Michael Jordan
Teams
Chicago Bulls - 1984-93, 1995-98
Washington Wizards - 2001-03
Playoffs
Appearances - 13 (1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1995,1996,1997,1998)
Conference Finals - 8 (1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)
NBA Finals - 6 (1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)
Championships - 6 (1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)
Awards and Honors
Rookie of the Year - 1985
MVP - 5 (1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1996,1998)
Finals MVP - 6 (1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)
Defensive Player of the Year - 1 (1988)
All-NBA First Team - 10 (1985,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)
All-NBA Second Team - 1 (1985)
Hall of Fame - 2009
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Points Per Game - #1
Total Steals - #3
Steals Per Game - #4
Total Points - #5
Total Assists - #47
Assists Per Game - #100
League Leads
Total Points (#1-1985,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)
Points Per Game (#1-1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998, #3-1985)
Total Steals (#1-1988,1990,1993, #2-1987,1989, #3-1991,1996, #4-1985,1992)
Steals Per Game (#1-1988,1990,1993, #2-1987, #3-1989,1991,1996, #4-1985)
After hitting the championship-winning shot as a freshman at North Carolina, then winning the College Player of the Year award as a junior, Michael Jordan entered the NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the #3 overall pick.
As a rookie, Jordan finished with the third-highest scoring average in the league, pouring in 28.2 per game, along with 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.4 steals, which earned him the Rookie of the Year award despite solid play from Hakeem Olajuwon that year as well. He was able to help the Bulls make the playoffs for the first time in 4 years, but they lost in the first round to Milwaukee.
Jordan broke his foot in the third game of his second season, and ended up missing 64 games while recovering, but returned for the end of the regular season and the playoffs. In Game 2 of the first round, he scored a playoff-record 63 points against the Boston Celtics, but they lost that game and were swept in the series.
He was fully healthy the next season, and led the league by scoring 37.1 points per game, becoming only the second player to score 3000 points in a season, but the playoffs brought more disappointment, as Jordan and the Bulls were swept by the Celtics in the first round, the third year in a row that they failed to win a playoff series.
Scottie Pippen joined the team the next year as a rookie, and Jordan had another great year, leading the league with 35.0 points per game and 3.2 steals, and won both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards. He also won a playoff series for the first time, but the Bulls lost to Detroit in the second round in 5 games.
He led the league in scoring again the next year, but his averaged dropped to 32.5, but he averaged career highs in rebounds and assists, averaging 8.0 of each for the season. That year he was able to lead the Bulls one step farther in the playoffs, reaching the Conference Finals, but the Pistons ended their season again, knocking them off in 6 games.
He raised his scoring average back up to 33.6 the next year, and led the league in steals for the second time, with 2.8 per game, and set a career high by scoring 69 points in a March game against Cleveland. He took the Bulls back to the Conference Finals, where they met the Pistons again, and once again Detroit ended their season, this time in 7 games.
Jordan won his second MVP the next year after averaging 31.5 points per game to lead the league for the 5th year in a row, and he led the Bulls to 61 wins. They reached the Conference Finals for the third year in a row and met the Pistons there again, but this time they swept their rivals to reach their first Finals. They faced Magic Johnson and the Lakers in that series, winning in 5 games with Jordan averaging 31.2 points per game to win his first Finals MVP.
His scoring dropped to 30.1 the next year, but was still good for the league lead, and the Bulls won 67 games, earning Jordan another MVP, the third of his career. The Bulls faced a tough path the to Finals, barely getting past the Knicks in the second round before beating Cleveland in 6 games in the Conference Finals, but Jordan averaged 35.8 in the Finals to knock off Portland in 6 games, winning his second Finals MVP.
Jordan played better the next year, finishing with 32.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, but lost the MVP award to Charles Barkley of the Suns, who finished with the league's best record. He led the Bulls back to the Finals for the third year in a row, where they faced those Suns, and Jordan set a Finals record by averaging 41.0 points per game in the Finals as they beat Phoenix in 6 games.
Shortly before the start of the next season, Jordan surprised everyone by announcing his retirement after only 9 seasons in the NBA. He played minor league baseball during his time away, and the Bulls fell short of the Finals for the first time in 4 years. Near the end of the next season, with the Bulls struggling to make the playoffs, Jordan decided to return to the Bulls.
It took a few games to shake off the rust, but by the end of the regular season he was pretty much back to his former self, and the Bulls went 13-4 after his return to make the playoffs comfortably. They reached the second round of the playoffs, where they faced Shaq and the Magic, but despite Jordan's 31.0 points per game in the series, the Bulls lost a series with Jordan on the court for the first time since 1990.
Following that playoff loss, Jordan and the Bulls came back with a vengeance, setting a new record by winning 72 games that next season, with Jordan scoring 30.4 points per game to win his record 8th scoring title. The Bulls lost only one game on their way to the NBA Finals, where they beat the SuperSonics in 6 games to earn Jordan his 4th Finals MVP.
The Bulls won "only" 69 games the next year, and Jordan averaged "only" 29.6 points, but it was enough for the scoring title and the league's best record again. Karl Malone won that season's MVP, and just like in 1993, Jordan met the man who had beaten him for MVP in the Finals, and led the Bulls to a 6-game defeat of the Jazz for a 5th championship.
The next year, Chicago won only 62 games, and Jordan only scored 28.7 per game, but he won his 10th scoring title anyway. He led the Bulls to the Finals yet again, surviving a tough 7-game series against Indiana in the Conference Finals before knocking off Utah in 6 games for the second straight year, earning Jordan his record 6th Finals MVP (though Bill Russell did not have the chance to win any during his career).
He retired again before the start of the next season, and a year later joined the Washington Wizards as President of Basketball Operations. After a couple of years in the role, Jordan decided that he still wanted to play, and unretired once again to join the Wizards.
Jordan injured his knee in his first season with the Wizards, missing 22 games as a result, only the second time he had suffered a major injury in his career. He averaged 22.9 points per game, but wasn't able to lead the team to the playoffs, missing out on the postseason for the first time in his career. He played one more season with the team, averaging a career-low 20 points per game, and once again fell short of the playoffs. Following that season, he retired for the final time.
Jordan has the highest scoring average of any player in history, ahead of Wilt Chamberlain by a fraction of a point, and won more scoring titles than any other player ever. He also led the league in steals 3 times and is #3 on the all-time list for total steals. He won 6 championships and was the best player on each of those teams, an accomplishment eclipsed by only Bill Russell, and won 5 MVP awards, second to only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 6, though he probably deserved to have 7. He is definitely one of the greatest to ever play the game.
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