Countless basketball fans consider Michael Jordan to be the greatest professional basketball player ever. He ended his 15-year career with an average of 30.2 points per game, slightly better than Wilt Chamberlain’s second place career total of 30.06. He won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, during which time he won all six NBA Finals MVP Awards. He won ten scoring titles and was league MVP five times. He was no slouch as a defensive player either, as he was named to the All-Defensive First Team nine times, to go along with his being named to the All-NBA First Team ten times. He could actually demonstrate his leaping ability by dunking from the foul line, and Michael Jordan was on the cover of Sports Illustrated 49 times. Needless to say, he was known by many as “Air Jordan” or “His Airness.
What many do not know, however, is that Michael Jordan, while he may have been the greatest basketball player ever, is also a great humanitarian. He has donated a lot of his time to helping people through various charities.
Jordan was a star in basketball, football, and baseball at Elmsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. At the University of North Carolina, he made the game winning shot against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA star, Patrick Ewing.
Jordan has been involved with numerous charities, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, UNCF/College Fund, Special Olympics, and a variety of charitable organizations that support children and families. Michael Jordan also hosts the Michael Jordan Charity International Golf Tournament.
In 1994 Michael Jordan founded the James R. Jordan Boys and Girls Club and Family Life Center, named after his father. The Center, in Chicago, Illinois, opened to the public after receiving a $5 million donation from the Chicago Bulls and a $ 2 million personal donation from Jordan. Every week more than 1,000 people come to the center, from senior citizens to teenagers to toddlers and infants. Some visitors do homework; others play pool, play basketball, or just enjoy relaxing in a safe environment.
Michael Jordan, who many consider the greatest basketball player ever and a great humanitarian, is also a good businessman. He has had more celebrity endorsement deals for various products than any other professional athlete, including be a spokesperson for Nike. His business side has sometimes helped him help people as well. His Jordan Cologne for Men has donated a portion of the proceeds from the product to charity.
Michael Jordan has been honored for his charitable involvement. He was honored by the Jackie Robinson Foundation. The United States Senate also honored him after his retirement, not only for being a great basketball but also for being a goodwill ambassador throughout the world, and his humanitarian efforts.
In addition to his other charitable involvement, various items, including personally autographed Air Jordan shoes have been auctioned off to generate money for charity.
Michael Jordan will long be remembered as arguably the greatest basketball player ever. In addition to being MVP of the NBA finals six times, he was the regular season MVP five times. He scored 32,292 points and ended his career with an average of 30.2 points per game. In addition, not many people are able to have such a high level of skill, retire, and then come back to win three more championships, as Jordan did. Despite all of his skills, many people might argue that he was just as great a humanitarian as he was a basketball player.
