Michael Jordan (born 17 February 1963) is an American businessman and former basketball player who is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He played 15 seasons in the NBA between 1984 and 2003 and won six championships with the Chicago Bulls. He later became an owner in the NBA and in NASCAR. This biography follows his life and career up to November 2026.
Michael Jordan at a Glance
| Full name | Michael Jeffrey Jordan |
| Born | 17 February 1963, Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Age | 63 (as of November 2026) |
| Profession | Businessman; former basketball and baseball player |
| Education | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| NBA career | 1984 to 2003 (Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards) |
| NBA titles | 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) |
| Individual honours | 5 MVP awards, 6 Finals MVP awards, 10 scoring titles |
| Career scoring average | 30.1 points per game (regular season) |
| Spouse | Yvette Prieto (married 27 April 2013) |
Early Life and College
Michael Jordan was born in the Fort Greene neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York, to Deloris Jordan, a bank employee, and James R. Jordan Sr., an equipment supervisor. The family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1968. At Emsley A. Laney High School he played basketball, baseball and football, and as a sophomore he was told he was too short for the varsity basketball team at 5 feet 11 inches. He accepted a scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1980.
As a freshman in 1982 he was a member of North Carolina's national championship team. He was named to the NCAA All-American First Team in 1983 and 1984, won the Naismith and Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984, and left a year before graduating to enter the 1984 NBA draft.
Career with the Bulls
The Chicago Bulls picked Jordan with the third overall pick in 1984. His scoring, defence and competitiveness made him a league star, and his dunks from the free-throw line in the Slam Dunk Contest, which he won in 1987 and 1988, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". The Bulls reached the Finals for the first time in franchise history in 1991 and beat the Los Angeles Lakers in five games, and they followed with titles in 1992 and 1993.
In October 1993 Jordan retired, saying he had lost his desire to play basketball, three months after the murder of his father. He played minor league baseball for the Birmingham Barons, a Chicago White Sox affiliate, in 1994, before returning to the Bulls in 1995. Chicago won three more championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998, including a then-record 72 regular season wins in 1995–96. He retired for a second time on 13 January 1999.
Wizards, Olympics and Records
Jordan returned to the NBA with the Washington Wizards from 2001 to 2003, and he played his final All-Star Game in 2003. With the United States national team he won four gold medals, including the 1984 Olympics and the 1992 Olympics as a member of the "Dream Team". His NBA records include 10 scoring titles, six Finals MVP awards, a career regular-season scoring average of 30.1 points per game and a playoff average of 33.4. He was also named Defensive Player of the Year once, and he was selected to 14 All-Star Games. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 and again in 2010 as part of the 1992 Dream Team.
Business and Ownership
Jordan became one of the most heavily marketed athletes in history, and his deal with Nike produced the Air Jordan line of sneakers. He starred as himself in the film Space Jam (1996), and the documentary series The Last Dance (2020) followed his final championship season with the Bulls. In 2006 he became part-owner and head of basketball operations of the Charlotte Hornets, then called the Bobcats, took a controlling interest in 2010, and sold his majority stake in 2023. He is also a co-owner of the NASCAR team 23XI Racing.
Personal Life
Jordan married Juanita Vanoy in 1989, and they divorced in 2006. He married Yvette Prieto on 27 April 2013, and their identical twin daughters were born in 2014. In 1996 he founded a Boys and Girls Club in the Chicago area and dedicated it to his father.
Legacy
Jordan helped carry basketball and the NBA to a global audience in the 1980s and 1990s, and the NBA's Most Valuable Player trophy is now named in his honour. ESPN named him the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century, and for many fans and players the debate about the best basketball player of all time still begins with him.
