Coordinates	51°37′″N18°8′″N
Conventional long name	Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Native name
Common name	Jordan
Image coat	Coat of Arms of Jordan.svg
National anthem	The Royal Anthem of Jordan>("As-salam al-malaki al-urdoni")Long Live the King
National motto	Arabic: الله، الوطن، المليك Transliteration: Allah Al-Watan Al-MalekTranslation: "God,Homeland,The King"
Official languages	Arabic
Demonym	Jordanian
Capital	Amman
Government type
Leader title1	King of Jordan
Leader name1	Abdullah II of Jordan
Leader title2	Prime Minister
Leader name2	Samir Rifai
Sovereignty type	Independence
Established event1	End of British League of Nations mandate
Established date1	25 May 1946
Area km2	92,300
Area sq mi	35,637
Area rank	112th
Area highest point	Mount Um Dami (1,855 m)
Area lowest point	Dead Sea (−446 m)
Percent water	0.8
Population estimate	6,407,085
Population estimate year	July 2010
Population estimate rank	102nd
Population census	5,611,202
Population census year	July 2004
Population density km2	68.4
Population density sq mi	138.8
Population density sq mi (w/o water)	175
Population density rank	131st
Gdp ppp year	2010
Gdp ppp	$35.3 billion
Gdp ppp per capita	$5,759
Gdp nominal	$27.129 billion
Gdp nominal year	2010
Gdp nominal per capita	$4,435
Hdi year	2010
Hdi	0.681
Hdi rank	82nd
Hdi category	high
Gini	38.8
Gini year	2002–03
Gini category	medium
Currency	Jordanian dinar
Currency code	JOD
Time zone	UTC+2
Utc offset	+2
Time zone dst	UTC+3
Utc offset dst	+3
Drives on	Right
Cctld	.jo
Calling code	962
Iso 3166-1 alpha2	JO
Iso 3166-1 alpha3	JOR
Iso 3166-1 numeric	400
Sport code	JOR
Vehicle code	JOR
Footnote1	Also serves as the Royal anthem.

Jordan (: Arabic: الأردن, Al-'Urdunn), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Arabic: المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية), Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) and also known as the JK (short for The Jordanian Kingdom), is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan in Western Asia. It borders Saudi Arabia to the south-east, Iraq to the east, Syria to the north and West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing control of the Dead Sea. Jordan's only port is at its southern tip, at the Gulf of Aqaba, which is shared with Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Much of Jordan is covered by the Arabian Desert. However, the north-western part of Jordan is part of the Fertile Crescent. The capital city is Amman.

During its history, Jordan has seen numerous civilizations, including Ancient Near Eastern ones as the Canaanite and later other Semitic peoples such as the Edomites, and the Moabites. Other civilizations possessing political sovereignty and influence in Jordan were: Akkadian, Assyrian, Israelite/Judean, Babylonian, and Persian empires. The lands of Jordan were for a time under the rule of Pharaonic Egypt, composed part of the greater Kingdom of Israel (including the later Judaean Kingdom, Hasmonaen Kingdom of Israel and Herodian Dynasty), and notably, the region of Jordan also gave birth to the Nabataean civilization which left rich archaeological remains at Petra, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World located in the Ma'an Governorate. Cultures further west also left their mark, such as the Macedonian/Greek/Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires. Since the seventh century, the area has been under the primary rule of Muslim and Arab cultures, with the exceptions briefly for the area in Western Jordan during the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, and for the entire region during the early-mid twentieth century under British rule which led to Jordan's establishment as an autonomous state.

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a constitutional monarchy with representative government. The reigning monarch is the chief executive and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The king exercises his executive authority through the prime ministers and the Council of Ministers, or cabinet. The cabinet, meanwhile, is responsible before the democratically elected House of Deputies which, along with the House of Notables (Senate), constitutes the legislative branch of the government. The judicial branch is an independent branch of the government.

Modern Jordan is predominantly urbanized. Jordan is classified as a country of "high human development" by the 2010 Human Development Report. Furthermore, The Kingdom has been classified as an emerging market with a free market economy by the CIA World Fact Book. It has more Free Trade Agreements than any other country in the region. It has a pro-Western regime with very close relations with the United Kingdom and the United States. It also became a major non-NATO ally of the United States in 1996, and is one of only two nations in the region, the other being Egypt, that have diplomatic relations with Israel. It is a founding member of the Arab League, the WTO, the AFESD, the Arab Parliament, the AIDMO, the AMF, the IMF, the International Criminal Court, the UNHRC, the GAFTA, the ESCWA, the ENP and the United Nations. Jordan is also currently undergoing close integration with the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Jordan enjoys "advanced status'' with the European Union.

Etymology

The kingdom is named after the river Jordan. The name "Jordan" derives from the Semitic languages and has multiple meanings (Ancient Arabian الأردن meaning "Steep/Slope" from the root أرد Arda, Hebrew root ירד Yrd and Canaanite), via the Aramaic Yarden meaning "one who descends".

History

, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.]] as photographed circa 1891. The stele describes the wars of king Mesha of Moab against the Israelites.]] Oval Piazza in the ancient city of Jerash]]

One of the most prominent, ancient states geographically located in what is now the State of Jordan, was the Nabatean Kingdom (Arabic: الأنباط, Al-Anbāt) (Hebrew: נְבָיוֹת, Nevayōt), with their capital at Petra, an ancient Semitic people who inhabited the wilderness region east of Israel/Judaea from Edom to Syria, northwest of the Arabian peninsula. The Nabataeans developed the North Arabic Script, with their language an intermediary between Hebrew, Aramaean, and that which evolved into the Modern Arabic script. During its peak, the Nabataean Kingdom controlled regional trade routes by dominating a large area southwest of the fertile crescent, which included the whole of modern Jordan extending from Syria in the North to the northern Arabian Peninsula in the south. As a result, Petra enjoyed independence, prosperity and wealth for hundreds of years until it was absorbed by the Persian Empire and later the Roman Empire which was still expanding in 100 CE.

Various ancient sovereign kingdoms in the region of Jordan, in addition to the Nabataeans, have included the Kingdoms of Edom, Ammon, Moab, Israel/Judah, all of which are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and other ancient Near Eastern documents.

During the Greco-Roman period of influence, a number of semi-independent city-states also developed in the region of Jordan under the umbrella of the Decapolis including: Gerasa (Jerash), Philadelphia (Amman), Raphana (Abila), Dion (Capitolias), Gadara (Umm Qays), and Pella (Irbid).

Later, the lands of Jordan became part of the Islamic Empire across its different Caliphates' stages, including the Rashidun Empire, Umayyad Empire and Abbasid Empire. After the decline of the Abbasid, the region of Jordan was ruled by several conflicting powers including the Mongols, the Christian Crusaders, the Ayyubids and the Mamluks until it became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1516.

Modern Jordan

With the break-up of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, the League of Nations and the occupying powers chose to redraw the borders of the Eastern Mediterranean. The ensuing decisions, most notably the Sykes–Picot Agreement, gave birth to the French Mandate of Syria and British Mandate of Palestine and Transjordan.

The country was under British supervision until after World War II. In 1946, the British requested that the United Nations approve an end to British Mandate rule in Transjordan. Following the British request, the Transjordanian Parliament proclaimed King Abdullah as the first ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. Abdullah I continued to rule until a Palestinian Arab assassinated him in 1951 as he was departing from the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Jordan occupied the area of Cisjordan (Judaea/Samaria) now known as West Bank, which it continued to control in accordance with the 1949 Armistice Agreements and a political union formed in December 1948. The Second Arab-Palestinian Conference held in Jericho on December 1, 1948, proclaimed Abdullah King of Palestine and called for a union of Arab Palestine with the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. The Transjordanian Government agreed to the unification on December 7, 1948, and on December 13 the Transjordanian parliament approved the creation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The step of unification was ratified by a joint Jordanian National Assembly on April 24, 1950. The Assembly was composed of 20 representatives each from the East and West Bank. The Act of Union contained a protective clause which persevered Arab rights in Palestine without prejudice to any final settlement.

Many legal scholars say the declaration of the Arab League and the Act of Union implied that Jordan's claim of sovereignty over the West Bank was provisional, because it had always been subject to the emergence of the Palestinian state. A political union was legally established by the series of proclamations, decrees, and parliamentary acts in December 1948. Abdullah thereupon took the title King of Jordan, and he officially changed the country's name to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in April 1949. The 1950 Act of Union confirmed and ratified King Abdullah's actions. Following the annexation of the West Bank, only the UK formally recognized the union. Thomas Kuttner notes that de facto recognition was granted to the regime, most clearly evidenced by the maintaining of consulates in East Jerusalem by several countries, including the United States. Joseph Weiler agreed, and said that other states had engaged in activities, statements, and resolutions that would be inconsistent with non-recognition. Joseph Massad said that the members of the Arab League granted de facto recognition and that the United States had formally recognized the annexation, except for Jerusalem.

became Jordan's capital in 1921]]

The United States extended de jure recognition to the Government of Transjordan and the Government of Israel on the same day, January 31, 1949. President Truman told King Abdullah that the policy of the United States Government as regards a final territorial settlement in Palestine had been stated in the General Assembly on Nov 30, 1948 by the American representative. The US supported Israeli claims to the boundaries set forth in the UN General Assembly resolution of November 29, 1947, but believed that if Israel sought to retain additional territory in Palestine allotted to the Arabs, it should give the Arabs territorial compensation.

Clea Bunch said that "President Truman crafted a balanced policy between Israel and its moderate Hashemite neighbours when he simultaneously extended formal recognition to the newly created state of Israel and the Kingdom of Transjordan. These two nations were inevitably linked in the President's mind as twin emergent states: one serving the needs of the refugee Jew, the other absorbing recently displaced Palestinian Arabs. In addition, Truman was aware of the private agreements that existed between Jewish Agency leaders and King Abdullah I of Jordan. Thus, it made perfect sense to Truman to favour both states with de jure recognition."

In 1978 the U.S. State Department published a memorandum of conversation held on June 5, 1950 between Mr. Stuart W. Rockwell of the Office of African and Near Eastern Affairs and Abdel Monem Rifai, a Counselor of the Jordan Legation: Mr. Rifai asked when the United States was going to recognize the union of Arab Palestine and Jordan. Mr. Rockwell explained the Department's position, stating that it was not the custom of the United States to issue formal statements of recognition every time a foreign country changed its territorial area. The union of Arab Palestine and Jordan had been brought about as a result of the will of the people and the US accepted the fact that Jordanian sovereignty had been extended to the new area. Mr. Rifai said he had not realized this and that he was very pleased to learn that the US did in fact recognize the union.

Jordan and Iraq united in 1958 to form the Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan under the Hashemite crowns in Amman and Baghdad. A coup later that year would end the union with the execution of the Hashemite crown in Baghdad. The United Arab Republic consisting of Egypt, Syria, and Yemen quickly moved to antagonize Jordan's young King Hussein with Soviet support. King Hussein asked for British and American assistance. The RAF and the USAF were sent to patrol Jordanian airspace and British troops were deployed in Amman.

In 1965, there was an exchange of land between Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Jordan gave up a large area of inland desert in return for a small piece of sea-shore near Aqaba.

Jordan signed a military pact with Egypt in May 1967, and following an Israeli air attack on Egypt in June 1967, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq continued the Six Day War against Israel. During the war, Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In 1988, Jordan renounced all claims to the territory now occupied by Israel but its 1994 treaty with Israel allowed for a continuing Jordanian role in Muslim and Christian holy places in Jerusalem. The severance of administrative ties with the West Bank halted the Jordanian government's paying of civil servants and public sector employees' salaries in the West Bank.

The period following the 1967 war saw an upsurge in the activity and numbers of Arab Palestinian paramilitary elements (fedayeen) within the state of Jordan. These distinct, armed militias were becoming a "state within a state", threatening Jordan's rule of law. King Hussein's armed forces targeted the fedayeen, and open fighting erupted in June 1970. The battle in which Palestinian fighters from various Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) groups were expelled from Jordan is commonly known as Black September.

The heaviest fighting occurred in northern Jordan and Amman. In the ensuing heavy fighting, a Syrian tank force invaded northern Jordan to back the fedayeen fighters, but subsequently retreated. King Hussein urgently asked the United States and Great Britain to intervene against Syria. Consequently, Israel performed mock air strikes on the Syrian column at the Americans' request. Soon after, Syrian President Nureddin al-Atassi, ordered a hasty retreat from Jordanian soil. By September 22, Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo arranged a cease-fire beginning the following day. However, sporadic violence continued until Jordanian forces, led by Habis Al-Majali, with the help of Iraqi forces, won a decisive victory over the fedayeen on July 1971, expelling them, and ultimately the PLO's Yasser Arafat, from Jordan.

In 1973, allied Arab League forces attacked Israel in the Yom Kippur War, and fighting occurred along the 1967 Jordan River cease-fire line. Jordan sent a brigade to Syria to attack Israeli units on Syrian territory but did not engage Israeli forces from Jordanian territory.

At the Rabat summit conference in 1974, Jordan was now in a more secure position to agree, along with the rest of the Arab League, that the PLO was the "sole legitimate representative of the [Arab] Palestinian people", thereby relinquishing to that organization its role as representative of the West Bank.

The Amman Agreement of February 11, 1985, declared that the PLO and Jordan would pursue a proposed confederation between the state of Jordan and a Palestinian state. In 1988, King Hussein dissolved the Jordanian parliament and renounced Jordanian claims to the West Bank. The PLO assumed responsibility as the Provisional Government of Palestine and an independent state was declared.

Although Jordan did not directly participate in the Gulf War of 1990–91, following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, King Hussein was accused of supporting Saddam Hussein when he attempted to persuade Saddam Hussein to withdraw from Kuwait. As a result of the alleged support, the United States and Arab countries cut off monetary aid to Jordan, and 700,000 Jordanians who had been working in Arab countries were forced to return to Jordan. In addition, millions of Iraqi refugees fled to Jordan placing a strain on the country's social services. and Yitzhak Rabin, accompanied by Bill Clinton, after signing the Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace, October 26, 1994]] In 1991, Jordan agreed, along with Syria, Lebanon, and Arab Palestinian fedayeen representatives, to participate in direct peace negotiations with Israel at the Madrid Conference, sponsored by the U.S. and Russia. It negotiated an end to hostilities with Israel and signed a declaration to that effect on 25 July 1994 (see Washington Declaration). As a result, an Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty was concluded on 26 October 1994. King Hussein was later honored when his picture appeared on an Israeli postage stamp in recognition of the good relations he established with his neighbor. Since the signing of the peace treaty with Israel, the United States not only contributes hundreds of millions of dollars in an annual foreign aid stipend to Jordan, but also has allowed it to establish a free trade zone in which to manufacture goods that will enter the US without paying the usual import taxes as long as a percentage of the material used in them is purchased in Israel.

King Hussein was treated for cancer in the U.S. for a long period of time. On his return to Jordan, King Hussein changed the crown prince from his brother Prince Hasan to his eldest son Abdullah. He also released some political prisoners in Jordan. King Hussein died some time afterward in 1999. His son, King Abdullah II succeeded him.

Following the outbreak of fighting between Israel and Palestinians in the Second Intifada in September 2000, the Jordanian government offered its offices to both parties. Jordan has since sought to remain at peace with all of its neighbors. Particularly good relations have been maintained between the Jordanian royal family and Israel, with the Jordanian government frequently dispersing rallies and jailing demonstrators protesting against Israeli actions. The government also censors anti-Israeli views from the Jordanian news media.

The last major strain in Jordan's relations with Israel occurred in September, 1997, when two Israeli agents entered Jordan using Canadian passports and poisoned Khaled Meshal, a senior leader of the Palestinian group Hamas. Under threat of cutting off diplomatic relations, King Hussein forced Israel to provide an antidote to the poison and to release dozens of Jordanians and Palestinians from its prisons, including the spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Sheikh Yassin was later assassinated by Israel in a targeted bombing in early 2004 in the Gaza Strip.

On 9 November 2005 Jordan experienced three simultaneous terrorist bombings at hotels in Amman. At least 57 people died and 115 were wounded. "Al-Qaeda in Iraq", a group led by terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility. Although claimed by them, there was no direct evidence involving them.

Recently, Jordan has revoked the citizenship of thousands of Palestinians in an attempt to thwart any attempt by Israel of permanently re-settling West Bank Palestinians in Jordan. West Bank Palestinians with family in Jordan or with previous Jordanian citizenship would be issued yellow cards which guaranteed them all the rights of Jordanian citizenship. Palestinians working for the Palestinian Authority or the PLO were among those who have had their Jordanian passports taken from them, in addition to anyone who did not serve in the Jordanian army. Palestinians living in Jordan with family in the West Bank would also be issued yellow cards. All other Palestinians wishing such Jordanian papers would be issued a green card which would facilitate travel into Jordan and give them temporary Jordanian passports in order to make travel easier. In addition, no Palestinians from the Gaza Strip are given any such privileges because Jordanian authority never extended into the Gaza Strip.

Geography

mountains]] in Aqaba Governorate]] towards the Jordan valley]] is the lowest point on earth and about nine times saltier than ocean water]]

Jordan consists of arid plateau in the east irrigated by oasis and seasonal water streams, with highland area in the west of arable land and Mediterranean evergreen forestry. The Great Rift Valley of the Jordan River separates Jordan, the west bank and Israel. The highest point in the country is Jabal Umm al Dami, it is above sea level, its top is also covered with snow, while the lowest is the Dead Sea . Jordan is part of a region considered to be "the cradle of civilization", the Levant region of the Fertile Crescent.

Major cities include the capital Amman in the northwest, Irbid, Jerash and Zarqa, in the north. Madaba, Karak and Aqaba in the south.

Climate

The climate in Jordan is semi-dry in summer with average temperature in the mid 30°C (mid 90°F) and relatively cold in winter averaging around . The western part of the country receives greater precipitation during the winter season from November to March and snowfall in Amman ( ~ above sea-level) and Western Heights of . Excluding the rift valley the rest of the country is entirely above (SL).

The major characteristic of the climate is humid from November to March and semi dry weather for the rest of the year. With hot, dry summers and cool winters during which practically all of the precipitation occurs, the country has a Mediterranean-style climate. In general, the farther inland from the Mediterranean a given part of the country lies, the greater are the seasonal contrasts in temperature and the less rainfall. Atmospheric pressures during the summer months are relatively uniform, whereas the winter months bring a succession of marked low pressure areas and accompanying cold fronts. These cyclonic disturbances generally move eastward from over the Mediterranean Sea several times a month and result in sporadic precipitation.

Most of the land receives less than of rain a year and may be classified as a semi dry region. Where the ground rises to form the highlands east of the Jordan Valley, precipitation increases to around in the south and or more in the north. The Jordan Valley, forms a narrow climatic zone that annually receives up to of rain in the northern reaches; rain dwindles to less than at the head of the Dead Sea.

The country's long summer reaches a peak during August. January is usually the coldest month. The fairly wide ranges of temperature during a twenty-four-hour period are greatest during the summer months and have a tendency to increase with higher elevation. Daytime temperatures during the summer months frequently exceed and average about . In contrast, the winter months—September to March—bring moderately cool and sometimes very cold weather, averaging about . Except in the rift depression, frost is fairly common during the winter, it may take the form of snow at the higher elevations of the north western highlands. Usually it snows a couple of times in the winter.

For a month or so before and after the summer dry season, hot, dry air from the desert, drawn by low pressure, produces strong winds from the south or southeast that sometimes reach gale force. Known in Western Asia by various names, including the khamsin, this dry, sirocco-style wind is usually accompanied by great dust clouds. Its onset is heralded by a hazy sky, a falling barometer, and a drop in relative humidity to about 10%. Within a few hours there may be a to rise in temperature. These windstorms ordinarily last a day or so, cause much discomfort, and destroy crops by desiccating them. The shamal, comes from the north or northwest, generally at intervals between June and September. Steady during daytime hours but becoming a breeze at night, the shamal may blow for as long as nine days out of ten and then repeat the process. It originates as a dry continental mass of polar air that is warmed as it passes over the Eurasian landmass.

Administrative divisions

The Administrative Divisions system by the Ministry of Interior divided Jordan into 12 provinces called governorates, each headed by a governor appointed by the king. They are the sole authorities for all government departments and development projects in their respective areas. The Governorates are:

The Governorates are divided into 52 departments.

Demographics

The Jordan National Census for the year 2004 was released on October 1 of the same year, According to the census, Jordan had a population of 5,100,981. The census estimated that there are another 190,000 who were not counted. National growth rate was 2.5% (at maximum) compared to 3.3% of the 1994 census. Males made up 51.5% of Jordan's population (2,628,717), while females constituted 2,472,264 (48.5%). Jordanian citizens made up 93% of the population (4,750,463), non-Jordanian citizens made up 7% (349,933). However, it is estimated that most of those who did not turn in their forms were immigrants from neighboring countries, There were 946,000 households in Jordan in 2004, with an average of 5.3 persons/household (compared to 6 persons/household for the census of 1994). The next census is scheduled to take place in 2014.

Jordan's Arab population mainly consists of Jordanians, Palestinians and Iraqis. In addition, there are sizable communities from Egypt, Syria and Lebanon residing in Jordan. Of the non-Arab population which comprises 2% to 5% of Jordan's population, most are Circassians, Chechens, Armenians, Turkmans, and Gypsies, all of which have maintained separate ethnic identities, but have integrated into mainstream Jordanian culture. Since the Iraq War many Christians (Assyrians/Chaldeans) from Iraq have settled permanently or temporarily in Jordan.

During the years 2004–2007, Jordan saw a rapid increase in its population due to the heavy migration of Iraqi refugees, an independent census carried in 2007, estimated that there are 700,000 Iraqis residing in Jordan, other estimates put them as high as one million Iraqis. Estimates put the population of Jordan slightly over 6,300,000 as of the year 2009 (increasing from 5,100,000 in 2004).

population in Jordan.]]

UNRWA indicates that as many as 1,951,603 persons are registered as Palestinian refugees in 2008 mostly as Jordanian citizens.

According to Labour Ministry figures, the number of guest workers in the country now stands just over 300,000. However, unofficial estimates place the number at over half a million to 700,000 guest workers. Most are Egyptians who makeup 227,000 of the foreign labor, and the remaining workers are mostly from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and India.

Religion

Category:Arab League member states Category:Arabic-speaking countries Category:Countries bordering the Red Sea Category:Eastern Mediterranean countries Category:Fertile Crescent Category:Levant Category:Middle Eastern countries Category:Near Eastern countries Category:Organisation of the Islamic Conference members Category:Southwest Asian countries Category:States and territories established in 1946 Category:Western Asia

Coordinates	51°37′″N18°8′″N
Width	200
Caption	Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls in 1997
Position	Shooting guard-Small forward
Height ft	6|height_in= 6
Weight lbs	215
Number	23, 45, 9, 12
Birthdate	February 17, 1963
Birthplace	Brooklyn, New York, United States
High school	Emsley A. Laney High School (Wilmington, North Carolina)
Career start	1984
Career end	2003
Draftyear	1984
Draftround	1
Draftpick	3
Draftteam	Chicago Bulls
College	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Teams
Stat1label	Points
Stat1value	32,292 (30.1 ppg)
Stat2label	Rebounds
Stat2value	6,672 (6.2 rpg)
Stat3label	Assists
Stat3value	5,633 (5.3 apg)
Letter	j
Bbr	jordami01
Highlights
Hof player	michael-jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a former American professional basketball player, active businessman, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." During his three seasons at North Carolina, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting, and added 5.0 rebounds per game (rpg).

Professional career

During his first season in the NBA, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting. and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the heading "A Star is Born" just over a month into his professional career. Jordan was also voted in as an All-Star starter by the fans in his rookie season. The Bulls finished the season 38–44, and lost in the first round of the playoffs in four games to the Milwaukee Bucks. Jordan set the still-unbroken record for points in a playoff game with 63 in Game 2. The Celtics, however, managed to sweep the series. The Bulls finished 50–32, However, the Bulls then lost in five games to the more experienced Detroit Pistons, However, the Pistons again defeated the Bulls, this time in six games, In an unusual ending to the fourth and final game, Isiah Thomas led his team off the court before the final minute had concluded. Most of the Pistons went directly to their locker room instead of shaking hands with the Bulls.

The Bulls compiled an outstanding 15–2 record during the playoffs, In his first Finals appearance, Jordan posted per game averages of 31.2 points on 56% shooting from the field, 11.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks. Jordan won his first NBA Finals MVP award, and he cried while holding the NBA Finals trophy.

Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance in the 1991–92 season, establishing a 67–15 record, topping their franchise record from 1990–91. In the first game, Jordan scored a Finals-record 35 points in the first half, including a record-setting six three-point field goals. After the sixth three-pointer, he jogged down the court shrugging as he looked courtside. Marv Albert, who broadcast the game, later stated that it was as if Jordan was saying, "I can't believe I'm doing this." The Bulls went on to win Game 1, and defeat the Blazers in six games. Jordan was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row and became the first player in NBA history to win three straight Finals MVP awards.

Gambling controversy

During the Bulls' playoff run in 1993, controversy arose when Jordan was seen gambling in Atlantic City, New Jersey the night before a game against the New York Knicks. In that same year, he admitted to having to cover $57,000 in gambling losses, and author Richard Esquinas wrote a book claiming he had won $1.25 million from Jordan on the golf course. When Bradley asked him if his gambling ever got to the level where it jeopardized his livelihood or family, Jordan replied, "No." James R. Jordan, Sr. was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a highway rest area in Lumberton, North Carolina, by two teenagers, Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery. The assailants were traced from calls they made on James Jordan's cellular phone, caught, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison. Jordan was close to his father; as a child he had imitated his father's proclivity to stick out his tongue while absorbed in work. He later adopted it as his own signature, displaying it each time he drove to the basket.

In his 1998 autobiography For the Love of the Game, Jordan wrote that he had been preparing for retirement as early as the summer of 1992. The added exhaustion due to the Dream Team run in the 1992 Olympics solidified Jordan's feelings about the game and his ever-growing celebrity status. Jordan's announcement sent shock waves throughout the NBA and appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world.

Jordan then further surprised the sports world by signing a minor league baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox. He reported to spring training and was assigned to the team's minor league system on March 31, 1994. Jordan has stated this decision was made to pursue the dream of his late father, who had always envisioned his son as a Major League Baseball player. The White Sox were another team owned by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who continued to honor Jordan's basketball contract during the years he played baseball. He had a brief professional baseball career for the Birmingham Barons, a Chicago White Sox farm team, batting .202 with 3 HR, 51 RBI, 30 SB, and 11 errors. The team received a lift, however, when Jordan decided to return to the NBA for the Bulls.

On March 18, 1995, Jordan announced his return to the NBA through a pithy press release: "I'm back." The game had the highest Nielsen rating of a regular season NBA game since 1975.

Although he had not played in an NBA game in a year and a half, Jordan played well upon his return, making a game-winning jump shot against Atlanta in his fourth game back and scoring 55 points in a game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1995. after which Jordan returned to wearing his old number (23). Jordan averaged 31 points per game in that series, but Orlando prevailed in six games. Strengthened by the addition of rebound specialist Dennis Rodman, the Bulls dominated the league, starting the season 41–3, and eventually finishing with the best regular season record in NBA history: 72–10. and won the league's regular season and All-Star Game MVP awards. However, this year Jordan was beaten for the NBA MVP Award by Karl Malone. The team again advanced to the Finals, where they faced Malone and the Utah Jazz. The series against the Jazz featured two of the more memorable clutch moments of Jordan's career. He won Game 1 for the Bulls with a buzzer-beating jump shot. In Game 5, with the series tied 2–2, Jordan played despite being feverish and dehydrated from a stomach virus. In what is known as the "", Jordan scored 38 points including the game-deciding three-pointer with less than a minute remaining. The Bulls won 90–88 and went on to win the series in six games. With the Bulls trailing 86–83 with 40 seconds remaining, coach Jackson called a timeout. When play resumed, Jordan received the inbound pass, drove to the basket, and hit a layup over several Jazz defenders. although the officials did not call a foul. Jordan then released what would be the climactic shot of his career. After a desperation three-point shot by John Stockton missed, Jordan and the Bulls claimed their sixth NBA championship, and secured a second three-peat. Once again, Jordan was voted the Finals MVP, Jordan's six Finals MVPs is a record; Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, and Tim Duncan are tied for second place with three apiece.

Second retirement

With Phil Jackson's contract expiring, the pending departures of Scottie Pippen (who stated his desire to be traded during the season) and Dennis Rodman (who would sign with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent) looming, and being in the latter stages of an owner-induced lockout of NBA players, Jordan retired for the second time on January 13, 1999.

On January 19, 2000, Jordan returned to the NBA not as a player, but as part owner and President of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards. He'd earlier made a bid to become part-owner of the Charlotte Hornets, as a full partner of founding owner George Shinn. However, negotiations collapsed when Shinn refused to give Jordan total control of on-court operations.

Jordan's responsibilities with the Wizards were comprehensive. He controlled all aspects of the Wizards' basketball operations, and had the final say in all personnel matters. Opinions of Jordan as a basketball executive were mixed. He managed to purge the team of several highly paid, unpopular players (such as forward Juwan Howard and point guard Rod Strickland), but used the first pick in the 2001 NBA Draft to select high schooler Kwame Brown, who did not live up to expectations and was traded away after four seasons.

Despite his January 1999 claim that he was "99.9% certain" that he would never play another NBA game, this time with his new team. Inspired by the NHL comeback of his friend Mario Lemieux the previous winter, Jordan spent much of the spring and summer of 2001 in training, holding several invitation-only camps for NBA players in Chicago. In addition, Jordan hired his old Chicago Bulls head coach, Doug Collins, as Washington's coach for the upcoming season, a decision that many saw as foreshadowing another Jordan return. In an injury-plagued 2001–02 season, he led the team in scoring (22.9 ppg), assists (5.2 apg), and steals (1.42 spg). During his stint with the Wizards, all of Jordan's home games at the MCI Center were sold out, and the Wizards were the second most-watched team in the NBA, averaging 20,172 fans a game at home and 19,311 on the road. However, neither of Jordan's final two seasons resulted in a playoff appearance for the Wizards, and Jordan was often unsatisfied with the play of those around him. At several points he openly criticized his teammates to the media, citing their lack of focus and intensity, notably that of the number one draft pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, Kwame Brown. The Miami Heat retired the number 23 jersey on April 11, 2003, even though Jordan had never played for the team. At the 2003 All-Star Game, Jordan was offered a starting spot from Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson, but refused both; in the end, however, he accepted the spot of Vince Carter, who decided to give it up under great public pressure.

Jordan's final NBA game was on April 16, 2003 in Philadelphia. After scoring only 13 points in the game, Jordan went to the bench with 4 minutes and 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter and with his team trailing the Philadelphia 76ers, 75–56. Just after the start of the fourth quarter, the First Union Center crowd began chanting "We want Mike!". After much encouragement from coach Doug Collins, Jordan finally rose from the bench and re-entered the game for Larry Hughes with 2:35 remaining. At 1:45, Jordan was intentionally fouled by the 76ers' Eric Snow, and stepped to the line to make both free throws. After the second foul shot, the 76ers in-bounded the ball to rookie John Salmons, who in turn was intentionally fouled by Bobby Simmons one second later, stopping time so that Jordan could return to the bench. Jordan received a three-minute standing ovation from his teammates, his opponents, the officials and a crowd of 21,257 fans.

Olympic career

Jordan played on two Olympic gold medal-winning American basketball teams. As a college player he participated, and won the gold, in the 1984 Summer Olympics. Jordan led the team in scoring averaging 17.1 ppg for the tournament. In the 1992 Summer Olympics he was a member of the star-studded squad that included Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and David Robinson and was dubbed the "Dream Team". Playing limited minutes due to the frequent , Jordan averaged 12.7 ppg, finishing fourth on the team in scoring. Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and fellow Dream Team member Chris Mullin are the only American men's basketball players to win Olympic gold as amateurs (all in 1984) and professionals.

In addition, Jordan and fellow Dream Team member (and Bulls teammate) Scottie Pippen are the only players to have won both NBA championship and Olympic gold medal in the same year (1992).

After retiring as a player

After his third retirement, Jordan assumed that he would be able to return to his front office position of Director of Basketball Operations with the Wizards. However, his previous tenure in the Wizards' front office had produced the aforementioned mixed results and may have also influenced the trade of Richard "Rip" Hamilton for Jerry Stackhouse (although Jordan was not technically Director of Basketball Operations in 2002). Since 2004, Jordan has owned Michael Jordan Motorsports, a professional closed-course motorcycle road racing team that competes with two Suzukis in the premier Superbike class sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). Jordan and his then-wife Juanita pledged $5 million to Chicago's Hales Franciscan High School in 2006, and the Jordan Brand has made donations to Habitat for Humanity and a Louisiana branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. On June 15, 2006, Jordan bought a minority stake in the Charlotte Bobcats, becoming the team's second-largest shareholder behind majority owner Robert L. Johnson. As part of the deal, Jordan was named "Managing Member of Basketball Operations," with full control over the basketball side of the operation. Despite Jordan's previous success as an endorser, he has made an effort not to be included in Charlotte's marketing campaigns.

In February 2010, it was reported that Jordan was seeking majority ownership of the Bobcats. As February wore on, it emerged that the leading contenders for the team were Jordan and former Houston Rockets president George Postolos. On February 27, the Bobcats announced that Johnson had reached an agreement with Jordan and his group, MJ Basketball Holdings, to buy the team pending NBA approval. On March 17, the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved Jordan's purchase, making him the first former NBA player ever to become the majority owner of a league franchise.

Player profile

Jordan was a shooting guard who was also capable of playing small forward (the position he would primarily play during his second comeback with the Washington Wizards). Jordan was known throughout his career for being a strong clutch performer. He decided numerous games with last-second plays (e.g., The Shot) and performed at a high level even under adverse circumstances (e.g., ). His competitiveness was visible in his prolific trash-talk and well-known work ethic.

Jordan had a versatile offensive game. He was capable of aggressively driving to the basket and drawing fouls from his opponents at a high rate; his 8,772 free throw attempts are the ninth highest total of all time. As his career progressed, Jordan also developed the ability to post up his opponents and score with his trademark fadeaway jumpshot, using his leaping ability to "fade away" from block attempts. According to Hubie Brown, this move alone made him nearly unstoppable. Despite media criticism as a "selfish" player early in his career, Jordan's 5.3 assists per game and combined this with his ball-thieving ability to become a standout defensive player. His 2,514 steals are the second highest total of all-time behind John Stockton, while his steals per game average is third all-time. Jerry West often stated that he was more impressed with Jordan's defensive contributions than his offensive ones.

Legacy

Jordan's basketball talent was clear from his rookie season. Jordan's total of 5,987 points in the playoffs is the highest in NBA history. He retired with 32,292 points in regular season play, placing him third on the NBA's all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. Jordan placed second to Babe Ruth in the Associated Press's list of 20th century athletes. In addition, the Associated Press voted him as the basketball player of the 20th century. Jordan has also appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated a record 49 times. In the September 1996 issue of Sport, which was the publication's 50th anniversary issue, Jordan was named the greatest athlete of the past 50 years.

Jordan's athletic leaping ability, highlighted in his back-to-back slam dunk contest championships in 1987 and 1988, is credited by many with having influenced a generation of young players. Several current NBA All-Stars have stated that they considered Jordan their role model while growing up, including LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. In addition, commentators have dubbed a number of next-generation players "the next Michael Jordan" upon their entry to the NBA, including Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, Grant Hill, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Vince Carter, and Dwyane Wade. Although Jordan was a well-rounded player, his "Air Jordan" image is also often credited with inadvertently decreasing the jump shooting skills, defense, and fundamentals of young players, Television ratings in particular increased only during his time in the league and have subsequently lowered each time he left the game. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in September 2009, with former Bulls teammates Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, and Toni Kukoc in attendance.

Personal life

Jordan is the fourth of five children. He has two older brothers, Larry Jordan and James R. Jordan, Jr., one older sister, Deloris, and a younger sister, Roslyn. Jordan's brother James retired in 2006 as the Command Sergeant Major of the 35th Signal Brigade of the XVIII Airborne Corps in the U.S. Army.

He married Juanita Vanoy in September 1989, and they have two sons, Jeffrey Michael and Marcus James, and a daughter, Jasmine. Jordan and Vanoy filed for divorce on January 4, 2002, citing irreconcilable differences, but reconciled shortly thereafter. They again filed for divorce and were granted a final decree of dissolution of marriage on December 29, 2006, commenting that the decision was made "mutually and amicably". It is reported that Juanita received a $168 million settlement, making it the largest celebrity divorce settlement in history at the time on public record.

On July 21, 2006, a Cook County, Illinois judge determined that Jordan did not owe his alleged former lover Karla Knafel $5 million. Jordan had allegedly paid Knafel $250,000 to keep their relationship a secret. Knafel claimed Jordan promised her $5 million for remaining silent and agreeing not to file a paternity suit after Knafel learned she was pregnant in 1991. A DNA test showed Jordan was not the father of the child. Jeffrey graduated as a member of the 2007 graduating class and played his first collegiate basketball game on November 11, 2007, for the University of Illinois. After two seasons, Jeffrey left the Illinois basketball team in 2009. He later rejoined the team for a third season, then received a release to transfer to the University of Central Florida, where Marcus was attending. Marcus transferred to Whitney Young High School after his sophomore year and graduated in 2009. He began attending UCF in the fall of 2009.

In December of 2010, the Charlotte Observer reported that Jordan had purchased and combined the two top-floor penthouses at The Trust, a luxury condominium building in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina.

Media figure and business interests

is a silhouette of Jordan used by Nike to promote the Air Jordan shoes, among other merchandise.]] Jordan is one of the most marketed sports figures in history. He has been a major spokesman for such brands as Nike, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, Gatorade, McDonald's, Ball Park Franks, Rayovac, Wheaties, Hanes, and MCI. Jordan has had a long relationship with Gatorade, appearing in over 20 commercials for the company since 1991, including the "Like Mike" commercials in which a song was sung by children wishing to be like Jordan.

Nike created a signature shoe for him, called the Air Jordan. One of Jordan's more popular commercials for the shoe involved Spike Lee playing the part of Mars Blackmon. In the commercials Lee, as Blackmon, attempted to find the source of Jordan's abilities and became convinced that "it's gotta be the shoes". The brand has also sponsored college sports programs such as those of North Carolina, Cincinnati, Cal, St. John's, Georgetown, and North Carolina A&T;.

Jordan also has been connected with the Looney Tunes cartoon characters. A Nike commercial shown during the 1993 Super Bowl XXVII featured Jordan and Bugs Bunny playing basketball against a group of Martian characters. The Super Bowl commercial inspired the 1996 live action/animated movie Space Jam, which starred Jordan and Bugs in a fictional story set during his first retirement. They have subsequently appeared together in several commercials for MCI. In addition, when Jordan's power at the ticket gates was at its highest point the Bulls regularly sold out every game they played in, whether home or away. Due to this, Jordan set records in player salary by signing annual contracts worth in excess of $30 million US dollars per season. An academic study found that Jordan’s first NBA comeback resulted in an increase in the market capitalization of his client firms of more than $1 billion.

Most of Jordan's endorsement deals, including the first deal with Nike, were engineered by his agent, David Falk. Jordan has said of Falk that "he's the best at what he does", and that "marketing-wise, he's great. He's the one who came up with the concept of 'Air Jordan.'"

In June 2010, Jordan was ranked by Forbes Magazine as the 20th most powerful celebrity in the world with $55 million earned between June 2009 and June 2010. According to the Forbes article, Brand Jordan generates $1 billion in sales for Nike.

Honors and awards

at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill game honoring the 1957 and 1982 men's basketball teams.]]

Jordan won numerous awards and set many records during his career. The following are some of his achievements:

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2009

2 Olympic Gold Medals – 1984, 1992

6-time NBA Champion

6-time NBA Finals MVP

5-time NBA MVP

10 NBA Scoring Titles

3-time steals leader

3-time minutes leader

14 NBA All-Star Selections

3-time NBA All-Star Game MVP

11 All-NBA Selections

9 All-Defensive First Team Selections

2-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion – 1987, 1988

NBA Rookie of the Year – NBA Defensive Player of the Year –

ACC Freshman of the Year – 1981–82

2-time Consensus NCAA All-American First Team – 1982–83, 1983–84

ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year – 1983–84

USBWA College Player of the Year – 1983–84

Naismith College Player of the Year – 1983–84

John R. Wooden Award – 1983–84

Adolph Rupp Trophy – 1983–84

Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year – 1991

Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996

Ranked #1 by SLAM Magazine's Top 50 Players of All-Time

Ranked #1 by ESPN Sportscentury's Top 100 Athletes of the 20th century

Elected to North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame

See also

List of National Basketball Association top rookie scoring averages

List of National Basketball Association top individual scoring season averages

List of individual National Basketball Association scoring leaders by season

List of National Basketball Association season steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association players with most points in a game

List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game

List of National Basketball Association players with 50 or more points in a playoff game

List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders

List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders

List of highest playoff series scoring averages in National Basketball Association history

List of National Basketball Association players with most championship rings

; Outside basketball

Michael Jordan Steakhouse

Michael Jordan's Restaurant

Michael Jordan in Flight

NBA 2K11

References

External links

NBA History: Jordan bio

NBA.com historical playerfile

NBA Player Stats

Michael Jordan Motorsports

Category:1963 births Category:ACC Athlete of the Year Category:African American basketball players Category:African American sports executives Category:Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Category:Basketball players at the 1983 Pan American Games Category:Basketball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from North Carolina Category:Birmingham Barons players Category:Charlotte Bobcats executives Category:Charlotte Bobcats owners Category:Chicago Bulls draft picks Category:Chicago Bulls players Category:Living people Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Minor league baseball players Category:National Basketball Association executives Category:National Basketball Association owners Category:NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award winners Category:NBA Finals MVP Award winners Category:NBA Slam Dunk Contest champions Category:North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Category:National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:People from Highland Park, Illinois Category:People from Wilmington, North Carolina Category:Shooting guards Category:Sportspeople of multiple sports Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:Washington Wizards executives Category:Washington Wizards players

Coordinates	51°37′″N18°8′″N
Name	Montell Jordan
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Montell Du'Sean Barnett
Born	December 03, 1968Los Angeles, California, United States
Genre	R&B;, New Jack Swing, Hip hop
Occupation	singer-songwriter, producer
Years active	1994–2010
Label	PMP/RAL, Def Soul (1995–2002)Koch (2003–2004)Universal/Fontana (2008)
Associated acts	Shae Jones
Url	montellmusic.com

Montell Jordan (born December 3, 1968) is a former American R&B; singer-songwriter and record producer. Jordan became the main solo male artist on its Def Soul imprint until leaving the label in 2003. As of 2010, Jordan has left the music business to become a Minister.

Biography

Jordan attended Pepperdine University in California, where he received a bachelor's degree in communications and became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Jordan graduated summa cum laude and was a state finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship.

Jordan's first single was the 1995 #1 hit "This Is How We Do It," which sampled Slick Rick's earlier Def Jam hit "Children's Story". Jordan followed up his success with "Somethin' 4 Da Honeyz", which peaked at #21. Later hits would include "Let's Ride" with Master P and "Talk Show" with Shae Jones in 1998 and "Get It on Tonite" in 1999.

Besides crafting his own material, Jordan has written and produced for other artists, including Christina Milian, 98 Degrees, Shae Jones, Deborah Cox ("Nobody's Supposed to Be Here," 1998), and Sisqó (the number-one hit "Incomplete," 2000). The singer appears in the film The Fighting Temptations as "Mr. Johnson", an angry convict who is very sensitive about his high-pitched voice. He also had a cameo appearance in The Nutty Professor, and he performed on the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown. In 2003 Jordan left Def Soul and released the album Life After Def on Koch Records and also appeared on the album of popular Croatian singer Nina Badrić in duet "Ne dam te nikom" ("I'm Not Giving You to Anyone").

Jordan released his seventh LP - Let It Rain - on October 21, 2008.

Jordan's song "This Is How We Do It" is used as the opening theme to Howie Mandel's hidden camera show, Howie Do It. The song also states his unusually tall height of 6'8".

He is now a born-again Christian and can be seen at Victory World Church in Atlanta, GA performing with the church band. In late 2010, Jordan announced that he was officially leaving his music career behind to become a Worship Minister at Victory World Church.

Discography

This Is How We Do It (1995)

More… (1996)

Let's Ride (1998)

Get It On…Tonite (1999)

Montell Jordan (2002)

Life After Def (2003)

Let It Rain (2008)

Awards and nominations

1995

1995 MTV Video Music Award nominations for Best Dance Video ("This Is How We Do It") and Best Rhythm & Blues Video ("This Is How We Do It")

1995 Grammy Award nomination for Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Male ("This Is How We Do It")

References

External links

Official site

April 2006 Full online interview

Montell Jordan on Twitter

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:African American singers Category:American male singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American Christians Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Def Jam Recordings artists

Coordinates	51°37′″N18°8′″N
Width	200
Caption	Bird during the 1985 Playoffs
Position	Forward
Number	33
Height ft	6 |height_in=9
Weight lbs	220
Birth date	December 07, 1956
Birthplace	West Baden, Indiana
Career start	1979
Career end	1992
Draft year	1978
Draft team	Boston Celtics
Draft round	1
Draft pick	6
College	Indiana State
Teams
Stat1label	Points
Stat1value	21,791 (24.3 ppg)
Stat2label	Assists
Stat2value	5,695 (6.3 apg)
Stat3label	Rebounds
Stat3value	8,974 (10.0 rpg)
Letter	b
Bbr	birdla01
Highlights
Hof player	larry-j-bird

Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, teaming with legendary center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale. Due to back problems, he retired as a player from the NBA in 1992. Bird was voted to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. He served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. In 2003, he assumed the role of president of basketball operations for the Pacers, which he currently holds.

Early life

Larry Bird was born in West Baden, Indiana, the son of Georgia (née Kerns) and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird. He grew up in both West Baden and the adjacent town French Lick, which earned him the nickname "the Hick from French Lick" in his later basketball career. Financial troubles would plague the Bird family for most of Larry's childhood. Bird recalled how his mother would make do on the family's meager earnings: "If there was a payment to the bank due, and we needed shoes, she'd get the shoes, and then deal with them guys at the bank. I don't mean she wouldn't pay the bank, but the children always came first." According to Bird, his being poor as a child "motivates me to this day". Bird would often go to the gym early, shoot between classes, and stay late into the evening. He quit both football and baseball to focus on basketball.

Collegiate career

Bird received a basketball scholarship to Indiana University in 1974. However, he was overwhelmed by the size of the campus and number of students and was not mentally ready for this stage of life; according to Bird, "it didn't take long to realize that I was out of my cocoon." He dropped out of Indiana after 24 days, disappointing his mother. Bird returned home to French Lick where he enrolled in the nearby Northwood Institute before dropping out and getting a job with the Street Department (the department picked up garbage, repaired roads, removed snow, mowed lawns, etc.) for a year. He played AAU basketball for Hancock Construction and, after that year, decided to enroll at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, where he was coached by Bob King.

King suffered a stroke prior to the 1978–79 season and assistant Bill Hodges, who had persuaded Bird to return to college basketball,

NCAA Career Statistics

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 1976–77 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana State | 28 || ... || 36.9 || .544 || ... || .840 || 13.3 || 4.4 || ... || ... || 32.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1977–78 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana State | 32 || ... || ... || .524 || ... || .793 || 11.5 || 3.9 || ... || ... || 30.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1978–79 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana State | 34 || ... || ... || .532 || ... || .831 || 14.9 || 5.5 || ... || ... || 28.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| ... | 94 || ... || 36.9 || .533 || ... || .822 || 13.3 || 4.6 || ... || ... || 30.3 |-

1979–1981: Immediate impact

The Boston Celtics selected the 6'9", 220-pound Bird 6th overall in the 1978 NBA Draft, even though they were uncertain whether he would enter the NBA or remain at Indiana State to play his senior season. Bird ultimately decided to play his final college season, but the Celtics retained their exclusive right to sign him until the 1979 NBA Draft, because of the NBA's "junior eligible" rule that existed at that time (allowing a collegiate player to be drafted when the player's original "entering" class was graduating and giving them one calendar year to sign them, even if they went back to college). Shortly before that deadline, Bird agreed to sign with the Celtics for a US $650,000 a year contract, making him at the time the highest-paid rookie in the history of the NBA. Shortly afterwards, the NBA draft eligibility rules were changed to prevent teams from drafting players before they were ready to sign. The rule is called the Bird Collegiate Rule.

Bird's impact on the Celtics was immediate. The Celtics were 29–53 during the 1978–79 season, but with Bird the team improved to 61–21 in the 1979–80 season, posting the league's best regular season record. Bird's collegiate rival, Magic Johnson, also had entered the NBA in 1979, joining the Los Angeles Lakers. In 1980, despite a strong rookie season from Johnson, Bird was named the league's Rookie of the Year and was voted onto the Eastern Conference All-Star team (an honor he would receive for each of his 12 full seasons in the NBA). For the 1980 season, Bird led the Celtics in scoring (21.3 points/game), rebounding (10.4 rebounds/game), steals (143), and minutes played (2,955) and was second in assists (4.5 assists/game) and three-pointers (58). Though Boston was beaten by the more athletic Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference finals that year, Bird's addition to the team had renewed the promise of Celtic glory.

Following Bird's first season, the Celtics acquired center Robert Parish and the 3rd pick in the 1980 NBA Draft via a trade with the Golden State Warriors (in exchange for the 1st and 13th picks in the draft). After the Warriors took Joe Barry Carroll with the 1st pick and the Utah Jazz chose Darrell Griffith second, the Celtics selected University of Minnesota power forward Kevin McHale. With Bird at small forward, the additions of Parish and McHale gave Boston one of the most formidable frontcourts in the history of the NBA. The three would anchor the Celtics throughout Bird's career.

In his second season, Bird led the Celtics into the playoffs, where they faced off for a second consecutive year with Julius Erving's Philadelphia 76ers. Bird helped the Celtics overcome a 3–1 deficit by winning the last 3 games by 2, 2, and 1 point margins, propelling them into the NBA Finals, where they defeated the Houston Rockets in six games with Bird averaging 15.3 points on .419 shooting, 15.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. It would be the first of three championships in Bird's career, as well as the first of his five Finals appearances.

1982–1987: MVPs, championships and the rivalry with Magic Johnson

The additions of Bird and Johnson rejuvenated the NBA, which had suffered from low attendance and minimal television interest through much of the 1970s. Immediately upon their entry into the league, the two players became repeating presences in the NBA Finals. Johnson's Lakers won the championship in 1980, Bird's Celtics captured the NBA title in 1981, and Johnson's Lakers wrested it back in 1982. Bird and Johnson first dueled in the 1979 NCAA title game; as professional basketball players, they would face off numerous times during the 1980s, including the NBA Finals of 1984, 1985 and 1987. Lakers versus Celtics, and specifically Bird versus Magic, quickly became one of the greatest rivalries in the history of professional sports.

In 1984, the Celtics defeated the Lakers in a seven-game Finals, winning game seven 111–102. Bird averaged 27.4 points on .484 shooting and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the award of Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). Bird was also named the league regular season MVP for that year. In 1985, however, the Lakers avenged the loss, defeating the Celtics in game 6 of the Finals in the Boston Garden. In a losing effort against Los Angeles, Bird averaged 23.8 points on .449 shooting, 8.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. That year, the NBA again named Bird the league MVP.

Boston would have another great season the next year, with help from another Hall of Famer, Bill Walton. Walton had been refused by the Lakers, and as a last chance, called Celtics president and general manager Red Auerbach. Auerbach was initially unwilling to take a risk on Walton, who had been plagued for years by foot injuries. But Bird, who happened to be in Auerbach's office at the time of Walton's call, urged him to sign Walton, saying that if Walton felt he was healthy enough to play, it was all Bird needed to hear.

With Walton backing up Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, the Celtics would return to the finals in 1986, albeit not against Johnson and the Lakers, who lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Houston Rockets. The 1986 Celtic team, which finished the regular season 67–15 and defeated the Rockets in six games, is generally considered to be the best of Bird's career. Bird again was named the Finals' MVP for that year, averaging 24 points on .482 shooting, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. He also won his third consecutive league MVP award, a feat matched only by the great Celtic center Bill Russell and the dominant Wilt Chamberlain, who played for Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

In 1987, the Celtics made their last Finals appearance of Bird's career, fighting through difficult series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons but as they reached the NBA Finals, the Celtics, plagued by devastating injuries, lost to a dominant Lakers team which had won 65 games during the season. The Celtics ended up losing to the Lakers in six games, with Bird averaging 24.2 points on .445 shooting, 10 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in the championship series. The Celtics would fall short in 1988 losing to the Pistons in 6 games in the Eastern Conference Finals as the Pistons made up from the heartbreak the previous season. Between them, Bird and Johnson captured eight NBA championships during the 1980s, with Magic getting five and Bird three. During the 1980s, either Boston or Los Angeles appeared in every NBA Finals.

Throughout the 1980s, contests between the Celtics and the Lakers—both during the regular season and in the Finals—attracted enormous television audiences. The first regular season game between the Celtics and the Lakers in the 1987–88 season proved to be a classic with Magic Johnson banking in an off balance shot from near the 3-point line at the buzzer for a 115–114 Lakers win at Boston Garden. The historical rift between the teams, which faced each other several times in championship series of the 1960s, fueled fan interest in the rivalry. Not since Bill Russell squared off against Wilt Chamberlain had professional basketball enjoyed such a marquee matchup. The apparent contrast between the two players and their respective teams seemed scripted for television: Bird, the introverted small-town hero with the blue-collar work ethic, fitted perfectly with the throwback, hard-nosed style of the Celtics, while the stylish, gregarious Johnson ran the Lakers' fast-paced "Showtime" offense amidst the bright lights and celebrities of Los Angeles. A 1986 Converse commercial for its "Weapon" line of basketball shoes (endorsed by both Bird and Johnson) reflected the perceived dichotomy between the two players. In the commercial, Bird is practicing alone on a rural basketball court when Johnson pulls up in a sleek limousine and challenges him to a one-on-one match.

Despite the intensity of their rivalry, Bird and Johnson became friends off the court. Their friendship blossomed when the two players worked together to film the 1986 Converse commercial, which depicted them as archenemies. Johnson appeared at Bird's retirement ceremony on February 4, 1993 and emotionally described Bird as a "friend forever."

1988–1992: The twilight years

In 1988, Bird had the best statistical season of his career, but the Celtics failed to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in five years, losing to the Pistons in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals. Bird started the 1988–89 season with Boston, but ended his season after six games to have bone spurs surgically removed from both of his heels. He returned to the Celtics in 1989, but debilitating back problems and an aging Celtic roster prevented him from regaining his mid-1980s form. Nonetheless, through the final years of his career, Bird maintained his status as one of the premier players in the game. He averaged over 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists a game in his last three seasons with the Celtics, and shot better than 45% from the field in each. Bird led the Celtics to playoff appearances in each of those three seasons.

Bird's body, however, continued to break down. He had been bothered by back problems for years, and his back became progressively worse. After leading the Celtics to a 29–5 start to the 1990–91 season, he missed 22 games due to a compressed nerve root in his back, a condition that would eventually lead to his retirement. He had off-season surgery to remove a disc from his back, but his back problems continued and he missed 37 games during the 1991–92 season. During the 1992 Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers Bird missed 4 of 7 games in the series due to his back problems.

}} In the summer of 1992, Bird joined Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and other NBA stars to play for the United States basketball team in that year's Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. It was the first time in America's Olympic history that the country sent professional basketball players to compete. The "Dream Team" won the men's basketball gold medal.

Following his Olympic experience, on August 18, 1992, Bird announced his retirement as an NBA player. He finished his career with averages of more than 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists per game, while shooting 49.6% from the field, 88.6% from the free throw line and 37.6% from three-point range. Following Bird's departure, the Celtics promptly retired his jersey number 33.

In 1989, Bird published his autobiography, with Bob Ryan. The book chronicles his life and career up to the 1989 NBA season.

NBA career after retirement

The Celtics employed Bird as a special assistant in the team's front office from 1992 until 1997. In 1997, Bird accepted the position of coach of the Indiana Pacers and said he would be on the job for no more than 3 years. Despite having no previous coaching experience, Bird led the Pacers to a 58–24 record—the franchise's best as an NBA team at the time—in the 1997–98 season, and pushed the Bulls to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals. He was named the NBA Coach of the Year for his efforts, becoming the only person in NBA history to have won both the MVP and Coach of the Year awards. He then led the Pacers to two consecutive Central Division titles in 1999 and 2000, and a berth in the NBA finals in 2000.

Bird resigned as Pacers coach shortly after the end of the 2000 season, following through on his initial promise to coach for only 3 years. In 2003, he returned as the Pacers' President of Basketball Operations, where he oversees team personnel and coaching moves, as well as the team's draft selections. Bird promoted David Morway to general manager in 2008, but Bird still has the final say in basketball matters.

Head coaching record

|- | align="left" |IND | align="left" | |82||58||24||.707|| align="center" |2nd in Central||16||10||6||.625 | align="center" |Lost in Conf. Finals |- | align="left" |IND | align="left" | |50||33||17||.660|| align="center" |1st in Central||13||9||4||.692 | align="center" |Lost in Conf. Finals |- | align="left" |IND | align="left" | |82||56||26||.683|| align="center" |1st in Central||23||13||10||.565 | align="center" |Lost in NBA Finals |-class="sortbottom" | align="left" |Career | ||214||147||67||.687|| ||52||32||20||.615

Legacy

}}

Bird's humble roots led to his most frequently used moniker, "The Hick From French Lick". Other observers called him "The Great White Hope".

For the 2008 NBA Finals, which featured a rematch of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry, Bird appeared in a split-screen advertisement with Magic Johnson (as part of the "There Can Only Be One" campaign which had played throughout the 2008 NBA Playoffs but to that point only featured players from the two teams competing in a given series) discussing the meaning of rivalries.

Bird was widely considered one of Red Auerbach's favorite players. He considered Bird to be the greatest basketball player of all time. Auerbach was so enamored with the player that he drafted him out of Indiana State and waited a year before Bird was eligible to suit up for the Celtics. During his introductory press conference, after Auerbach's contentious negotiations with agent Bob Woolf, Bird announced he "would have played for free." This was after Woolf asked for the most lucrative contract in NBA history, to which Auerbach was quick to point out that Bird hadn't played a game in the NBA yet.

Player profile

Bird, a versatile wing man who played the power forward and small forward positions, is considered one of the greatest players of all time, to which his twelve All-Star team nominations are a testament. The sharpshooting Bird made his name stepping up his performance in critical situations, and is credited with a long list of dominating games, buzzer beaters and clutch defensive plays. He won two NBA Finals MVP and three regular-season MVP awards. He won them all in a row, a feat only shared by Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.

Bird possessed an uncanny and unparalleled ability to anticipate and react to the strategies of his opponents. His talent for recognizing the moves of opponents and teammates prompted his first coach with the Celtics, Bill Fitch, to nickname him "Kodak", because he seemed to formulate mental pictures of every play that took place on the court.

Bird scored 24.3 points per game in his career on a high .496 field goal average, a stellar .886 free throw average (9th best all-time) and a 37.6 percentage on 3-point shots. Bird was also a good rebounder (10.0 rebound career average) and an excellent playmaker (6.3 assist career average). His multidimensional game made him a consistent triple-double threat; Bird currently ranks fifth all-time in triple-doubles with 59, not including the 10 he recorded in the playoffs. Bird's lifetime player efficiency rating (PER) is 23.5, 16th all-time, a further testament to his all around game. Additionally, he is the only 20, 10, 5 player in NBA history (points, rebounds, assists per game) with a lifetime PRA rating (points + rebounds + assists per game) of 40.6, which is 8th all-time. Bird was the first player in NBA history to shoot 50% or better on field goals, 40% on 3-pointers, and 90% on free-throws in a single NBA season while achieving the league minimum for makes in each category. Bird accomplished this feat three times and is second only to Steve Nash for seasons in the 50-40-90 Club.

Bird is also remembered as an excellent defender. While he was neither fast nor quick-footed, and could not always shut down an individual player one-on-one, he consistently displayed a knack for anticipating the moves of his opponent, allowing him to intercept passes and create turnovers. His 1,556 career steals ranks 27th all-time. Unspectacular but effective defensive moves, such as jumping into a passing lane to make a steal or allowing his man to step past and drive to the hoop, then blocking the opponent's shot from behind, were staples of Bird's defensive game. In recognition of his defensive abilities, Bird was named to three All-Defensive Second Teams.

Bird's competitive nature often emerged in nearly constant trash-talking on the court. Some notable examples follow:

During the three-point shooting contest on All-Star Weekend 1986, Bird entered the locker room, looked around without saying a word, then finally said, "I want all of you to know I am winning this thing. I'm just looking around to see who's gonna finish up second." He won the shooting contest.

During one game on Christmas Day against the Indiana Pacers, before the game Bird told Chuck Person that he had a Christmas present waiting for him. During the game, when Person was on the bench, Bird shot a three-pointer on the baseline right in front of Person. Immediately after releasing the ball, Bird said to Person, "Merry fuckin' Christmas!", and then the shot went in. This was no doubt inspired by Person (nicknamed the "Rifleman") stating prior to the game that "The Rifleman is Coming, and He's Going Bird Hunting."

Reggie Miller recalled his encounter with Larry Bird's legendary trash talking ability in his book "I Love Being The Enemy". Reggie tried to disrupt Larry's concentration when he was shooting free throws late in a game. Larry glared at him, made the first free throw and said, "Rook, I am the best shooter in the league right now. In the league. Understand? And you're up here trying to tell me something?" Then Larry buried the second free throw.

Late in a tied game against the Seattle SuperSonics, Bird told Supersonics forward Xavier McDaniel, who was guarding him, exactly where he would hit the game winning shot. After a timeout, Bird made two baseline cuts, then posted in the exact spot he had indicated to McDaniel, paused, turned, and shot it right in his face. On November 9, 1984, Bird was ejected along with Julius Erving in the third quarter after an on court scuffle. At the point of both ejections, Bird had outscored Erving 42 to 6. During the game, Bird had continuously informed Erving of their tallies with every chance he got to score. Bird denies this stating that it was "M.L. (Carr) talking trash from the bench" during that game. Eventually a shoving match ensued, then swings taken by both players, and finally a bench-clearing brawl.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 82 || 82 || 36.0 || .474 || .406 || .836 || 10.4 || 4.5 || 1.7 || 0.6 || 21.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| † | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 82 || 82 || 39.5 || .478 || .270 || .863 || 10.9 || 5.5 || 2.0 || 0.8 || 21.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 77 || 58 || 38.0 || .503 || .212 || .863 || 10.9 || 5.8 || 1.9 || 0.9 || 22.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 79 || 79 || 37.7 || .504 || .286 || .840 || 11.0 || 5.8 || 1.9 || 0.9 || 23.6 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| † | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 79 || 77 || 38.3 || .492 || .247 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| .888 || 10.1 || 6.6 || 1.8 || 0.9 || 24.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 80 || 77 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| 39.5 || .522 || .427 || .882 || 10.5 || 6.6 || 1.6 || 1.2 || 28.7 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| † | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 82 || 81 || 38.0 || .496 || .423 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| .896 || 9.8 || 6.8 || 2.0 || 0.6 || 25.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 74 || 73 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| 40.6 || .525 || .400 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| .910 || 9.2 || 7.6 || 1.8 || 0.9 || 28.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 76 || 75 || 39.0 || .527 || .414 || .916 || 9.3 || 6.1 || 1.6 || 0.8 || 29.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 6 || 6 || 31.5 || .471 || ... || .947 || 6.2 || 4.8 || 1.0 || 0.8 || 19.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 75 || 75 || 39.3 || .473 || .333 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| .930 || 9.5 || 7.5 || 1.4 || 0.8 || 24.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 60 || 60 || 38.0 || .454 || .389 || .891 || 8.5 || 7.2 || 1.8 || 1.0 || 19.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 45 || 45 || 36.9 || .466 || .406 || .926 || 9.6 || 6.8 || 0.9 || 0.7 || 20.2 |-class=sortbottom | style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| Career The marriage lasted only 11 months, but produced a daughter, Corrie, born on August 14, 1977.

In 1998, Corrie Bird appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and revealed that she was Bird's daughter from his first marriage though Larry had denied paternity until the mid 1980s. She discussed her longing to connect with her father, whom she had not seen in 17 years. Corrie's story was also shown on 20/20 and was run as an article in the September 4, 1998 issue of Sports Illustrated. Corrie, like her father, played basketball in high school and attended Indiana State University, graduating with a degree in elementary education.

In 2009, Boston University awarded Larry an Honorary Degree; Doctor of Letters.

On October 31, 1989, Bird married Dinah Mattingly. The couple have two adopted children, son Conner and daughter Mariah.

In popular culture

In October 2005, a man in Oklahoma City, Eric James Torpy, was convicted of shooting with intent to kill and robbery. He asked that his sentence be changed from 30 years imprisonment to 33 so that it would match Bird's jersey number. His request was granted. Bird has appeared in three movies, Blue Chips, released in 1994 by Paramount, the Warner Brothers film Space Jam with Michael Jordan and Bill Murray in 1996, and Celtic Pride with Dan Aykroyd, Daniel Stern, and Damon Wayans, which was also released in 1996.

Bird has appeared in several video games. In Bird plays opposite Julius Erving in a game of one-on-one. A sequel, , was a 1988 basketball video game.

The band Dispatch has a song called "Just Like Larry" about Larry Bird, who is their hometown hero from his days as a member of the Boston Celtics.

In a phone commercial when Larry Bird tells Tweety Bird that they are not related, Tweety not only comments on them having the same last name but that they "look an awful lot alike".

See also

List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders

List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders

List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

List of National Basketball Association players with most points in a game

List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds

Footnotes

References

External links

nba.com historical playerfile

Larry Bird biography provided by hoophall.com

Sportscentury's 30th greatest athlete of all time provided by ESPN.com

NBA.com: Where Legends Are Born

NBA History

CNN/Sports Illustrated: A Player for the Ages

1979 Oscar Robertson Trophy USBWA College Player of the Year

Career Stats, courtesy of basketball-reference.com

Videos of Larry Bird on mReplay.com

Larry Bird Statistics

Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Category:Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Indiana Category:Boston Celtics draft picks Category:Boston Celtics players Category:National Basketball Association head coaches Category:National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Category:NBA Finals MVP Award winners Category:Indiana Pacers executives Category:Indiana Pacers head coaches Category:Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball players Category:National Basketball Association executives Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:People from Orange County, Indiana Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Small forwards Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees

Coordinates	51°37′″N18°8′″N
Name	Jordan Knight
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight
Born	May 17, 1970
Origin	Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Instrument	Piano, vocals
Genre	Dance-popAdult contemporaryUrbanSoft rock
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1984–present
Label	Interscope Records
Associated acts	New Kids on the BlockDeborah Gibson
Url	JordanKnight.com

Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight (born May 17, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer in the boy band, New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), and actor which rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s. He is best known for his distinctive falsetto style of singing, influenced by The Stylistics. After New Kids On The Block disbanded, Jordan launched a solo career. He released four Top 40 singles, probably the most well known being "Give It To You" in 1999 but has since has failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100 again. He has done two studio albums, one remix album and one EP.

Early life and career

Knight was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is the youngest of 6 children: Allison, Sharon, David, Christopher, Jonathan. He was close to 14 in 1984 when he joined New Kids On The Block. The band was assembled in Boston by producer Maurice Starr. His fellow members included his brother, Jonathan Knight, as well as Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood. Over the next few years Knight began teaching himself piano and keyboard instruments and writing songs. Maurice Starr, the New Kids' producer, who wrote much of the New Kids material, was reluctant to add the teenager's work to the band's repertoire.

New Kids on the Block sold over 70 million albums worldwide, generated hundreds of million of dollars of concert revenues, and paved the way for later boy bands like Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC. New Kids on the Block disbanded in 1994. Can I Come over Tonight? [Data Track] [*] [Multimedia Track] My Heart's Saying Now (Snow Day soundtrack)

References

External links

(US) (UK)

Trans Continental Records

Category:1970 births Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Massachusetts Category:New Kids on the Block members

Category:The Surreal Life participants

Coordinates	51°37′″N18°8′″N
Width	200
Position	Small forward
Number	21, 12
Height ft	6 |height_in=8
Weight lbs	230
Birth date	January 12, 1960
Birthplace	Paris, France
Career start	1982
Career end	1999
Draft year	1982
Draft team	Utah Jazz
Draft round	1
Draft pick	3
College	Georgia
Teams
Stat1label	Points
Stat1value	26,668 (24.8 ppg)
Stat2label	Rebound
Stat2value	7,167 (7.6 rpg)
Stat3label	Assists
Stat3value	2,677 (2.5 apg)
Letter	w
Bbr	wilkido01
Highlights
Hof player	jacques-dominique-wilkins

}}

Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) is a retired American professional basketball player. He is best remembered for his stint with the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. A nine time NBA All-Star, "'Nique" is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history. Wilkins is also known as one of the best dunkers in NBA history, earning the nickname "The Human Highlight Film." In 2006, Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Early life and college

Wilkins was born in Paris, France, due to his father being stationed there while in the U.S. Air Force. Wilkins' family then moved to Washington, North Carolina where he attended Washington High School. He was the back-to-back MVP for the team's consecutive Class 3-A State Championships (1978-1979). He entered the University of Georgia in 1979 with an established reputation as an exciting player. Wilkins averaged 21.6 points a game over his career and was named SEC Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1981. He left college after his junior year and was selected 3rd overall, behind James Worthy and Terry Cummings, by the Utah Jazz in the 1982 NBA Draft.

NBA career

Cash flow problems within the Utah Jazz organization along with his reluctance to play with the team led to him being traded to the Atlanta Hawks several months after the draft. The trade included John Drew, Freeman Williams and cash. Despite Wilkins' reluctance to play for Utah, this trade is now considered among the most lopsided deals in NBA history.

Prior to his last three NBA seasons, Wilkins never averaged fewer than 20 points per game and captured a scoring title in 1985-86 with an average of 30.3 points per game.

Wilkins, in addition to his eleven seasons with the Hawks, had short stints with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Boston Celtics, Panathinaikos Athens (a professional team in Greece's A1 Ethniki League, with whom he won his first title, the European Clubs' Championship and the Greek Cup), Fortitudo Bologna (a professional team in Italy's Serie A League), the San Antonio Spurs, and the Orlando Magic before he retired in 1999.

Wilkins was instrumental in the Hawks' prominence in the 1980s, when the club recorded four consecutive 50-win seasons during the decade. As Wilkins entered his thirties and the Hawks needed more of an all-around contribution from their star, Wilkins stepped forward, averaging 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists during the 1990-91 season.

A nine-time NBA All-Star and the winner of two NBA Slam Dunk Contests, Wilkins registered 26,668 points and 7,169 rebounds in his NBA career. His career points total ranks him ninth in career scoring, and he is one of just 14 players to total 25,000 points or more for a career.

Wilkins' nickname was the "The Human Highlight Film" for his incredible athletic ability and highlight reel dunks. His trademark dunk was a powerful one- or two-handed windmill, dunks he used to capture the Slam Dunk titles in 1985 and 1990. As a basketball player he was known as an acrobatic scorer, somewhat of a gunner, though an outstanding finisher and one of the greatest game dunkers in NBA History.

His #21 jersey was retired by the Hawks on January 13, 2001. He is one of four players to have had their jerseys retired by the Hawks.

Early NBA years

Wilkins had already proved himself as the real deal in Atlanta, but the rest of the country quickly took notice of the exciting third-year forward when he notched his first Slam-Dunk Championship at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis. He went on to finish the season with a 27.4 scoring average, good for sixth in the NBA. Wilkins ranked second on the Hawks in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and steals (135). For the first of two straight seasons he led the NBA in field-goal attempts, with 1,891. After going 0-for-11 from the three-point line the previous season, Wilkins made 25 of 81 treys in 1984–85. He also shot better than 80 percent from the line for the first of 10 consecutive seasons. Despite Wilkins's efforts, Atlanta finished 34-48 and failed to reach the NBA Playoffs.

Wilkins exploded into the NBA's elite circle in 1985–86, winning the league scoring title with an average of 30.3 points per game. He was an NBA All-Star for the first time and was voted to the All-NBA First Team at the end of the season. Wilkins failed in his bid to repeat as NBA Slam-Dunk champion, his competition coming from an unlikely source. The Hawks had signed 5-foot-7 Anthony "Spud" Webb as a free agent prior to the season, and Webb dazzled the All-Star Saturday crowd in Dallas by soaring more than to the basket on each of his dunk attempts. Wilkins had to settle for second place behind his diminutive rookie teammate. Atlanta turned its fortunes around in dramatic fashion, winning 16 more games in the 1985–86 season to finish 50-32 for the year. Wilkins scored 57 points in one game and ranked among the Hawks' leaders in rebounding (7.9 rpg), steals (138), and free-throw percentage (.818). Atlanta beat the Detroit Pistons in four games in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, but the Hawks couldn’t get past the eventual NBA-champion Boston Celtics, losing four games to one in an Eastern Conference Semifinal series. Wilkins averaged 28.6 points in the nine playoff games.

After earning his way in as a reserve the previous year, Wilkins captured the fans’ votes this season and became the first Atlanta Hawks player to start in an NBA All-Star Game since Eddie Johnson in 1981. Wilkins finished the year second in the league in scoring (29.0 ppg) to Michael Jordan's astronomical 37.1 points per game. He scored the 10,000th point of his young career against the Chicago Bulls on April 16 and was named to the All-NBA Second Team at season's end. Atlanta went into the season with high expectations after a 50-32 mark the previous year, and the Hawks did not disappoint, totaling a franchise-record 57 victories. Doc Rivers, Kevin Willis, Tree Rollins, and Mike McGee contributed heavily as the club made it through the first round of the NBA Playoffs before losing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Detroit Pistons. Wilkins averaged 26.8 points during the postseason, the second of six straight playoffs in which he would average at least 20 points.

Late 1980s

In the 1987-88 season, Wilkins posted the highest scoring average of his career and still finished second to Jordan in the NBA scoring race. He averaged 30.7 points for the Hawks, but Jordan bested him at 35.0. To add insult to injury, Jordan beat out Wilkins, in a controversial decision, for the Slam Dunk Championship at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago. Still, it was a marvelous season for the Human Highlight Film, as he earned a berth on the All-NBA Second Team and became the first Hawks player to be named NBA Player of the Week three times in a season. In his third straight All-Star Game appearance, Wilkins scored 29 points on 12-of-22 shooting, leading the East squad to a 138-133 victory. Again, Jordan beat out Wilkins for top honors, this time earning the All-Star Game MVP Award with his 40 points. Atlanta (50-32) won at least 50 games for the third straight season and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals before losing to the Boston Celtics in seven games. The series produced one of the most memorable games in playoff history. In Game 7 on May 22, Wilkins and Larry Bird carried their respective teams to a thrilling finish, trading bucket for bucket in the fourth quarter until Boston escaped with a 118-116 victory. Wilkins finished with 47 points and Bird had 34—with 20 of his points tallied in the fourth quarter. “The basket was like a well,” remembered Wilkins. “I couldn’t miss. He couldn’t miss. And it went down to the last shot of the game. Who was going to make the last shot? That's the greatest game I’ve ever played in or seen played. It was two guys who just did not want to lose.”

During the 1989 season with the Hawks, Wilkins's scoring average dropped slightly to 26.2, good for seventh in the league, but he was an All-Star for the fourth straight year. He shot a career-best .844 from the free-throw line and ranked second on the Hawks with 117 steals. Basketball writers selected him to the All-NBA Third Team at season's end. The Hawks added Reggie Theus and Moses Malone to the mix in 1988–89, and the ingredients seemed just right for a run deep into the playoffs. Malone averaged 20.2 points and finished fourth in the league with his 11.8 rebounding average. Theus, meanwhile, averaged 15.8 points. But without Kevin Willis, who missed the entire season with a fractured left foot, Atlanta lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Wilkins did his part in the five playoff games, averaging 27.2 points.

Wilkins returned to dunking prominence in 1989–90 by edging out the Sacramento Kings’ Kenny Smith for his second NBA Slam-Dunk Championship.

He had another outstanding regular season, averaging 26.7 points to finish fifth in the NBA scoring race. He led the Hawks in steals for the first time since 1985–86, finishing with 126. His .484 field-goal percentage was the best since his rookie season, and for the sixth straight year he did not foul out of a game. Nonetheless, Atlanta struggled to a 41-41 record in Mike Fratello's last season as head coach, failing to make the playoffs for only the second time in Wilkins's career.

1990s

Wilkins averaged a career-high 9.0 rebounds in 1990—91, leading the Hawks in that category for the first time in his nine NBA seasons. He also led the team in scoring for the eighth straight year, finishing at 25.9 points per game—seventh best in the NBA. In what may be his best all-around season, Wilkins registered a career-high 265 assists while developing a three-point shot he would use more and more in the later stages of his career. He hit 85-of-249 from long range for a .341 percentage, by far his most prolific three-point numbers to date. Wilkins made his sixth All-Star Game appearance this season, scoring 12 points in the East's 116-114 victory over the West. He was selected to the All-NBA Second Team for the third time in his career. Atlanta returned to the playoffs after a year's absence, drawing the defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons in the first round. The Hawks pushed the Pistons to a fifth game, but Detroit routed Atlanta, 113-81, in Game 5. The series with the Pistons was one to forget for Wilkins. Although he averaged 20.8 points in the five games, he shot .372 from the field and .133 from three-point range.

There is little question that Wilkins will look back on this season as the worst—and most frightening—of his career. He was piling up typically outstanding numbers when, after 42 games, his season was brought to an abrupt halt by one of the most painful injuries in sports: a ruptured Achilles tendon. There was 5:32 left in the second quarter of a January 28 home game against the Philadelphia 76ers when Wilkins went down with the injury. He underwent surgery on January 30, and many thought the 10-year veteran's career was over. Seven weeks before the injury, Wilkins had set an NBA record by making 23 free throws in 23 attempts in a game against the Chicago Bulls. He had also scored the 20,000th point of his illustrious career, becoming only the 16th player at the time to reach that plateau. On the day of the injury, Wilkins was named a reserve on the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. His 28.1 scoring average was his highest in five years, and the 52 points he scored in a double-overtime game on December 7 against the New York Knicks were the most by an NBA player that season.

Many thought Wilkins would retire after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon midway through the 1991–92 season. That just made him more determined to come back—and he did, with one of the best seasons of his 11-year career. For his efforts, Wilkins was honored by several sports publications as the NBA Comeback Player of the Year. Showing no traces of the injury, Wilkins blazed to an average of 27.7 points per game in the first month of the season. He then suffered a setback when he fractured the ring finger on his right hand on December 15, sitting out the next 11 games. But Wilkins returned to rack up 29.4 points per game on .487 shooting in January, then added 31.5 points per game on .519 shooting in February. By the end of the season, his scoring average was up to 29.9, second in the league behind Michael Jordan's 32.6. When Wilkins scored his 31st point in a February 2 game against the Seattle SuperSonics, he broke Bob Pettit's franchise scoring record of 20,880 points. He had developed into a full-fledged three-point threat, hitting 120 of 316 attempts from long range to shatter his previous career bests. Wilkins's remarkable comeback was acknowledged with a selection to the All-NBA Second Team. Unfortunately, the Bulls swept the Hawks in the first round 3-0.

Wilkins showed no signs of fading in his 12th NBA campaign, even after a tumultuous midseason trade. After 11½ years with the Atlanta Hawks, during which he became one of the city's most beloved athletes, Wilkins was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on February 24 in exchange for Danny Manning. Prior to the trade Wilkins averaged 24.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists for Atlanta, leading the club to a 36-16 record. At midseason he appeared in his eighth NBA All-Star Game. However, Hawks management and new coach Lenny Wilkens felt Manning and his multidimensional skills might help the team more during the stretch run. As it turned out, the top-seeded Hawks lost in the conference semifinals to the Indiana Pacers. Wilkins left Atlanta as the team's all-time leading scorer with 23,292 points. Once in Los Angeles, Wilkins became one of the few bright spots on an otherwise struggling Clippers team. In his final 25 games of the season Wilkins averaged 29.1 points and 7.0 rebounds. On March 25 he returned to Atlanta in a Clippers uniform and tallied 36 points and 10 rebounds against his former team. Overall, Wilkins's 26.0 scoring average ranked fourth in the NBA. He concluded the season with 24,019 career points, placing ninth on the NBA's all-time list. His career scoring average of 26.2 points per game ranks first among active players. Wilkins became a free agent after the 1993–94 season and signed with the Boston Celtics. Shortly after the signing, he helped Dream Team II to a gold medal at the 1994 World Championship of Basketball.

European champion

Unhappy with his role on a rebuilding Celtics team, Wilkins signed to play for Panathinaikos of the Greek League. He averaged 20.9 points and 7.0 rebounds for Panathinaikos and led the team to the Euroleague title in 1996 alongside teammates Fragiskos Alvertis, Stojan Vranković and Panagiotis Giannakis. During the Final Four that was held in Paris he had 35 points, 8 rebounds in the semifinal against CSKA and a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Barcelona in the final. His performances earned him the Final Four MVP award. He also won the Greek Cup with Panathinaikos and was named the MVP of the Final.

He returned to the NBA before the 1996-97 season, signing a contract as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs to solidify their bench scoring. Wilkins led the team with an average of 18.2 ppg in 1996-97. However, after one season, Wilkins once again went overseas, this time signing a contract with Teamsystem Bologna of the Italian League for the 1997-98 season. He returned to play his last season in the NBA during the 1998-99 campaign alongside his brother Gerald Wilkins with the Orlando Magic. In only 27 games, he averaged just 5.0 ppg and 2.6 rpg.

Slam dunk contests

Wilkins participated in five slam dunk contests, winning two. The first one was in 1984, in Denver. Dominique finished third behind Larry Nance and Julius Erving. In 1985, in Indianapolis, he beat Michael Jordan in the finals. In Dallas in 1986, a Jordan-Wilkins rematch was put on hold, since Michael Jordan was injured. Dominique reached the finals where he was defeated by his 5'7" teammate, Anthony "Spud" Webb.

The highly anticipated rematch of Wilkins vs Jordan was in the 1988 Chicago All-Star Weekend, where at the end Michael Jordan prevailed winning 147 to 145.

In 1990 Dominique decided to make his final appearance in the Slam Dunk Contest, going up against new promising stars, such as Shawn Kemp, Scottie Pippen and Kenny Walker (the 1989 champion). He eventually reached the finals and defeated Kenny Smith of the Sacramento Kings.

Recent life

Since 2004, Wilkins has served as the Hawks' Vice President of Basketball. As the team's vice president, he works in a variety of management functions within the franchise's basketball and business areas. Wilkins is responsible for advising the Hawks's senior management team on basketball-related issues and is a goodwill ambassador for the community. Wilkins also serves as a color analyst for Hawks games, pairing alongside long-time play-by-play announcer Bob Rathbun.

On February 13, 2009, Wilkins participated in the McDonald's All-Star Celebrity Game during NBA All-Star Weekend. He is an announcer on Sportsouth and FSN South.

In 2010, Wilkins signed an agreement to partner with fitness giant 24 Hour Fitness, the largest privately owned fitness chain in the world, to develop the Dominique Wilkins Basketball Academy. The Academy will conduct private training, camps, and clinics. The first camp is slated for June 7-11 at the 24 Hour facility in Pearl City, Hawaii.

Trivia

He is the older brother of former NBA guard Gerald Wilkins, and uncle to former NBA guard–forward Damien Wilkins.

Wilkins was ranked #43 on SLAM Magazine's Top 50 NBA Players of all time in 2009.

Wilkins did not foul out during his final 957 games, the third longest such streak (behind Moses Malone and Wilt Chamberlain).

Wilkins was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on April 3, 2004.

Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 3, 2006.

Awards and achievements

1985-86 NBA Scoring Champion (30.3)

NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Champion: 1985, 1990.

NBA All-Rookie Team: 1983.

All-NBA First Team: 1986.

All-NBA Second Team: 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993.

All-NBA Third Team: 1989, 1994.

Nine-time NBA All-Star: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994.

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2006).

European Champion: 1996 (now known as Euroleague).

Greek Cup: 1996

NBA records

Regular season

Free throws made, none missed, game: 23—23, vs. Chicago Bulls,

Also holds fourth (see below)

Consecutive free throws made in a game: 23, vs. Chicago Bulls,

One of six players in NBA history to average at least 25 points per game for ten consecutive seasons: —

Jerry West, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson have also achieved this.

Playoffs

Points scored in a Game 7 of a playoff series: 47, at Boston Celtics,

Game 7 of Eastern Conference Semifinals

The Atlanta Hawks still lost the game (and series), 116—118.

Field goal attempts, 4-game series: 114, vs. Detroit Pistons (1986)

Also holds fourth (see below)

Broken by Hakeem Olajuwon in 1995

All-Star

Field goal attempts, half: 16 (1988)

Broken by Glen Rice in 1997

Ranks 3rd in NBA history

Regular season

Consecutive seasons scoring 2,000 or more points: 7 (—)

Ranks 4th in NBA history

Regular season

Seasons scoring 2,000 or more points: 8 (—, )

Free throws made, none missed, game: 18—18, at San Antonio Spurs,

Also holds the record (see above)

Playoffs

Field goals made, 4-game series: 53, vs. Detroit Pistons (1986)

Field goal attempts, 4-game series: 108, vs. Indiana Pacers (1987)

Also held the record (see above)

See also

List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

List of individual National Basketball Association scoring leaders by season

List of National Basketball Association players with 50 or more points in a playoff game

Notes

External links

NBA.com historical playerfile

NBA.com History player file: Dominique Wilkins

databaseBasketball.com Wilkins stats page

Georgia Sports Hall of Fame

Basketpedya.com Career

Bio from Atlanta Hawks official site

Official site

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