Michael Jordan celebrates his 61st birthday on February 17th.
Michael Jordan, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, was born on February 17, 1963, and turns 61 in 2024. Jordan has a decades long career that is marked with many records and milestones. An east coast athlete through and through Jordan was born in New York before relocating as a child to Wilmington, North Carolina.
Although we recognize Jordan as the GOAT today, his career did not start off on a high note. During his freshman year of high school, MJ was turned away from the basketball team. He was deemed “too short”, standing at 5’11”, a stark contrast to his current height of 6’6”. Determined to overcome this setback Jordan went on to become of the school’s best players, landing himself a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina.
At UNC Jordan started to become the player he is recognized as today. He won the 1982 NCAA Championship and is a NCAA All-American First Team member and won two players of the year awards. Eventually Jordan would return to finish his degree, but he left UNC a year early for the NBA draft, which saw him get drafted to the Chicago Bulls.
Despite a brief run with the Washington Wizards MJ spent most of his time with the Bulls. He is a six-time NBA champion, 14-time NBA all-star, two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Jordan finally retired for the second and final time in 2003. His career ended with his number 23, being retired at two teams. He is also recognized as the greatest player of all time, and one of the most successful businessmen to come out of the NBA with the ever-growing popular Air Jordan shoe line.
Off the court MJ has several notable achievements as well. After his first retirement from the NBA, he had a brief stint in baseball, signing a contract with the Chicago White Sox. Jordan was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama and continues to be a prominent public figure to this day.
