Name: Michael Jordan
Role Model Spotlight as: Colossal Basketball Pro
Role Model Award: An athlete with undying will, tremendous courage, awesome defense, and unbelieveable scoring. Michael Jordan, a man who seems to be without a weakness, makes a great role model for youths and adults. A great player and a great human being, he is an example to youths worldwide. In an AP survey of black children, Michael Jordan was reportedly in a tie with God as the man they most admired after their parents.
Age: 35 Birthdate: February 17, 1963
Height: 6'6" Weight: 216 pounds
Born: Brooklyn, New York
Grew up: Wilmington, North Carolina
Eats: Wheaties for breakfast
Wears: New Nikes every game. A gold & diamond hoop in his left ear.
Annual salary: $33 million
Endorsements: $40 million/year
Role Model Profile: Michael Jordan won Rookie of the Year in 1984 in the NBA draft. He was chosen by the Chicago Bulls. Since then, Michael Jordan has been a legendary player throughout the 14 years since he began his career in professional basketball. Jordan did announce his retirement from basketball in October, 1993. He said he had nothing more to prove in basketball. He also stated that the press and media made his private life intolerable. Michael still loved competition, so for a short period he went back to his initial sport, baseball. He returned to basketball on March 19, 1995. It took him time to get back up to speed in the game after his 21- month absence. Since then, in the last two years, Jordan's team, the Chicago Bulls, won 171 games and lost only 30. Jordan is now 35, a time when most basketball pros are considered to be past their prime. Still, he is the best player around.
Parents and Family, Growing Up: Michael grew up as the fourth child of Deloris Peoples and James Jordan. His father was in the Air Force. He was the kind of kid who tested adults until the end. He played baseball when most of his black friends played basketball. He threw two no-hitters in Little League. He was named Most Valuable Player when his Babe Ruth team won the state championships. Michael Jordan never wanted to lose. A teacher in his school said that Michael would get to school at 6AM in the morning from Fall through Winter and through Spring. Every school morning he'd be in the gym, practising. In college, he played basketball at the University of North Carolina and made varsity his Junior year. After that year, he left college to play pro ball.
Michael's Family Today: Michael married Juanita Vanoy, a former model. She is four years older than Michael. They were married in Las Vagas September 2, 1989. They have three children: Jeffrey Michael, 9; Marcus James, 8; and Jasmine, 6.
Tragedy of his life: Michael's father, James Jordan, was murdered in 1993 by two young robbers, after attending the funeral of a friend in North Carolina.
Athletic records: Michael's career average in basketball was 31.7 points per game. (This is an all-time record.) He holds 9 NBA scoring titles.
Awards and Honors: Michael was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team eight times. He helped the Chicago Bulls to win their 5th World Championship in seven years.
Security: Michael almost always has up to 6 retired police officers guarding him.
Outside interests: He owns Michael Jordan's "The Restaurant" in Chicago where he eats when he's in town in a glass-enclosed booth so people can see him. He starred in the movie, Space Jam, in 1995.
Stamina and focus: Michael plays hard every day. He never takes time off from the game that is his life. Last year in the finals against Utah, Jordan was suffering from nausea and a terrible headache. But treated with medication, he pushed through and won 38 points to help his team win 90 to 88. Michael feels pain like everyone else. But he he has the focus, the concentration and the will power to play in spite of it.