Michael Jordan, aka Michael Jeffrey Jordan, the name is the brand itself. Well, who doesn’t know him? So if you are his hardcore fan, then do not miss to check out Michael Jordan facts for kids.
1. Michael Jordan was removed from the varsity team.
When Michael Jordan was in his sophomore year in high school, he was cut from the varsity team. Later on, he made jaw-dropping comebacks.
2. Michael Jordan used to make funny facial expressions in his games.
In the games, Michael Jordan was known for sticking out his tongue whenever he dunked or made moves.
3. Michael Jordan was a leader in the NBA.
Michael Jordan continued his reign by leading the NBA in scoring for 10 seasons.
4. Michael Jordan was a part of an American live-action/animated sports comedy film.
Michael Jordan played the role of himself along with the animated character Bugs Bunny in the film called Space Jam.
5. Michael Jordan is popular because of his sports career and a popular shoe brand.
Michael Jordan has gained popularity after making a career in basketball and his Nike shoe the Air Jordan.
6. Michael Jordan’s nickname Magic Jordan is related to something special to him.
When Michael Jordan was a kid, his idol was Magic Johnson. Thus, his fans started calling him Magic Jordan. He was so happy with this name that he even had a license plate with this nickname on it on his first car, which was a 1976 Grand Prix.
7. Michael Jordan was trained by his father.
Michael Jordan received his basketball from none other than his father.
8. Michael Jordan had a phobia of water.
In his childhood, Michael Jordan met with a tragic incident that led to a lifetime phobia of water. Sources say that one of his close friends got sucked into the ocean’s undertow and drowned.
At the age of 11, Michael Jordan himself almost drowned when he was at baseball camp. And to this day, the NBA star feels uncomfortable on boats. He also feels weird around the large bodies of water.
9. Michael Jordan had a breakthrough during his senior years in basketball.
Michael Jordan noticed a growth in basketball in his senior year and that changed the course of his future. Later on, he was selected to the McDonald’s All-American Team after he averaged a triple-double (29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists) as a senior.
Read More About 28 Facts About Betsy Ross For Kids
10. Michael Jordan was named the NCAA College Player.
In 1983 and 1984, Michael Jordan was named the NCAA College Player of the Year.
11. Michael Jordan was part of the U.S. Olympic basketball team.
Michael Jordan was chosen as a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball team in the summer of 1984. And in the same year, his team took home GOLD at Los Angeles.
12. Michael Jordan got the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1985.
In 1984, the rookie third overall draft pick was around $6.15 million. Michael Jordan helped the Bulla in making it to the playoffs by making an average score of 28.2 points per game.
The next year, which was in 1985, Jordan received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Furthermore, he was also selected for the NBA All-Star Game. And from here, he was off to an excellent start.
13. Michael Jordan was also nicknamed Air Jordan and His Airness.
Michael Jordan got his nicknames “His Airness” and “Air Jordan” after his high leaps which were demonstrated by performing slam dunks from the free-throw line which was in slam dunk contests.
14. Michael Jordan won various championships in his entire basketball career.
Michael Jordan won five NBA most valuable player awards, made fourteen NBA All-Star appearances, as well as won six NBA Championships. Apart from this, in 1988, Jordan also became a Defensive Player Of The Year.
15. Michael Jordan is known as one of the most decorated players in the NBA now.
Michael Jordan won all of the games in the NBA Finals. However, he lost only one. Thus, in the past and the present, Jordan is said to be one of the most decorated players in the NBA.
16. Michael Jordan was presented as the greatest athlete in the 1996 edition.
In the 1996 edition of Sports Illustrated Magazine, Michael Jordan was presented as the greatest athlete of the past 50 years. Cool, isn’t it?
17. Michael Jordan was ranked the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century.
ESPN ranked Michael Jordan the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century over sports icons like Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali.
And undoubtedly yes, Michael is said to be one of the all-time greatest players in the NBA.
18. 23 was Michael Jordan’s favorite jersey number.
When Michael Jordan was in high school and college, his number was 23. The same number was there in his entire career with the Chicago Bulls. There was only one time when he wore another number. But for the rest of the time, his jersey number was 23.
Sources say that on Valentine’s Day in 1990, a thief stole his 23-number jersey right before his game. Later, he tried to wear one of his fan’s jerseys which was a replica. But it was too small for him.
Then the equipment team manager found an extra jersey that had no name, but the number 12 written on it. That night, he still scored 49 points for his team.
Know More About 24 Ocean Pollution Facts For Kids To Learn About!
19. Michael Jordan starred in various films.
Michael Jordan was already a star because of his persona. Moreover, he was part of various movies. In 1996, he starred in a mixed animation and live-action film Space Jam as himself which included cartoon legends like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
20. Michael Jordan has created his own line of sports shoes.
In 1985, Michael Jordan introduced Air Jordan, which is his own line of the sports shoe collection. And till today, the brand is famous among sports shoes lovers.
21. Michael Jordan makes loads of money annually.
Michael Jordan had Nike and Jordan brand royalties. So from there, he makes around $60 million annually. And as of now, Nike’s Jordan Brand generates $1 billion in sales.
22. Michael Jordan was one of the highest-paid NBA players of his time.
Michael Jordan had never earned more than $4 million in a season playing basketball before 1997. As his scores increased, his value increased too.
According to the sources, Jordan was one of the highest-paid players in only two of his seasons in the league. Furthermore, he earned $30 million in 1997 and $33 million in 1998.
23. Michael Jordan owned Michael Jordan Motorsports.
Michael Jordan was the owner of Michael Jordan Motorsports from 2004 until the end of 2013. The firm had a professional closed-course racing team. With just two Suzukis, they competed in the AMA-sanctioned Superbike Championship.
24. Michael Jordan is the only NBA player and the first former player to own an NBA team.
Michael Jordan is said to be one of the majority owners as well as the first African-American majority owner of an NBA team.
Besides, his name was mentioned in 2015’s Forbes list of international billionaires. So basically, Jordan was the first professional athlete to attain this level of success.