Michael Jordan was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 11th, 2009 which is just 17 days ago. He is thought of as the God of Basketball. He achieved a lot in his basketball career, holding about 81 records, 6 NBA championship(2 three-peat), 5 NBA MVP, 6 NBA Final MVP, 3 NBA All-star MVP, 1 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and many many more.
Jordan's NBA basketball career started from 1984, when he was selected by the Chicago Bulls as the 3rd pick in the first round, and he won his first three-peat from 1991-1993. After that, he announced his first retirement. One year and a half later, Jordan declared his return with only two short words "I'm back!" in the middle of the 1994-1995 season, as a result of his past unsuccessful baseball experience and great passion for Basket ball. After that season he pushed himself very hard to recall his feeling for basketball. Great Jordan did return, and all the truth proved that it was still his and the Bull's dynasty. He, as a hero again, led the Bulls and some old (teammates) and new teammates to another three-peat. After that, Jordan retired for the second time on Jan. 13, 1999 (with) as Phil Jackson's contract with the Bulls expiring, Pippon's departure and Rodman's looming. Jordan returned the second time on Sept. 25, 2001 as a player of Washington Wizards. The reason was that he could not put up with the ugly performance of that team. Yes he was the manager of Wizards at that time. And that was two weeks after the 911 attack, and he donated 1 million dollars of his salary of that season to the victims of that attack.
Here are just some anecdotes and great moments of him.
+ Failed joining the varsity basketball team
+ The jersey
+ The shot
+ The move
+ Reason of his first retirement
+ The flu game
+ The last shot
+ Hall of fame
* Failed in joining the varsity basketball team *
Around 1979, when Michael Jordan was a sophomore in high school, he wanted to join the varsity basketball team, but he was refused, given the reason of being too short. Jordan was about 1.8m tall at that time, but he never gave up as (never) in the rest of his career when encountering those great difficulties to championship. He trained himself strictly the next summer and he not only gained basketball skills but a ten centimeters' growth as well. He of course had proved his worth.
* The jersey *
Jordan had donned 12, 23, 45(and 9,in the USA team Team USA) jerseys. 23 together with his "sticking out (his) the tongue" are his signatures. He wore 12 only once, when he played aginst Orlando Magic on Feb. 14, 1990. His 23 jersey was stolen that day, so he had to wear this only one jersey which has no name on it.
* The shot *
On May 7th 1989, they played against Cleveland. At the very last second Jordan jumped over Ehlo and made the shot in the deciding game of the Eastern Conference first-round series. NBA.com reported it as "Pretty much every day somebody will bring up that shot", "Of all the big shots in basketball, it ranks right up there". Jordan also said that "That was how we won the city of Chicago over to believe" and "this is one of his favorite shots". And "His airness" and "Air Jordan" may come from this.
* The move *
In Game 2 of 1991 NBA Finals, Jordan flied through two Los Angeles Lakers and shuffled the ball from his right hand to his left hand in the mid-air and scored through a flying lay-up. That is known as "the move". It is said to be the most iconic basketball shot of the 1990s. And during that season the Bulls had beaten Lakers in 5 games and won their first NBA championship. Someone said that this was the most impossible action that Jordan made.
* Reason for his first retirement *
Jordan's father was murdered on July 23rd 1993. Jordan stated that the murder of his father shaped his decision to retirement. But he later joined the Chicago White SOX to play baseball, saying that was to pursue his late father's dream.
* The flu game *
It was June 11th 1997, the 5th game of the finals, when Jordan was diagnosed as food poisoning, which made him weak and pale, but he still played that game and scored 38 points. And at last they defeated Jazz by 90:88. That was his second championship of the second three-peat.
* The last shot *
Here last may means the third championship of their second three-peat, and the last Game of the 1998 NBA finals, and just before his second retirement. With only 20 seconds left, Jordan stole the ball from Karl Malone, crossed Bryon Russel and created the history again. He secured his second three-peat by “the last shot”.
* Hall of fame *
Jordan is said to be the embodiment of a combination (set) of elegance, strength, art and improvisational ability, but his personality is more valuable for all of us to learn from. Jordan is the best basketball player ever and he said “I can accept failure, but I cannot accept to give up!”
I would like to end my presentation with his last few words of his speech given at the 2009 HOF ceremony.
P.S. This is a lecture I prepared for my english course's presentation. Many thanks to Johnsendoh for his valuable advice and materials, also to flyingpigeon for his revisement of this lecture.