Michael Jordan is undoubtedly the best player in the history of basketball.
Winning 6 times NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls is only the tip of the iceberg
as the list of his awards and individual records seem endless!
But we all know nobody’s perfect and Jordan is not an exception.
During his childhood, he had to deal with several problems, and was even kicked out
from the school team?
Watch our video to get to know what obstacles Michael Jordan had to overcome as a child
to become the best!
Jordan's childhood was a very influential period of his life, and his parents played
an important role in it.
“My heroes are and were my parents.
I can't see having anyone else as my heroes,” Jordan later said.
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York.
He was the fourth of five children in his family, with two older brothers, one older
sister and a younger one.
His mother, Deloris, was a cashier in a bank.
His father, James, was an equipment supervisor, who had served in the US Air Force.
Later the family moved to North Carolina.
Having a large family, their parents had strict discipline in terms of children's homework
and taught them the importance of work.
Jordan's father inspired his children to love sports and built a small basketball court
for them to practice.
His mother was also an important figure for young Michael.
Once, little Mike got into trouble at school and was expelled for a day.
Deloris took him to her work and made him sit in the car and study.
That way, his mother could watch him from the window of her workplace.
In his family, Michael was known to be the most mischievous of all brothers, being manipulative
and often persuading someone else to do the chores for him.
But thanks to the rivalry between Michael and his brother Larry, Jordan became really
passionate about competing.
Larry was the favorite child of his father because from a young age he was getting along
with engines like his father, James.
That's why Jordan didn’t stop trying to overcome it and imitate his brother to earn
the respect and affection of him.
Larry was also very good at basketball, but he was only 5’ 8” tall.
Both would play at the back yard every day, and Larry would always win.
“I won most of them [the one-on-one games] until he started to outgrow me.
And then that was the end of that.”
If it was not for his hight, he could probably become another Chicago Bulls star!
During his adolescence, Jordan was already a prodigy in several sports, such as baseball,
soccer and, obviously, basketball.
However, the school where he studied, Emsley A. Laney High School, was known for its successful
basketball team, and Jordan wanted to try his luck there.
In his second year of studies, being 15 years old, Jordan tried to join the varsity team,
but because at that time Jordan was only 5’10”.
The coach, Clifton "Pop" Herring, told him to join the junior team.
However, this decision of the coach, which regretted later, was also extra motivation
for the young Jordan, and he promised himself to get better and started working on his flaws.
For Jordan, losing wasn’t an option.
That same summer, he was training every day in a basketball camp, focusing on improving
his skills.
In 1978, at the age of 15, she finally entered the junior team and became a real star.
Finally, the following year, Jordan grew to 6’6”, which is more than the average height
of his family.
After that, there was no reason to keep him out of the team, and that’s when this basketball
legend began to set the records and won countless awards.
In the next two years, Jordan was the star of the senior team of Wilmington high school,
getting an average of 25 points per game!
His talent and efforts helped his team win the national championship!
And for that reason, in 1981, he was chosen to play in the McDonald's All-American game
in a team of the best high school players from all over the country.
Michael managed to score 30 points for his team which led to them winning that match.
What’s more, this record has still not been beaten yet!
When he was just 18 years old, he received offers for scholarships from dozens of universities,
which wanted to get this incredible player.
Eventually, Michael chose the University of North Carolina, preferring to stay close to
his family.
His fame was so far ahead of him that he got the opportunity to play in the Chicago Bulls
in 1984.
Although he didn’t quit studying, and in 1986 he graduated with a degree in cultural
geography.
His mother was always supporting Jordan on his way to change the history of basketball
and overcome brilliant players such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird or Shaquille O'Neal.
Still, she was the one who persuaded her son to finish that university degree...
She’s been always by his side!
What do you think of Michael Jordan's childhood?
Do you think those challenges were the reason why he became such a strong player?
We are curious about your opinions!
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