrined in 2009 for his individual career, and again in 2010 as part of the group induction of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team ("The Dream Team"). He became a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2015 . </P> <P> Jordan is also known for his product endorsements . He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1984 and remain popular today . Jordan also starred as himself in the 1996 film Space Jam . In 2006, he became part - owner and head of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats; he bought a controlling interest in 2010 . In 2014, Jordan became the first billionaire player in NBA history . He is the third - richest African - American, behind Robert F. Smith and Oprah Winfrey . </P>

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