Michael Jeffrey Jordan and Shaquille Rashaun O’neal were two great basketball stars that changed the name of the game forever. Jordan came from a large city in upstate New York where his parents “fared well financially with incomes from their jobs and James’s Air Force pension” (Porter 2). O’neal came from the largest New Jersey city where his mother gave birth to him at the age of eighteen and went on welfare (Nelson 2). Both of these young men left a legacy in the basketball world but from two very different aspects. Michael Jordan stood at a height of six foot six when he was done growing (Strauss 60). This was not always the case though. His freshman year of high school, his closest friend, Harvest Leroy Smith, considered Jordan small, but very swift and the best ninth-grader player His speed compensated for his lack of size (Porter 3). When Jordan was drafted into the NBA no one could have been prepared for his acrobatic skills. He was able to play faster, jump higher, hung longer, and slam dunked better than anyone else during his time (Strauss 60). On the other hand, Shaquille O’neal was known for his size. Ironically, Shaquille Rashaun, means “Little Warrior” in Islam. He however did not live up to his name. …show more content…
Michael Jordan was born in 1963, nine years before the birth of Shaquille O’neal. Jordan started his National Basketball Association career in 1984 when Shaq was just twelve years old. Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls for ten years until he announced his retirement in 1994. He said he had “a lost desire to play the game” (Porter xix). Shortly after he announced he was back, and played the game until his final retirement in 2003 at the age of forty. Shaq was drafted into the National Basketball Association in June of 1992 by the Orlando Magic (Nelson xiii). He played for a handful of teams and after nineteen years of fun he retired in 2011 at the age of
Michael was selected 3rd overall in the 1984 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. Again although Jordan wasn’t selected first overall he did not let that get in the way. Jordan started like a fire cracker and never let up. Averaging 28.2 points per game as a rookie along with 2.4 steals, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists, Jordan went on to win rookie of the year, and to start in the All-Star game.
Michael Jordan is 53 years old, has had more than one number they are 23,12,45, and 23 again, played in 1072 games averaged 30.1 PPG, signed with Nike, picked 3rd to the Bulls in 1984, has a net worth of 1.24 billion his NBA debut was October 26 1984, has won
Shaquille O’Neal was renowned for being one of the most popular and paid players of the NBA. On March 8, 1972 Shaquille was born in Newark, New Jersey but because his father was a United States army sergeant Shaquille called many places around the world home. By age 13 Shaquille was a massive six foot six and many colleges were watching him, hoping to get him on their basketball team. In the end Shaquille chose to become a LSU tiger where his basketball skills improved greatly and leading him down the path into the NBA. Shaquille was the first draft pick of the 1992 draft to the Orlando Magic with a 70 million, 7 year contract. Shaquille played in the NBA until 2011 where he injured his Achilles tendon ending his career. He retired
Jordan was known as the best and most prolific basketball player in the world, but he was not always acknowledged on that standard. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and was one of five kids. When he was only a baby his family moved to North Carolina. In High school in his sophomore year, Jordan tried out for his team’s varsity basketball team. He didn’t make the team and was deemed to
How many times have you had a dream or feeling of ambition? A dream to become a professional athlete or a dream to become a professional singer or president of the United States, well those dreams and ambitions could be right at your fingertips. All you need to do to make your dreams a reality is to put forth all of your time and effort. To attain your dreams you must work harder than everyone else and work as hard as the person that you are trying to be like.
The motivation that results from the doubt or disbelief of others is very powerful and it has the ability to make the impossible a reality. We have all heard the stories of the wealthy businessmen and the famous sports athletes who defied the little chance they had to succeed in life. These are true examples of what a person can accomplish when he uses the doubt of others to motivate himself to accomplish an extremely difficult goal. The significance and pleasure of this type of motivation can not be denied. However, it is even more important for a person to be internally motivated and not have to rely on the influence of others.
Michael Jordan entered the NBA in 1984 as a third overall pick. Leaving college early to pursue his career, Jordan was picked up by the bulls, one of the worst teams in the league. Michael had received Rookie of the year and helped the Bulls reach the playoffs. Michael grew up playing many sports, but his two favorite were basketball and baseball. In high school, he tried out for the boys varsity basketball team. He did not make varsity but got bumped down to Junior Varsity. He has influenced the lives of many around the world by his fashion, his kind heart, and the influence of the world around him.
Michael Jordan was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. Even though he got cut from his high school basketball team he still went to one the best colleges, and that was North Carolina and won championship there as well. After his college career, he was the first round pick to the Chicago Bulls. His first year he averaged 33 points a game for the bulls, but in the 1997 year was one of his best games and it was called the “Flu Game,” and was game 5 of the series vs the Jazz in the NBA championship.
Michael Jordan was born on February 17th, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up he was not a natural basketball player , he didnt make his high school team his freshman year. He had some growth spurts which gave him “the legs of a high jumper and the shoulders of a football linebacker” (Lloyd 1). Michael was a hard worker in high school as he got up to practice at 6:00 am before school and went to basketball camps to work on his skills. He went to a Five-Star Basketball Camp in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and this is where Jordan knew that he would do great things in the sport. He got offered a scholarship
Where LeBron is more of a facilitator and Point-Forward type of player, Jordan was always the pure scorer and lock-down defender. Now with LeBron’s third championship in the record books, he is, according to many, “half way” to Jordan. Nevertheless, LeBron has now played thirteen NBA seasons compared to Jordan’s 15, which means if one is going to compare the two players they may now do so according to statistics since their totals are about to even-out on paper. LeBron has now won 4 NBA MVP awards to Jordan’s 5; 10 All-NBA First Team selections to Jordan’s 10; 6 All-Defensive teams to Jordan’s 9; but only 1 NBA scoring title to Jordan’s
“The Chicago Bulls pick Michael Jordan from the University of North Carolina, Chapel hill in the 1984 first round draft pick.” After this day, the first round draft pick changed how the game was played. Michael Jordan had a huge impact on the NBA in ways that were unimaginable before Jordan. Michael Jordan came to the NBA with two goals: to break records and win championships. With that vigorous ambition, he was able to reap the title of the greatest basketball player in the world. Shaquille O’Neal once said, “Mike was Mike. He was just special like no one else. He always did things no one else could do, and things you couldn 't compare to anyone else” (Yahoo). Michael Jordan utilized many skills like his natural athleticism and ability to think fast on his feet to become the great basketball player he is today. Before Jordan in the game of basketball, the center was always the most important position on the court. When Michael Jordan came to the NBA, he changed that role. Jordan was known for his explosive handles, outstanding defense, and his ability to hit pressured shots with games on the line. Jordan played the majority of his career in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls, as a point guard, averaging about 29 points per game. After his first season, Jordan received the Rookie of The Year award. This award is given to a player that exemplifies extraordinary talent on the court during the kick off of their career. Jordan changed the NBA by adding
He started to play basketball in high school. He was the number one pick for nba lakers. He retired in 1996. He played for a long time. He also started out young to.
I’m sure almost everyone knows Michael Jeffrey Jordan. He is an American basketball player.Michael is also known for his initials which are M.J. Jordan’s Jersey numbers throughout his NBA career are 12, 23, and 45. He used those three numbers in different team, but the most used jersey number is 23. He is considered as one of the best basketball players of all time. He was born on February 17,1963 in Brooklyn, New York. Michael Jordan’s height is 6’6”. As a young boy, he started getting that idea of trying his best at everything, especially at basketball, he always wanted to win every game that he played. Michael Jordan is a competitive guy. His own father, james has even said it, he noted "What he does have is a competition problem. He was
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. Michael Jordan went to Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. This is where Michael started his long basketball journey. But he didn’t try to make the team until his sophomore year where he didn’t even make the varsity team. When he didn’t make the team he was very embarrassed, which lead him to be determined to make the very next year. So in the next summer Michael trained all summer long, where he also grew from being 5’11 to being 6’3. All of this paid off as he made the team that year and took the famous number 23 because it was half of his brother Larry's number which
One amazing player is Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal, nicknamed Shaq. Standing at 7’1” tall and weighing 315 pounds he has become a “big”NBA superstar. Born on March 6, 1972 age 44 retired in 2011. His rookie season started with the Orlando Magic. Although a bad free thrower he finished in the top ten in scoring, rebounding, blocks and shooting percentage. After a devastating