The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986.

The series is played between the winners of Western Conference Finals and Eastern Conference Finals. At the conclusion of the championship round, the winners of the NBA Finals are awarded the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy and are World Champions. (Winners from 1946 to 1977 received the Walter A. Brown Trophy) The NBA Finals has been played at the conclusion of every NBA and BAA season in history, the first being held in 1947.

Since 1985, the winner of the NBA Finals has been determined through a 2–3–2 format. The first two and the last two games of the series are played at the arena of the team who earned home court advantage by having the better record during the regular season.

History

Highlights

1955: The Syracuse Nationals faced the Fort Wayne Pistons. Although both markets were small, the series was spectacular in part due to the addition of the 24-second shot clock. The home team won every game, the Nats taking the series with a free throw by George King at the end of Game 7.

1957: The first championship in what was to become the Celtics dynasty. A hard-fought series against the Hawks. Jim Loscutoff won the game for the Celtics in double overtime in Game 7 with two free throws.

1962: The second NBA Finals with the Lakers against the Celtics (after 1959). Elgin Baylor scored a Finals record 61 points in a game 5 Laker victory. In Game 7, the clock was winding down with the score tied at 100, when Frank Selvy (who once scored 100 points in a college game) missed an eight-foot game and series winning basket for the Lakers. The Celtics won in overtime, with Bill Russell tying his own Finals record with 40 rebounds.

1966: Another Celtics-Lakers classic. In Game 7, Red Auerbach, Boston's coach, lit up his traditional "victory cigar" midway through the 4th quarter, only to see his team's big lead melt away. They held on, however, and won 95–93 to preserve the Celtics' eighth straight championship and ninth in ten seasons.

1969: For the third time in the decade, a Lakers-Celtics final went to seven games. Chamberlain, Baylor, and West, three of the game's best players, were now all playing for the Lakers. Nevertheless, the aging Celtics (who had finished fourth in the Eastern Division), led by player-coach Bill Russell, put on an effective counter-attack. In Game 4, with the Celtics trailing 2–1 in the series and 88–87 in the game, Sam Jones hit an incredible buzzer-beater with three seconds left to even the series and preserve the Celtics' championship winning streak. In game 7, Boston built a big lead and Wilt Chamberlain picked up his 5th foul. The Lakers rallied behind their subs, and cut the deficit to 2 points in the final minutes. Laker guard Keith Erickson knocked the ball away from John Havlicek, but it bounced to Don Nelson with only 2 seconds left on the 24 second shot clock. Nelson's shot hit the heel of the rim, bounced high in the air and came down through the hoop to restore the lead to 4 with a minute remaining. Boston ended up winning 108–106.

1970: New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers: With the series tied 1–1, Game 3 produced an instant classic (see game 3 of 1970 finals). The Knicks' Dave DeBusschere made a basket with 3 seconds left to give the Knicks a 102–100 lead. Jerry West then made a 63 foot shot to force overtime. However, the Knicks recovered to win the game and eventually the series in 7. Game 7 is best remembered when the injured Willis Reed, who was reportedly out for Game 7, started the game and scored the first two baskets to inspire the Knicks just when they needed it. New York claimed its first title. Walt "Clyde" Frazier also scored 36 points and had 19 assists.

1976: Chiefly remembered for the fifth game, a classic that was often labeled afterwards as the "greatest NBA game ever." With the series tied 2–2 against the Phoenix Suns, the Boston Celtics took a huge lead at Boston Garden but could not hold it. Eventually, after numerous last second heroics by both teams, Boston won in three overtimes, 128–126. Boston then won Game 6 and took their 13th championship.

1977: After an 11 day rest, the Portland Trail Blazers lost the first two games of the Finals but come back to win the next four to become first team in Finals history to make such a comeback.

1978 and 1979: The Washington Bullets and the Seattle SuperSonics swap championships, each team winning on the other's home court. The Bullets won game 7 in Seattle in 1978; and the Sonics return the favor in 1979, beating the Bullets 4–1, taking game 5 on the Bullets' home court. It's still the last time that a team west of Texas other than the Lakers has won an NBA title.

1980: The Lakers took a 3–2 lead against the Sixers, led chiefly by Abdul-Jabbar, who came off the bench with a sprained ankle in Game 5. But the ankle worsened, and Kareem didn't even make the trip to Philadelphia for game 6. Magic Johnson, just a rookie, shifted to center and played out a huge game in Game 6, scoring 42 points and netting 15 rebounds as the Lakers clinched the title, 123–107. This was the series that Julius Erving executed the behind-the-backboard "Baseline Move".

1984: The long-awaited rematch of the Lakers and Celtics after their rivalry was revived in 1980 with the Johnson-Bird pair entering the league. The Lakers won Game 1, and almost Game 2, but a crucial steal in Game 2 by Gerald Henderson led to a tie game and the Celtics were able to win in overtime to tie the series. The Lakers won Game 3. The Celtics won Game 4. Now tied 2–2, the Lakers and Celtics each held serve at their home court to send the series to Boston for Game 7. Game 5 was a classic, with Bird coming up with a huge game in one of the (literally) hottest games ever in non-air conditioned Boston Garden. Game 7 was a close game but eventually the Celtics won. The 1984 championship series was one of the most watched in history, with soaring TV ratings.

1985: The Lakers and Celtics met again, and the Celtics opened the series with a crushing 148–112 win over Los Angeles. Known as the "Memorial Day Massacre", Boston's 148 points still stands as the highest total by a team in the Finals. However, the Lakers came back to win the series in six games, finally beating Boston in the NBA Finals. L.A.'s Finals victory marked the only time Boston lost a championship on their home floor.

1987: The Lakers and Celtics clashed again. Johnson beat the Celtics on a buzzer-beater in Game 4 to take a 3–1 lead and swing the momentum towards the Lakers. Los Angeles won in six.

1989: The Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, effectively ending the Laker dynasty of the 80s.

1990: The Portland Trail Blazers win the Western Conference and go on to be defeated by the Detroit Pistons in the Finals.

1993: The Phoenix Suns and the Chicago Bulls squared off in a thrilling series in which the visiting team prevailed in all but one (Game 4 at Chicago). Phoenix fell behind 2–0 in the series, but a triple overtime victory in Game 3, allowed the Suns back into contention. Still, it would be John Paxson's clutch three pointer in Game 6 that would seal the game, the series and the Bulls' first three-peat.

1994: The Knicks took a 3–2 lead on the Houston Rockets and had a chance to clinch it in Game 6 but John Starks' final shot was blocked by Hakeem Olajuwon. The Rockets would win game 7 and win their first NBA Championship. Game 4 (June 15, 1994) took place at Madison Square Garden less than 24 hours after hosting the New York Rangers' first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years, following their 3–2 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the their finals. During Game 5 (June 17, 1994), which took place hours after the parade in New York honoring the Stanley Cup Champions, most NBC affiliates (with the noted exception being the network's own flagship station, WNBC-TV out of New York) split the coverage of the game between NFL Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson's low speed freeway chase with the LAPD. A visibly confused and distraught Bob Costas (NBC's anchor for their NBA Finals coverage) said during the telecast from the Garden that the Simpson situation was "not just tragic but now surreal." Pat Riley became the first coach in NBA history to coach in Game 7 NBA Finals with two different teams, having been coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in and .

1997: In Game 5, Michael Jordan, the star player on the Chicago Bulls, had a stomach virus but still managed to score 38 points. Soon, Jordan would capture his fifth NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, bringing the Bulls to their fifth title in seven years. Not to be forgotten is Jordan's buzzer beater in Game 1, and his pass to Steve Kerr for the latter's crucial series-clinching jumper in Game 6.

1998: The Chicago Bulls held a 3–2 lead over the Utah Jazz but nearly lost Game 6. Michael Jordan made two key baskets in the final minute for a one-point win and the championship. It would be Jordan's last game for the Bulls.

1999: The New York Knicks, who fell to the San Antonio Spurs in 5 games, made NBA history by becoming the first (and as of 2011, the only) 8th seed ever to make the NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs became the first former ABA team to win an NBA Championship.

2000: The Los Angeles Lakers, under new head coach Phil Jackson, are led to a 67–15 regular season record, and to a Finals appearance against Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers. Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Glen Rice led the Lakers to the franchise's 12th championship, with Shaquille O'Neal winning the Finals MVP trophy, averaging 38 points and 16.6 rebounds. The Lakers could have easily have gone to a Game 7, but Shaq along with teammates Kobe Bryant and Glen Rice scored a combined 83 points to win Game 6 in Los Angeles, 116 to 111.

2001: The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in 5 games. After Allen Iverson lead the 76ers to an overtime game 1 win in Los Angeles. The Lakers went on to win the next 4 games, completing their first repeat since their back to back titles in '87 and '88.

2002: The Los Angeles Lakers defeat the New Jersey Nets to complete a Three Peat, becoming only the 5th team to accomplish this feat.

2003: The San Antonio Spurs defeat the New Jersey Nets 4–2, clinching their 2nd NBA title.

2004: Detroit Pistons defeat the favored Los Angeles Lakers 4–1. The Pistons won Game 1, 3, 4 and 5. This was the first time a team without home court advantage had won all 3 of their home games in the 2–3–2 format. Chauncey Billups was the Finals MVP.

2005: San Antonio Spurs 4–3 over the Detroit Pistons. The first four games were blowouts for the home team, but Game 5 was a very tight game in a scene reminiscent of the 1976 Finals. Robert Horry of the Spurs hit a three-pointer at the end of the overtime period for a 96–95 win and a 3–2 lead in the series.

2006: The Dallas Mavericks took a 2-0 lead early in the series and in Game 3, with 6 minutes left and trailing by 13 points, the Miami Heat came back to win the game and defeat the Dallas Mavericks in six games, with Dwyane Wade garnering MVP honors after averaging 34.7 points per game. The title marked the first championship for aging legends Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning. It also marked the fourth for Shaquille O'Neal and the fifth for coach Pat Riley, both of whom had not previously won a title outside of Los Angeles.

2007: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers with a sweep. This was their 4th NBA title in 9 years. This NBA Finals was also the lowest viewed NBA Finals ever.

2008: The Boston Celtics ended their 22-year title drought with a six-game victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

2009: Phil Jackson won his 10th championship as a head coach and his 4th with the Los Angeles Lakers, surpassing Red Auerbach for the all time NBA record.

2010: Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Boston Celtics 83–79 in Game 7 to once again win back to back championships. The Lakers came back from multiple deficits, including a long span in which they were down by 13 points in the 3rd quarter, to win. Kobe Bryant earned the Finals MVP.

2011: In a rematch of the 2006 Finals, the Dallas Mavericks found themselves playing the role of underdog to the Miami Heat. The Mavericks won the series in game 6 in Miami, 105-95, giving veterans Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Shawn Marion their first championship, while Nowitzki earned the Finals MVP. Dallas won their first NBA championship in one of the closest Finals series ever, with the Mavericks coming back in the final minutes of two games to erase 15 and 14 point deficits and ultimately taking a 3-2 series lead. Dallas won the last three games of the series.

1947–1956: The Early Years and Lakers Dynasty

During the first decade the Minneapolis Lakers had the first NBA dynasty, winning 5 championships in 6 years under Hall of Fame head coach John Kundla. The team also featured George Mikan, one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA. Franchises which had previously been in the National Basketball League tended to dominate, especially the Minneapolis Lakers.

1957–1969: The Celtics Dynasty

The Boston Celtics went 11–1 in the NBA Finals during thirteen seasons (1956–1957 to 1968–1969). The Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals 8 years in a row during the 1958–59 to 1965–66 NBA seasons.

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers made up 19 of 26 possible NBA appearances during thirteen seasons (1956–1957 to 1968–1969). The two teams met 6 times during the 8 years Boston won the NBA in a row. This period includes one season (1958–1959) when the Lakers were still based in Minneapolis, and it marks the largest stretch of seasons (14) that two teams made up over 65% of NBA appearances, second being the 10 seasons (1979–1980 to 1988–1989) the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers appeared 13 times.

For most of the late 1950s and the 1960s, the Celtics seemed always to have the upper hand on Wilt Chamberlain's teams. With the establishment of the Celtics dynasty in 1957, Bill Russell became the star of the league. The seventh game of that year's championship was decided on a Celtics basket in the final seconds of the second overtime.

In 1964, Wilt Chamberlain, who had moved to California with his team, the former Philadelphia Warriors, led the San Francisco Warriors to a Western Conference championship, but again failed to conquer the Celtics. The following season, he was traded back to Philadelphia, to join the 76ers, the former Syracuse Nationals team that had moved to cover the vacancy created with the departure of the Warriors.

1966 produced a clash between the two stars in the playoffs, and Boston won 4–1. Chamberlain's coach told him to play a team game, not an individual game, and thus avoid drawing double-teams. His new-found team spirit brought them to a new record of 68 wins the following season, and they defeated the Celtics and then advanced to, and won, the Finals.

In 1968, Boston overcame a 3–1 deficit against Philadelphia to once again arrive in the Finals. Playing against Jerry West's Lakers, they seemed doomed to defeat. Nevertheless, for the sixth consecutive time, they defeated L.A., winning by a four games to two margin.

The following year, 1969, found the Celtics overcoming even longer odds. Boston barely qualified for the playoffs, finishing fourth in the East. The Lakers, who in the offseason added Chamberlain to join West and Elgin Baylor, won the West and were prohibitive favorites to finally win it all for the first time since relocating to LA. They easily won the first two games at the Los Angeles Forum. However, when the series shifted to the Boston Garden, the Celtics won two close games, by margins of 110–105 and 88–87, respectively, in Games 3 and 4. The fifth game, played at the Forum, returned the advantage to the Lakers, but the sixth game was a massive Celtics win, with Chamberlain scoring just two points. Game 7 was held on May 5, with balloons hung up in the arena in anticipation of a Lakers victory. Russell immediately used the balloons as an inspiration for his team, and they raced off to an early start and held off a furious Lakers comeback to win 108–106 and take the series, their eleventh championship in thirteen years. This game represented the final one in this first incarnation of the Celtics' dynasty.

1970–1979: Decade of Parity

The 1970s saw eight different teams win the title, with the Celtics and Knicks both winning twice.

In 1970, a classic final featured the New York Knicks against the Lakers. In the waning moments of Game 3, with the series tied, Jerry West hit a basket from sixty feet away to tie the game, a shot which would become one of the most famous ever. Although the Knicks went on to win the game in overtime and continued their momentum for a 4–3 win, the Lakers were not defeated. Just two seasons later, the team won thirty-three games consecutively, the longest such streak in NBA history. By the 1971–72 season's end, they had broken the record for most wins in a season, tallying up 69 wins, one more than the 76ers of 1966–67. The Lakers finally, after a tough playoff-season, took home the championship for the first time since the Minneapolis days. The Knicks won the championship again in 1973, using much the same formula, for their second franchise victorious season.

The 1974 championship went back to the Celtics as the remaining players demonstrated excellent teamwork and resilience in the Finals.

The late seventies were characterized by a major breakthrough of the league's western franchises. In 1975, after compiling a 48–34 regular-season record, the Golden State Warriors swept the heavily-favored Washington Bullets 4–0 in an upset.

The next year, 1976, saw the rise of the Phoenix Suns. Only eight years in existence, they overcame a losing record early in the season to build remarkable win streaks to finish 42–40. The events culminated in upset victories over Seattle and Golden State. In the final against Boston, the teams split the first four games. Game 5 became one of the most memorable games of all. It went into three overtimes but eventually went to Boston 128–126. Two days later the Celtics finished it off for their 13th championship.

Other western franchises that won their first titles in the late 70's included the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 and the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979. Portland's victory was against the heavily favored Philadelphia 76ers led by Julius Erving. Although the Washington Bullets were able to defeat Seattle in the 1978 NBA Finals, Seattle was able to prevail the following year against the Bullets to win its first NBA title.

1980–1990: Celtics-Lakers Rivalry

Between 1980 and 1989, the Celtics and/or the Lakers played in every NBA Finals. The Lakers won five titles during this span (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988); the Celtics won three (1981, 1984 and 1986), the Pistons won twice (1989, 1990), and the Sixers won once (1983).

The 1979 NCAA Championship Game featured Earvin "Magic" Johnson's Michigan State University team facing off against Larry Bird's Indiana State team. Michigan State won the game. This meeting has been immortalized, in fact, it attracted the largest ever TV rating for an NCAA Championship game, with 38 percent of all television viewers that night tuned to the game.

Bird had actually been drafted the year before, but later decided to stay in college for one more year, and the two superstars both entered the league that same year, 1979, leading their respective teams to dazzling heights. Johnson's Lakers reached the finals in 1980, and took a 3–2 lead, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar could not play in Game 6 due to injury. Johnson shifted to center, ended up playing every position on the court and scored 42 points to win his first championship, a remarkable performance in the annals of the sport.

Boston won the 1981 championship against Houston thanks to Bird, and the team continued dominating the league afterwards, taking many Atlantic Division titles.

Philadelphia, led by Moses Malone and Julius Erving, took the 1983 prize, losing only once in the entire playoffs, and sweeping the Lakers. (Malone had predicted earlier that they would sweep every series.) However, in the 1984 NBA Finals, the Celtics and Lakers met for the first time since 1969, and again, from Bird's performance, the Celtics toppled Johnson's Lakers 4–3. The seventh game of that series attracted the largest TV audience ever for an NBA game, and the second-largest ever for a basketball game, with only the game between the two stars played five years earlier having a larger audience. It was the last NBA Finals played in the 2–2–1–1–1 format.

In the 1985 championship, the Lakers made amends for their previous eight losses to the Celtics by defeating them in six games. After losing the first game in a rout, 148–114, dubbed the "Memorial Day massacre", they won four out of five, including the clincher in Boston Garden, to finally end the long years of frustration of failing to defeat the Boston Celtics. This finals was the first to be played in the current 2–3–2 NBA Finals format, which Red Auerbach suggested to David Stern in order to cut back on the frequent traveling between Boston and Los Angeles. Auerbach said years later, it was terrible that they went to this format because it takes away the home court advantage from the team with the first two games at home and they don't get to host the all but crucial Game 5, which is the swing game in a 7 game series.

The 1986 NBA Finals brought the Celtics back against the Houston Rockets. Boston won in six games, taking their sixteenth championship, with the MVP award going to Larry Bird, his second Finals MVP trophy.

In 1987, the Lakers and Celtics met again for a rubber match. Both sides had won one series, and now a third was being played. The Lakers pounded out two victories, but Boston took the third. Game 4 would be one of the most memorable games ever played. In the waning moments, Magic Johnson scored a skyhook to give the Lakers a 107–106 win, and a 3–1 series lead. They dropped one more, but won Game 6 to take the series. This championship team was recently voted the best in history by the NBA's officials and experts.

In 1988 and 1989, the aging Celtics failed to reach the Finals, with the Lakers and Pistons becoming the best of their conferences. The 1988 finals went to Los Angeles in seven games, but the Pistons swept the Lakers in 1989. In 1990, Detroit beat the Portland Trail Blazers in five games, and the name "Bad Boys" became attached to the team for its rough, physical play.

1991–1998: The Bulls Dynasty

During the 1990s the Bulls completed two three-peats. The decade also had the Rockets winning back-to-back championships and the Jazz falling short twice. It started with the Pistons winning their second championship in as many seasons.

The majority of the 1990s was marked by the rise of the Chicago Bulls dynasty (otherwise known as the "Michael Jordan era"), which ended in 1998. Coached by head coach Phil Jackson and led by superstar Michael Jordan, the Bulls won six championships from 1991 to 1998. Supported by such remarkable players as Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, Jordan led the Bulls to victory in all NBA Finals series they competed in, and won the Finals MVP award each time. Particularly memorable were the 1993 Finals, which became an offensive showdown between Jordan and regular-season MVP (and close friend) Charles Barkley.

Game 3 of the 1993 Finals is widely considered one of the greatest basketball games ever played. The Bulls attempted to go up 3–0 in the series, but the Suns were not willing to seal their own doom. With neither side quitting, the game took three overtimes to decide, with the Suns finally prevailing 129–121. However, the Bulls would clinch the series in Game 6 at Phoenix on John Paxson's clutch three pointer to become only the third team in history to three-peat.

The Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, won the 1994 and 1995 NBA championships. Olajuwon dominated the game during those two seasons, becoming the only player in history to win the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award, NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in the same season (1993–94). The seven-game NBA Finals between the Rockets and Knicks in 1994 would be the last to reach a game seven until the 2005 series between San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons. It was also the only year that both NBA and NHL finals would go a full seven games, but also involve teams from one city. The Rockets' win in Game 7 denied New York from having both NBA and NHL titles in the same year, as the Rangers won the Stanley Cup during the series.

The Rockets swept the Orlando Magic in the 1995 Finals, Olajuwon again claiming honors as Finals MVP. The Rockets thus became only the fifth franchise to win back-to-back titles.

After a short stint as a baseball player, Jordan decided to return to basketball in late of the 1994–95 season (March 19). Although he failed to lead the Bulls to the Finals in that year, he returned to pre-retirement form the next year while the team acquired power forward Dennis Rodman, leading the Bulls to one of the most memorable seasons ever. The 1995–96 Chicago Bulls finished the regular season with a record of 72–10, the best regular season record of any team in the history of the NBA. They proceeded to dominate in the playoffs, with series records of 3–0, 4–1 and 4–0, and then went on to defeat Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and the Seattle SuperSonics in 6 games in the NBA Finals.

In 1997 and 1998, the Bulls met the Utah Jazz. Led by Olympians John Stockton and Karl Malone, the Jazz were defeated in both Finals by the Bulls in six games. In both series, Chicago won by hitting winning shots in the sixth and deciding game-the first by Steve Kerr in 1997 in Chicago and the second by Jordan in Utah the following year. Although Jordan, Pippen and coach Phil Jackson were the only three members involved in all six championships, the Bulls dynasty had a cast of characters that proved to be decisive in obtaining the ultimate prize. Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, John Paxson, B.J. Armstrong and other supporting cast members were pieces added to the puzzle to create the first three-peat of the dynasty. Of the second, little-known players such as Jud Buechler, Randy Brown, Bill Wennington, Ron Harper and Luc Longley were key factors who rarely produced an astounding amount of points, but proved crucial via setting picks, rebounding, creating turnovers, et cetera. Before the beginning of the 1999 season, Phil Jackson decided to retire, setting off a chain reaction that resulted in most of the team, including Jordan and Pippen, leaving the Bulls. With no foundation of youth to build upon, the Bulls would be lottery-bound for the next six seasons.

1999–present: Lakers/Spurs dominance

The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers have combined to win 11 of the last 13 Western Conference titles and nine NBA Championships during this period.

In the 1999 NBA Finals Championship the San Antonio Spurs dominated the playoffs and finished with a 15–2 post-season mark, including sweeps of the Portland Trail Blazers and Lakers. With a defensive squad led by big men David Robinson and Tim Duncan, San Antonio's 84.7 points allowed per game was the fewest average points allowed in the post-season in the last 30 years. In the Finals that year, the Spurs held the New York Knicks, the first #8 seed team to reach the finals in NBA History, to an average of 79.8 points per game.

From 2000–2002, the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, won the NBA Finals in dominating performances. O'Neal won the finals MVP all three times. The first championship came at the expense of the Indiana Pacers, whom the Lakers defeated in 6 games. During their 2001 postseason run, the Lakers swept their first 3 series and won the Finals in 5 games, finishing with a unprecedented 15–1 record. They were particularly dominating in the 2002 Finals, as they kept the lead almost the entire time in each game; only for a short while after the beginning of Game 4 did the New Jersey Nets gain any significant lead in a game. The Lakers sweep of the Nets was the first sweep in the Finals since Houston swept Orlando in the 1995 Finals. However, the Lakers' streak of championships ended with a loss to the Spurs 2003 conference semifinals.

The 2003 NBA Finals marked the first championship contested between two former ABA teams, the San Antonio Spurs and the New Jersey Nets. The Spurs defeated the Nets and in 6 games. In the series clinching game, Tim Duncan was two blocks short of recording the first quadruple-double in NBA Finals history, finishing with 22 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 blocks.

In the 2003 offseason, veteran stars Gary Payton and Karl Malone signed with the Lakers. Along with Bryant and O'Neal, they formed what many expected to be one of the best teams in NBA history. The Lakers were the clear favorites to win the NBA championship. However, the Detroit Pistons, under coach Larry Brown and led by defensive star Ben Wallace and offensive floor general Chauncey Billups, upset the Lakers in five games to become the first Eastern Conference team since the Bulls of the Michael Jordan era to win the NBA championship.

The Spurs would go on to win two more titles in 2005 and 2007. In the 2005 series, the Spurs defeated the Pistons, in a battle of the previous two NBA champions, in seven games. Tim Duncan won his third Finals MVP award that year. The Spurs dominated the 2007 Finals, sweeping the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers. Tony Parker was named MVP of this series, becoming the first European-born player to win NBA Finals MVP.

In between these two Spurs' titles, 2006 NBA Finals featured the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks. It was the first NBA Finals since 1971 that had both Western and Eastern Conference champions making their first Finals appearance in franchise history. Led by upcoming star and Finals MVP Dwyane Wade, legendary coach Pat Riley and veteran superstar Shaquille O'Neal, Most agree that the turning point of the series was in Game 3, when the Heat overcame a 13-point deficit with less than 6 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to win 98–96. The comeback was led by Dwyane Wade's 12 points in the final six minutes and a clutch outside jumpshot by once-perennial all-star Gary Payton, who was appearing in his third NBA finals.

In 2008, the Eastern Conference was represented by the revamped Boston Celtics, and the Western Conference by the Los Angeles Lakers. Renewing the teams' fierce rivalry during the 1980s, this marks the 11th time that these two teams have met in the Finals, the last such meeting happening in 1987. The Celtics were led by their "Big Three" superstars: Long-time Celtic and Finals MVP Paul Pierce, and first year Celtics Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

The Lakers would bounce back from their 2008 loss to win the title the in and . The 2010 series was a re-match against the Celtics. The Lakers trailed this series 3-2 before winning the final two games at home. This marked the first time in the history of the Celtics franchise that they lost a game seven in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant was named Finals MVP for both series, and this marked head coach Phil Jackson's unprecedented 10th and 11th NBA title, passing Red Auerbach for the most NBA titles all time, and passing Auerbach and NHL coach Scotty Bowman for the most championships for a head coach in any major American sport.

The 2011 NBA Finals were a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals, pitting the Miami Heat against the Dallas Mavericks. Dwyane Wade was previously Finals MVP for 2006 as of his third year in the NBA. The Mavericks defeated the Heat in six games, winning the title for the first time in franchise history. Dirk Nowitzki was named the Finals MVP. Nowitzki had finally achieved Finals Championship/ MVP in his thirteenth year in the NBA. This foreign Germany player proudly won the title not only for his American fans but for his hometown, Würzburg, West Germany.

Finals appearances

The statistics below refer to series wins and losses, not individual games won and lost. Los Angeles Lakers align="center" 5 titles as Los Angeles LakersBoston Celtics align="center"Philadelphia 76ers align="center"New York Knicks align="center"Detroit Pistons align="center"Chicago Bulls align="center" All with head coach Phil Jackson and players Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Two three-peats: 1991 NBA FinalsGolden State Warriors align="center" [[San Antonio Spurs">Golden State Warriors#Philadelphia Warriors [[San Antonio Spurs align="center"Houston Rockets align="center"Atlanta Hawks align="center"Washington Wizards align="center"Portland Trail Blazers align="center"Oklahoma City Thunder align="center"Dallas Mavericks align="center"Miami Heat align="center"Milwaukee Bucks align="center"Phoenix Suns align="center"Utah Jazz align="center"New Jersey Nets align="center"Orlando Magic align="center"Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954) align="center"Sacramento Kings align="center"Indiana Pacers align="center"Cleveland Cavaliers align="center"Chicago Stags align="center"Washington Capitols align="center"

!Num!!Team!!W!!L!!PCT!!Most recent appearance!!Most recent title!!Notes
align="center"	31	|	16	15	.516	2010||	2010	Minneapolis Lakers; 2 three-peats: one as Minneapolis from 1952–54 and one as Los Angeles from 2000–02. The Lakers have won 11 and lost 14 NBA Championships in Los Angeles.
align="center"	21	|	17	4	.809	2010||align="center"|2008||Won 8 straight titles from 1959–1966. The first 13 of their 17 championships were Brown Trophies the rest being Larry O'Brien Championship Trophies.
align="center"	9	|	3	6	.333	2001||align="center"|1983||1–2 as Syracuse Nationals.
align="center"	8	|	2	6	.250	1999||align="center"|1973|| In 1999, became first 8th playoff seed to ever reach Finals.
align="center"	7	|	3	4	.428	2005||align="center"|2004||0–2 as Ft. Wayne Pistons.
align="center"	6	|	6	0	1.000	1998||	1998	1991–93 and 1996–98. All championships won without losing the Finals.
align="center"	6	|	3	3	.500	1975||	1975	2–1 as 4
align="center"	4	|	4	0	1.000	2007||	2007	All with head coach Gregg Popovich and Power Forward/Center Tim Duncan.
align="center"	4	|	2	2	.500	1995||	1995	2 championships with center Hakeem Olajuwon (named MVP in both championship series) and coach Rudy Tomjanovich, championships were back to back.
align="center"	4	|	1	3	.250	1961||align="center"|1958||All appearances as St. Louis franchise.
align="center"	4	|	1	3	.250	1979||align="center"|1978||0–1 as Baltimore Bullets (see note below), 1–2 as Washington Bullets.
align="center"	3	|	1	2	.333	1992||align="center"|1977||Lost games 1 and 2 in Philadelphia, won four straight, three of those coming in Portland, led by UCLA legend and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton.
align="center"	3	|	1	2	.333	1996||align="center"|1979|| All appearances as the Seattle SuperSonics.
align="center"	2	|	1	1	.500	2011||align="center"|2011||Lost in the 2006 Finals and won in the 2011 Finals versus the Heat.
align="center"	2	|	1	1	.500	2011||align="center"|2006||Won in the 2006 Finals and lost the 2011 Finals versus the Mavericks.
align="center"	2	|	1	1	.500	1974||align="center"|1971||
align="center"	2	|	0	2	.000	1993||	Never
align="center"	2	|	0	2	.000	1998||	Never	Both with coach Jerry Sloan and players Karl Malone and John Stockton and against the Bulls.
align="center"	2	|	0	2	.000	2003||	Never	Won 2 ABA titles in 1974 and 1976. Also appeared in 1972 ABA Finals.
align="center"	2	|	0	2	.000	2009||	Never	Lost both NBA Finals appearances. Swept by the Rockets in 1995 and defeated in 2009 by the Lakers in a 4–1 series.
align="center"	1	Baltimore Bullets||	1	0	1.000	1948||	1948	Team folded in 1954 and is not the same franchise as the current Washington Wizards.
align="center"	1	|	1	0	1.000	1951||	1951	Won first appearance in NBA Finals as Rochester Royals.
align="center"	1	|	0	1	.000	2000||	Never	Team won three ABA championships (1970, 1972, 1973) and made two other ABA Finals appearances (1969, 1975).
align="center"	1	|	0	1	.000	2007||	Never	Were swept in their first and only appearance in the NBA Finals.
align="center"	1	|	0	1	.000	1947||	Never	Team folded in 1950.
align="center"	1	|	0	1	.000	1949||	Never	Team folded in 1951.

Active franchises with no Finals appearances

40 34 22 Founded as the Charlotte Hornets, moved to New Orleans in 2002-03 NBA season 21 15 15 6

!Team!!#Seasons!!Founded!!Notes
	Buffalo Braves / San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers	|	1970-71 NBA season>1970	Buffalo Braves, moved to San Diego in 1978-79 NBA season>1978 and became Clippers before moving to Los Angeles in 1984–85 NBA season
	[[Denver Nuggets	|	1976-77 NBA season>1976	American Basketball Association>ABA seasons (1967–76). Denver played in the 1976 ABA Championship, losing to the New York Nets. Played in the 1977–1978 Conference Finals, losing to the Seattle SuperSonics. Played in the 1984–1985 and 2008–2009 Conference Finals, losing both times to the Los Angeles Lakers.
	Charlotte / New Orleans Hornets	|	1988-89 NBA season>1988	2002, split home schedule with Oklahoma City from 2005–07 (due to effects of Hurricane Katrina), during which time they were the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, before returning to New Orleans full time in 2007. Reached the conference semi-finals twice in Charlotte and once in New Orleans.
	Minnesota Timberwolves	|	1989-90 NBA season>1989	Played in the 2003–2004 Conference Finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.
	Vancouver / Memphis Grizzlies	|	1995-96 NBA season>1995	Vancouver Grizzlies, moved to Memphis, Tennessee>Memphis in 2001-02 NBA season
	[[Toronto Raptors	|	1995-96 NBA season>1995	2000–01 NBA season>2000–01 season. In the 2006–07 NBA season
	[[Charlotte Bobcats	|	2004-05 NBA season>2004	2009–10 NBA season>2009–10 season in the 2010 NBA Playoffs but were swept by the Orlando Magic in a 4–0 series.

Most common matchups

12 times: Boston Celtics (9) vs. Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (3)

6 times: Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (5) vs. Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1)

5 times: Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (3) vs. New York Knicks (2)

4 times: Boston Celtics (3) vs. St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1) (Such a meeting is now impossible due to current conference alignment.)

3 times: Detroit Pistons (2) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (1)

2 times: Seattle SuperSonics (1) vs. Washington Bullets/Wizards (1)

2 times: Boston Celtics (2) vs. Houston Rockets (0)

2 times: Chicago Bulls (2) vs. Utah Jazz (0)

2 times: Miami Heat (1) vs. Dallas Mavericks (1)

Individual games records

San Antonio SpursChicago BullsBaltimore Bullets (1944–1954)Milwaukee BucksBoston CelticsSacramento KingsDetroit PistonsGolden State WarriorsHouston RocketsLos Angeles LakersSeattle SuperSonicsDallas MavericksMiami HeatPhiladelphia 76ersAtlanta Hawks**New York KnicksPortland Trail BlazersPhoenix SunsUtah JazzIndiana PacersWashington CapitolsWashington WizardsNew Jersey NetsChicago StagsOrlando MagicCleveland Cavaliers

!Num!!Team!!W!!L!!PCT!!Notes
	22	|	16	6	.727	Swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in their last appearance.
	35	|	24	11	.686	4–2 in their last finals appearance against the Utah Jazz.
	6	Baltimore Bullets||	4	2	.667	Franchise defunct.
	11	|	7	4	.636	3–4 in their last finals appearance, lost to the Boston Celtics.
	122	|	74	48	.607	3–4 in their last finals appearance against the Los Angeles Lakers.
	7	|	4	3	.571	Rochester, New York>Rochester Royals. The Cincinnati Royals and Kansas City Kings both made zero Finals appearances.
	40	|	22	18	.550	Fort Wayne, Indiana>Fort Wayne franchise.
	31	|	17	14	.548	Includes 10–6 as Philadelphia franchise and 3–8 as San Francisco franchise.
	23	|	12	11	.522	Swept the Orlando Magic in their last finals appearance.
	167	|	85	83	.503	Includes 20–15 as Minneapolis franchise. 4–3 in their last finals appearance against the Boston Celtics.
	18	|	9	9	.500	2–4 in their last finals appearance, lost to the Chicago Bulls. Moved and became the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have zero Finals appearances at this time.
	12	|	6	6	.500	All versus Miami in both appearances.
	12	|	6	6	.500	All versus Dallas in both appearances.
	53	|	24	29	.453	Includes 9–11 as Syracuse Nationals.
	25	|	11	14	.440	league>franchise.
	48	|	20	28	.417	1–4 in their last appearance against the San Antonio Spurs.
	17	|	7	10	.412	2–4 in their last finals appearance, lost to the Chicago Bulls.
	12	|	4	8	.333	2–4 in their last finals appearance, lost to the Chicago Bulls.
	12	|	4	8	.333	2–4 in both their finals appearances, both to the Chicago Bulls.
	6	|	2	4	.333	2–4 in their only finals appearance, lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
	6	|	2	4	.333	Franchise defunct.
	20	|	5	15	.250	All as Baltimore Bullets (0–4) and Washington Bullets (5–11).
	10	|	2	8	.200	2–4 in their last finals appearance, lost to the San Antonio Spurs.
	5	|	1	4	.200	Franchise defunct.
	9	|	1	8	.111	1–4 in their last finals appearance, lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
	4	|	0	4	.000	Swept by the San Antonio Spurs in their only appearance.

See also

List of NBA players with most championships

List of NBA champions

References

External links

NBA Finals: All-Time Champions

The Historical Records Section of the NBA official site

The Greatest Game Ever (Game 5, 1976 Finals)

NBA.com: Greatest Finals Moments

Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1947

bs:NBA finale ca:Finals de l'NBA cs:Finále NBA et:NBA meistrivõistluste finaalmängud el:Τελικοί του ΝΒΑ es:Anexo:Finales de la NBA eu:NBAko finalak fr:Finales NBA ko:NBA 파이널 hr:Završnice NBA id:NBA Finals it:NBA Finals lv:NBA finālsērija nl:NBA Finale ja:NBAファイナル no:NBA-finalen pl:Finały NBA pt:Finais da NBA simple:NBA Finals sv:National Basketball Association-slutspel tr:NBA Finalleri zh:NBA总决赛

Width	200
Position	Shooting guard / Small forward
Height ft	6|height_in 6
Weight lbs	216
Number	23, 45, 9, 12
Birth date	February 17, 1963
Birth place	Brooklyn, New York
High school	Emsley A. Laney
League
Career start	1984
Career end	2003
Draftyear	1984
Draftround	1
Draftpick	3
Draftteam	Chicago Bulls
College	North Carolina (1981–1984)
Years1	–, – |team1 Chicago Bulls
Years2	– |team2 Washington Wizards
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	6× NBA Champion (–, –) 5× NBA Most Valuable Player (, –, , ) 14× NBA All-Star (–, –, –) 6× NBA Finals MVP (–, –) 10× NBA scoring champion (–, –) 3× NBA steals champion (, , ) NBA Defensive Player of the Year () 10× All-NBA First Team (–, –) All-NBA Second Team () 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (–, –) NBA Rookie of the Year () NBA All-Rookie First Team () 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP (, , ) 2× NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (–) NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team #23 Retired by Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat NCAA Champion (1982) 2× Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1983–1984) ACC Player of the Year (1984) Oscar Robertson Trophy (1984) Naismith College Player of the Year (1984) John R. Wooden Award (1984) Adolph Rupp Trophy (1984)
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." Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

After a standout career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of the Tar Heels' National Championship team in 1982, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball. In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat". Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film ''Space Jam'' as himself. He is the majority owner and head of basketball operations for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, having won a bidding war to buy controlling interest in the team from founding owner Robert L. Johnson.

Early years

Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Deloris (née Peoples), who worked in banking, and James R. Jordan, Sr., an equipment supervisor. His family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was a toddler. Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, where he anchored his athletic career by playing baseball, football, and basketball. He tried out for the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year, but at 5'11" (1.80 m), he was deemed too short to play at that level. His taller friend, Harvest Leroy Smith, was the only sophomore to make the team.

Motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's junior varsity squad, and tallied several 40 point games. The following summer, he grew four inches (10 cm) and trained rigorously. Upon earning a spot on the varsity roster, Jordan averaged about 20 points per game over his final two seasons of high school play. As a senior, he was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team During his three seasons at North Carolina, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting, and added 5.0 rebounds per game (rpg). He was selected by consensus to the NCAA All-American First Team in both his sophomore (1983) and junior (1984) seasons. After winning the Naismith and the Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984, Jordan left North Carolina one year before his scheduled graduation to enter the 1984 NBA Draft. The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick, after Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers). Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986.

Professional career

During his first season in the NBA, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting. He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas, 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. Controversy arose before the All-Star game when word surfaced that several veteran players, led by Isiah Thomas, were upset by the amount of attention Jordan was receiving. This led to a so called "freeze-out" on Jordan, where players refused to pass him the ball throughout the game. The controversy left Jordan relatively unaffected when he returned to regular season play, and he would go on to be voted Rookie of the Year. The Bulls finished the season 38–44, and lost in the first round of the playoffs in four games to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Jordan's second season was cut short by a broken foot which caused him to miss 64 games. Despite Jordan's injury and a 30–52 record, the Bulls made the playoffs. Jordan recovered in time to participate in the playoffs and performed well upon his return. Against a 1985–86 Boston Celtics team that is often considered one of the greatest in NBA history, 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.

Jordan had recovered completely by the 1986–87 season, and had one of the most prolific scoring seasons in NBA history. He became the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to score 3,000 points in a season, averaging a league high 37.1 points on 48.2% shooting. In addition, Jordan demonstrated his defensive prowess, as he became the first player in NBA history to record 200 steals and 100 blocks in a season. Despite Jordan's success, Magic Johnson won the league's Most Valuable Player Award. The Bulls reached 40 wins, and advanced to the playoffs for the third consecutive year. However, they were again swept by the Celtics.

Mid-career: Pistons roadblock

Jordan led the league in scoring again in the 1987–88 season, averaging 35.0 ppg on 53.5% shooting and won his first league MVP award. He was also named the Defensive Player of the Year, as he had averaged 1.6 blocks and a league high 3.16 steals per game. The Bulls finished 50–32, and made it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in Jordan's career, as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. However, the Bulls then lost in five games to the more experienced Detroit Pistons, who were led by Isiah Thomas and a group of physical players known as the "Bad Boys".

In the 1988–89 season, Jordan again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg on 53.8% shooting from the field, along with 8 rpg and 8 assists per game (apg). The Bulls finished with a 47–35 record, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks along the way. The Cavaliers series included a career highlight for Jordan when he hit a series-winning shot over Craig Ehlo in the closing moments of the deciding fifth game of the series. However, the Pistons again defeated the Bulls, this time in six games, by utilizing their "Jordan Rules" method of guarding Jordan, which consisted of double and triple teaming him every time he touched the ball.

The Bulls entered the 1989–90 season as a team on the rise, with their core group of Jordan and young improving players like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, and under the guidance of new coach Phil Jackson. Jordan averaged a league leading 33.6 ppg on 52.6% shooting, to go with 6.9 rpg and 6.3 apg in leading the Bulls to a 55–27 record. They again advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals beating the Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers en route. However, despite pushing the series to seven games, the Bulls lost to the Pistons for the third consecutive season.

First three-peat

In the 1990–91 season, Jordan won his second MVP award after averaging 31.5 ppg on 53.9% shooting, 6.0 rpg, and 5.5 apg for the regular season. The Bulls finished in first place in their division for the first time in 16 years and set a franchise record with 61 wins in the regular season. With Scottie Pippen developing into an All-Star, the Bulls had elevated their play. The Bulls defeated the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening two rounds of the playoffs. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals where their rival, the Detroit Pistons, awaited them. However, this time the Bulls beat the Pistons in a surprising sweep. 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, and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, where they beat the Los Angeles Lakers four games to one. Perhaps the best known moment of the series came in Game 2 when, attempting a dunk, Jordan avoided a potential Sam Perkins block by switching the ball from his right hand to his left in mid-air to lay the shot in. 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 to 91. Jordan won his second consecutive MVP award with averages of 30.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game on 52% shooting. After winning a physical 7-game series over the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs and finishing off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals in 6 games, the Bulls met Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals. The media, hoping to recreate a Magic-Bird rivalry, highlighted the similarities between "Air" Jordan and Clyde "The Glide" during the pre-Finals hype. 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 finished the series averaging 35.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 6.5 apg, while shooting 53% from the floor.

In 1992–93, despite a 32.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 5.5 apg campaign, Jordan's streak of consecutive MVP seasons ended as he lost the award to his friend Charles Barkley. Coincidentally, Jordan and the Bulls met Barkley and his Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals. The Bulls captured their third consecutive NBA championship on a game-winning shot by John Paxson and a last-second block by Horace Grant, but Jordan was once again Chicago's catalyst. He averaged a Finals-record 41.0 ppg during the six-game series, and became the first player in NBA history to win three straight Finals MVP awards. He scored more than 30 points in every game of the series, including 40 or more points in 4 consecutive games. With his third Finals triumph, Jordan capped off a seven-year run where he attained seven scoring titles and three championships, but there were signs that Jordan was tiring of his massive celebrity and all of the non-basketball hassles in his life.

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. In 2005, Jordan talked to Ed Bradley of the CBS evening show ''60 Minutes'' about his gambling and admitted that he made some reckless decisions. Jordan stated, "Yeah, I've gotten myself into situations where I would not walk away and I've pushed the envelope. Is that compulsive? Yeah, it depends on how you look at it. If you're willing to jeopardize your livelihood and your family, then yeah." When Bradley asked him if his gambling ever got to the level where it jeopardized his livelihood or family, Jordan replied, "No."

First retirement and baseball career

On October 6, 1993, Jordan announced his retirement, citing a loss of desire to play the game. Jordan later stated that the murder of his father earlier in the year shaped his decision. 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 1996 he founded a Chicago area Boys & Girls Club and dedicated it to his father.

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. In 1994, Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, batting .202 with three home runs, 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, and 11 errors. He also appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 1994 Arizona Fall League, batting .252 against the top prospects in baseball.

"I'm back": Return to the NBA

In the 1993–94 season, the Bulls, without Jordan, achieved a 55–27 record, and lost to the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. But the 1994–95 version of the Bulls was a shell of the championship squad of just two years earlier. Struggling at mid-season to ensure a spot in the playoffs, Chicago was 31–31 at one point in mid-March. 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 next day, Jordan donned jersey number 45 (his number with the Barons), as his familiar 23 had been retired in his honor following his first retirement. He took to the court with the Bulls to face the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, scoring 19 points. 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. He then scored 55 points in his fifth game back against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1995 (his first appearance at Madison Square Garden since retiring). Boosted by Jordan's comeback, the Bulls went 13-4 to make the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic. At the end of the first game of the series, though, Orlando's Nick Anderson would strip Jordan from behind, leading to the game-winning basket for the Magic; he would later comment that Jordan "didn't look like the old Michael Jordan", 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.

Second three-peat

Freshly motivated by the playoff defeat, Jordan trained aggressively for the 1995–96 season. 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. Jordan led the league in scoring with 30.4 ppg, and won the league's regular season and All-Star Game MVP awards. In the playoffs, the Bulls lost only three games in four series, defeating the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA Finals to win the championship. Jordan was named Finals MVP for a record fourth time, surpassing Magic Johnson's three Finals MVP awards. He also achieved only the second sweep of the MVP Awards in the All-Star Game, regular season and NBA Finals, Willis Reed having achieved the first, during the 1969–70 season. Because this was Jordan's first championship since his father's death, and it was won on Father's Day, Jordan reacted very emotionally upon winning the title, including a memorable scene of him sobbing on the locker room floor with the game ball.

In the 1996–97 season, the Bulls started out 69–11, but narrowly missed out on a second consecutive 70-win season by losing their final two games to finish 69–13. 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 "flu game", 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. For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Jordan received the Finals MVP award. During the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, Jordan posted the first triple double in All-Star Game history in a victorious effort; however, he did not receive the MVP award.

Jordan and the Bulls compiled a 62–20 record in the 1997–98 season. Jordan led the league with 28.7 points per game, securing his fifth regular-season MVP award, plus honors for All-NBA First Team, First Defensive Team and the All-Star Game MVP. The Bulls captured the Eastern Conference Championship for a third straight season, including surviving a grueling seven-game series with Reggie Miller's Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals; it was the first time Jordan had played in a Game 7 since the 1992 series with the Knicks. After prevailing, they moved on for a rematch with the Jazz in the Finals.

The Bulls returned to Utah for Game 6 on June 14, 1998 leading the series 3–2. Jordan executed a series of plays, considered to be one of the greatest clutch performances in NBA Finals history. 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. The Jazz brought the ball upcourt and passed the ball to forward Karl Malone, who was set up in the low post and was being guarded by Rodman. Malone jostled with Rodman and caught the pass, but Jordan cut behind him and swatted the ball out of his hands for a steal. Jordan then slowly dribbled upcourt and paused at the top of the key, eyeing his defender, Jazz guard Bryon Russell. With fewer than 10 seconds remaining, Jordan started to dribble right, then crossed over to his left, possibly pushing off Russell, although the officials did not call a foul. Jordan then made what would become 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, having led all scorers by averaging 33.5 points per game, including 45 in the deciding Game 6. Jordan's six Finals MVPs is a record; Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, and Tim Duncan are tied for second place with three apiece. The 1998 Finals holds the highest television rating of any Finals series in history, and Game 6 holds the highest television rating of any game in NBA history.

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. 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, in the summer of 2001 Jordan expressed interest in making another comeback, 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.

Washington Wizards comeback

On September 25, 2001 Jordan announced his return to professional play with the Wizards, indicating his intention to donate his salary as a player to a relief effort for the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks. 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). However, torn cartilage in his right knee ended Jordan's season after only 60 games, the fewest he had played in a regular season since playing 17 games after returning from his first retirement during the 1994–95 season.

Playing in his 14th and final NBA All-Star Game in 2003, Jordan passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in All-Star game history. That year, Jordan was the only Washington player to play in all 82 games, starting in 67 of them. He averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He also shot 45% from the field, and 82% from the free throw line. Even though he turned 40 during the season, he scored 20 or more points 42 times, 30 or more points nine times, and 40 or more points three times. On February 21, 2003, Jordan became the first 40-year-old to tally 43 points in an NBA game. 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.

With the recognition that 2002–03 would be Jordan's final season, tributes were paid to him throughout the NBA. In his final game at his old home court, the United Center in Chicago, Jordan received a four-minute standing ovation. 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 blowouts, 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). On May 7, 2003, Wizards owner Abe Pollin fired Jordan as Washington's President of Basketball Operations. Jordan later stated that he felt betrayed, and that if he knew he would be fired upon retiring he never would have come back to play for the Wizards.

Jordan kept busy over the next few years by staying in shape, playing golf in celebrity charity tournaments, spending time with his family in Chicago, promoting his Jordan Brand clothing line, and riding motorcycles. 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 return to professional basketball 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., Flu Game). 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, as well as 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 jump shot, 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 also indicate his willingness to defer to his teammates. In later years, the NBA shortened its three-point line to 22 feet (from 23 feet, 9 inches), which coupled with Jordan's extended shooting range to make him a long-range threat as well—his 3-point stroke developed from a low 9 / 52 rate (.173) in his rookie year into a stellar 111 / 260 (.427) shooter in the 1995–96 season. For a guard, Jordan was also a good rebounder (6.2 per game).

In 1988, Jordan was honored with the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award and became the first NBA player to win both the Defensive Player of the Year and MVP awards in a career (since equaled by Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, and Kevin Garnett; Olajuwon is the only player other than Jordan to win both during the same season). In addition he set both seasonal and career records for blocked shots by a guard, 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. In his first game in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, Jordan received a prolonged standing ovation, a rarity for an opposing player. After Jordan scored a playoff record 63 points against the Boston Celtics in 1986, Celtics star Larry Bird described him as "God disguised as Michael Jordan."

Jordan led the NBA in scoring in 10 seasons (NBA record) and tied Wilt Chamberlain's record of seven consecutive scoring titles. He was also a fixture on the NBA All-Defensive First Team, making the roster nine times (NBA record shared with Gary Payton). Jordan also holds the top career regular season and playoff scoring averages of 30.1 and 33.4 points per game, respectively. By 1998, the season of his Finals-winning shot against the Jazz, he was well known throughout the league as a clutch performer. In the regular season, Jordan was the Bulls' primary threat in the final seconds of a close game and in the playoffs, Jordan would always demand the ball at crunch time. 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.

With five regular-season MVPs (tied for second place with Bill Russell; only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has won more, six), six Finals MVPs (NBA record), and three All-Star MVPs, Jordan is the most decorated player ever to play in the NBA. Jordan finished among the top three in regular-season MVP voting a record 10 times, and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.

Many of Jordan's contemporaries label Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time. An ESPN survey of journalists, athletes and other sports figures ranked Jordan the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century, above icons such as Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali. 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, Allen Iverson, 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, a fact which Jordan himself has lamented. Although Jordan has done much to increase the status of the game, some of his impact on the game's popularity in America appears to be fleeting. Television ratings in particular increased only during his time in the league and have subsequently lowered each time he left the game.

In August 2009, the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, opened a Michael Jordan exhibit containing items from his college and NBA careers, as well as from the 1992 "Dream Team". The exhibit also has a batting glove to signify Jordan's short career in baseball. 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.

As of 2007, Jordan lived in Highland Park, Illinois, and both of his sons attended Loyola Academy, a private Roman Catholic high school located in Wilmette, Illinois. 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.

Media figure and business interests

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 hype and demand for the shoes even brought on a spate of "shoe-jackings" where people were robbed of their sneakers at gunpoint. Subsequently Nike spun off the Jordan line into its own division named the "Jordan Brand". The company features an impressive list of athletes and celebrities as endorsers. 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 associated 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.

Jordan's yearly income from the endorsements is estimated to be over forty million dollars. 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 $30 million US$ 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

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 –

NCAA National Championship – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: 1981–82

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 No.1 by SLAM Magazine's Top 50 Players of All-Time

Ranked No.1 by ESPN Sportscentury's Top 100 Athletes of the 20th century

Elected to North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame

See also

Michael Jordan Steakhouse

Michael Jordan's Restaurant

''Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City''

''Michael Jordan in Flight''

''NBA 2K11''

References

Further reading

External links

Michael Jordan biography at NBA Encyclopedia

Michael Jordan player profile at NBA.com

Michael Jordan Motorsports

Category:1963 births Category:ACC Athlete of the Year Category:African American basketball players Category:African American sports executives Category:Naismith Memorial 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:Sportspeople from Brooklyn Category:Sportspeople from Chicago, Illinois Category:People from Highland Park, Illinois Category:People from Wilmington, North Carolina Category:Shooting guards Category:Basketball players from New York Category:Sportspeople of multiple sports Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:Washington Wizards executives Category:Washington Wizards players Category:Olympic medalists in basketball

ar:مايكل جـوردن bn:মাইকেল জর্ডান zh-min-nan:Michael Jordan bs:Michael Jordan bg:Майкъл Джордан ca:Michael Jordan cs:Michael Jordan da:Michael Jordan de:Michael Jordan et:Michael Jordan el:Μάικλ Τζόρνταν es:Michael Jordan eo:Michael Jordan eu:Michael Jordan fa:مایکل جردن fr:Michael Jordan ga:Michael Jordan gl:Michael Jordan gan:米科·佐登 ko:마이클 조던 hy:Մայքլ Ջորդան hr:Michael Jordan io:Michael Jordan id:Michael Jordan is:Michael Jordan it:Michael Jordan he:מייקל ג'ורדן jv:Michael Jordan la:Michael Jordan lv:Maikls Džordans lb:Michael Jordan lt:Michael Jordan hu:Michael Jordan mk:Мајкл Џордан ml:മൈക്കെൽ ജോർഡൻ nl:Michael Jordan ja:マイケル・ジョーダン no:Michael Jordan om:Michael Jordan pl:Michael Jordan pt:Michael Jordan ro:Michael Jordan qu:Michael Jordan ru:Джордан, Майкл sq:Michael Jordan simple:Michael Jordan sk:Michael Jordan sl:Michael Jordan sr:Мајкл Џордан sh:Michael Jordan fi:Michael Jordan sv:Michael Jordan tl:Michael Jordan ta:மைக்கல் ஜார்டன் th:ไมเคิล จอร์แดน tg:Майкл Ҷордан tr:Michael Jordan uk:Майкл Джордан vec:Michael Jordan vi:Michael Jordan vls:Michael Jordan war:Michael Jordan yo:Michael Jordan zh-yue:米高佐敦 zh:迈克尔·乔丹

width	230px
position	Shooting guard / Point guard
number	3
height ft	6
height in	4
weight lb	220
nationality	American
high school	Harold L. Richards High School
birth date	January 17, 1982
birth place	Chicago, Illinois, United States
college	Marquette (2001-2003)
team	Miami Heat
draft round	1
draft pick	5
draft year	2003
draft team	Miami Heat
career start	2003
team1	Miami Heat |years1–present
highlights	NBA Champion (2006) NBA Finals MVP (2006) 7× NBA All-Star (2005–2011) NBA Scoring Champion () 2× All-NBA First Team (–) 3× All-NBA Second Team (–, ) All-NBA Third Team () 3× All-Defensive Second Team (, –) NBA All-Rookie First Team () NBA All-Star Game MVP (2010) 2× Skills Challenge Champion (–)
medaltemplates	}}

Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. (born January 17, 1982) nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by ''Sports Illustrated'', Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league. He had the top selling jersey in the NBA for nearly two years, as he led the NBA in jersey sales from the 2005 NBA playoffs, until the mid-point of the 2006–07 season.

After entering the league as the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Wade was named to the All-Rookie team and the All-Star team the following seven seasons. In his third season, Wade helped lead the Miami Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history. He was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP as he helped lead the Heat to a 4–2 series win over the Dallas Mavericks. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade led the United States Men's Basketball team, commonly known as the "Redeem Team", in scoring, as they captured gold medal honors in Beijing, China. In the 2008–09 season, Wade led the league in scoring and earned his first NBA scoring title.

Early life

Dwyane Wade was born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois to Dwyane Sr. and Jolinda Wade. He cites one of his older sisters, Tragil, as the individual most responsible for his childhood upbringing and for steering him in the proper direction. His parents divorced and he lived with his father and stepmother in Robbins, Illinois during his childhood. As a child growing up in the Chicago area Wade idolized former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan, and has said he patterns his game after him.

Wade attended Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn, playing for the school's varsity basketball team. While he did not acquire much playing time during his second year, his stepbrother, Demetris McDaniel, was the star of the team. Wade grew four inches in the summer before his junior year and saw an increase in playing time, averaging 20.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. The following year, Wade averaged 27.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game while leading his team to a 24–5 record. It advanced to the title game of the Class AA Eisenhower Sectional. During this season he set school records for points (676) and steals (106) in a season. Wade was recruited by only three college basketball teams (Marquette University, Illinois State, and DePaul University) due to academic problems.

College career

Wade chose to play college basketball for Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During Wade's freshman year at Marquette, he was ineligible to play with the men's team due to a violation of the NCAA's Proposition 48. Wade sought tutoring to improve his writing skills in order to regain eligibility. When Wade became eligible to play the following year (2001–2002), he led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 17.8 ppg, led the conference in steals at 2.47 per game, and accumulated averages of 6.6 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game. Marquette finished with a 26–7 record, the school's best record since the 1993–94 season. In 2002–03, Wade led Marquette in scoring again with 21.5 ppg, and Marquette won the school's first and only Conference USA championship with a 27–6 record. That season Wade led the Golden Eagles to the Final Four, the school's first appearance in the Final Four since winning the 1977 national championship. After the season, he was named to the All-America First Team by the Associated Press; Wade is the first Marquette basketball player since 1978 to do so.

Wade's performance during the Midwest Regional Final of the 2003 NCAA Tournament was highly publicized by the national press. Against heavily favored, top-ranked and top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats, Wade recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. His triple double was the fourth in NCAA Tournament history. Wade's exceptional play helped lead Marquette over the Wildcats 83–69 and into the Final Four; Wade was named MVP of the Midwest Regional. Marquette finished the season ranked No.6 in the AP poll, the school's highest ranking since the 1976–77 season. Wade's strong tournament play resulted in increased visibility in the national media and, consequently, a high draft projection. As a result, he elected to forgo his senior year at Marquette and enter the 2003 NBA draft. On February 3, 2007, almost four years after Wade played in his final collegiate game, Marquette retired his jersey at halftime of a game against Providence. Although Marquette requires student-athletes to graduate prior to receiving jersey retirement honors, the University made a special exception for Wade based on his accomplishments since leaving Marquette.

NBA career

2003–04

Selected 5th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, Wade quickly emerged as a productive player on a youthful Miami Heat team and averaged 16.2 points on 46.5% shooting with averages of 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Wade is one of only four Marquette University players to be drafted in the first round; his is the highest draft selection in school history. After a 5–15 start, the Heat would gradually improve and finish 42–40 to qualify for the NBA playoffs. He further distinguished himself with outstanding performances in the playoffs, particularly against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals. In the end, however, Wade's successful rookie season was somewhat overshadowed by the success of fellow rookies Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. Wade did earn unanimous selection to the 2004 NBA All-Rookie Team, and also finished third in rookie of the year voting (behind James and Anthony). He was ranked in the top five among rookies in several major statistical categories, including second in field goal percentage, second in steals, third in scoring, fourth in assists, and fourth in minutes played. In the playoffs Wade hit a game winning shot in Game 1 of the Heat's first round series against the New Orleans Hornets. The Heat won the series 4–3 and advanced to the second round to face the top-seeded and best record team in the NBA, the Indiana Pacers, in a very entertaining series that almost pushed the 61-win Pacers to the edge, though Miami would eventually lose the series in six games. He became the fourth rookie since the shot clock era began to lead his team in scoring and assist average in the postseason.

2004–05

Before the 2004–05 season Shaquille O'Neal was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Heat. The following season, Miami improved by 17 games, from a 42–40 record in the 2003–04 season to an Eastern Conference-best 59–23 record in the 2004–05 season. The league's coaches selected Wade to be a reserve in the 2005 All-Star Game. He scored 14 points in 24 minutes of play.

In the first round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs, Wade averaged 26.3 points, 8.8 assists, and 6.0 rebounds while maintaining a 50% field-goal percentage as the Heat swept the New Jersey Nets. Wade continued his high level of play in the second round by averaging 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists per game as the Heat swept the Washington Wizards. The Heat's playoff run was stopped by the Detroit Pistons, the previous season's champions, in 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Wade scored 42 and 36 points in Games 2 and 3 respectively despite playing with sinusitis, the flu, and a knee strain. He also suffered a strained rib muscle in Game 5 of the Conference Finals that prevented him from playing in the series' sixth game and limited him in the seventh. The Heat lost the series in the seventh game despite leading three games to two after the fifth game and holding a lead with three minutes remaining in Game 7.

2005–06

By the 2005–06 season Wade had developed into one of the most prominent players in the NBA and was elected to his second All-Star Game. In the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, Wade made the game winning put-back off of the Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson's missed shot, to lead the East to a 122–120 victory over the West. He scored 20 points on 9/11 field goals in 30 minutes of play. He finished the 2005–06 regular season averaging 27.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.95 steals per game.

Against the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Wade shook off a few injuries that scared Heat fans, including a severely bruised hip in Game 5. Returning late in the half, Wade resurrected his team by scoring 15 of his 28 points while suffering from intense pain, leading the Heat to the much-needed 3–2 series lead. After this, Wade successfully led his team to the 2006 NBA Finals, despite suffering from flu-like symptoms in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. He put up a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists in that game, including an 8-point flurry to close out the third quarter that put the game out of reach.

2006 NBA Finals

In his first trip to the NBA Finals, in which Miami faced off against the Dallas Mavericks, Wade had some especially memorable moments. His performance in games three, four, and five, in which he scored 42, 36, and 43 points, respectively, helped bring the Heat back from a 0–2 deficit to lead the series at 3 games to 2. In Game 3 Wade tied his career playoff high with 42 points and grabbed a career high 13 rebounds. 15 of his 42 points came in the fourth quarter, in which the Heat erased a 13 point deficit over the final 6:29 with a 22–7 run which included a go-ahead jumper by NBA veteran Gary Payton that sealed the win. The Heat went on to win Game 6 behind Wade's 36 points, taking the series 4–2, and Wade was presented with the Finals MVP trophy. He became the fifth youngest player in NBA history to capture NBA Finals MVP honors and recorded the third highest scoring average by a player in his first NBA Finals with 34.7 points per game. His 33.8 PER in the NBA finals was ranked by ESPN's John Hollinger as the greatest Finals performance since the NBA-ABA merger.

2006–07

In the 2006–07 season, Wade missed a total of 31 games due to injury. He was elected to his third straight All-Star Game and received All-NBA honors. He became the first guard to earn All-NBA honors after missing at least 31 games in a season since Pete Maravich of the Utah Jazz earned Second Team honors during the 1977–78 season. Despite Wade's play, the Heat struggled early in the season with injuries and were 20–25 on February 1, 2007. But with Shaquille O'Neal healthy and Pat Riley returning to the bench after undergoing hip and knee surgeries, the Heat seemed poised to surge into the second half of the season. However, during a game against the Houston Rockets on February 21, 2007, while attempting to steal the ball from Shane Battier, Wade dislocated his left shoulder and was assisted off the court in a wheelchair. After the injury he was left with the decision to either rehabilitate the shoulder or undergo season-ending surgery. Wade later announced that he would put off the surgery and rehabilitate his shoulder with the intention of rejoining the team in time for the playoffs. After missing 23 games to recover from the injury, Wade returned to the active roster in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Sporting a black sleeve to help protect his dislocated left shoulder, Wade played 27 minutes and recorded 12 points and 8 assists, in a 111–103 overtime loss. For the season, Wade averaged 27.4 points, 7.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game shooting 50% from the field, and finished the season as the NBA's leader in PER (Player efficiency rating).

In the playoffs, Wade averaged 23.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game, as the Heat were swept in the first round by the Chicago Bulls. Following the playoffs, Wade underwent a pair of successful surgeries to repair his dislocated left shoulder and left knee. The knee ailment, commonly called "jumper's knee," prevented Wade from joining USA Basketball in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament over the summer.

2007–08

After missing the Tournament of Americas Olympic Qualifiers over the summer, Miami's eight pre-season games and first seven regular season games to recover from off-season left knee and left shoulder surgeries, Wade made his first appearance of the 2007–08 season on November 14, 2007. Battling pain in his left knee throughout the season, Wade was elected to his fourth consecutive All-Star Game appearance. However, with the Heat holding the worst record in the NBA and Wade still experiencing problems in his left knee, Heat coach Pat Riley announced Wade would miss the final 21 games of the season to undergo OssaTron treatment on his left knee. Wade averaged 24.6 points, 6.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game for the season.

2008–09

After undergoing months of rehabilitation on his left knee and helping the U.S. Olympic team win a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics, in which he led the team in scoring, Wade returned to the starting lineup at the start of the 2008–09 season. Early in the season, Wade became the second player in NBA history to tally at least 40 points, 10 assists and five blocked shots in a game since Alvan Adams did so in the 1976–77 season. With a healthy Wade leading the league in scoring and the Heat making a push for a playoff position, Wade was elected to his fifth consecutive All-Star game appearance.

Following the All-Star game, Wade recorded 50 points on 56.6% shooting and added 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a blow-out loss against the Orlando Magic. Wade became the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 50 points while his team lost by at least 20 in a game. The following game, Wade recorded a career-high 16 assists and added 31 points and 7 rebounds in a 103–91 win against the Detroit Pistons. Wade became the second player to record 15 or more assists after scoring at least 50 points since Wilt Chamberlain did so in 1968. Two games later, Wade tied a franchise record with 24 points in the fourth quarter, as he led the Heat back from a 15 point deficit in the final nine minutes of the quarter to secure a 120–115 win over the New York Knicks. For the game, Wade recorded 46 points on 55% field goal shooting, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Wade followed the performance with a second-consecutive 40-point game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Playing against his Eastern Conference rival and good friend, LeBron James, Wade registered 41 points on 53% shooting, 9 assists, 7 steals, 7 rebounds and one block as the Heat lost 107–100. The following game, in former teammate Shaquille O'Neal's return to Miami since being traded, Wade tied a career-high with 16 assists and added 35 points on 62% shooting, 6 rebounds, a steal and a block, as the Heat defeated the Phoenix Suns 135–129. Wade became the only player in Heat history to have multiple games with at least 30 points and 15 assists. Less than a week later, Wade tied his franchise record with his 78th consecutive game of scoring in double figures in a double overtime thriller against the Chicago Bulls, in which he scored the game-winning three-point basket to secure a 130–127 win. Wade finished with 48 points on 71.4% shooting, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks in 50 minutes. Wade joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player in NBA history to score that many points and have that many assists in a game, while having as high of a field goal percentage. Two games later, Wade surpassed Alonzo Mourning and became the Heat's all-time leading scorer in a triple overtime classic against the Utah Jazz. Wade finished with 50 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks in a 140–129 win.

During the season, Wade became the first player in NBA history to accumulate at least 2,000 points, 500 assists, 100 steals, and 100 blocks in a season and is the first player of 6 ft. 5 in. or shorter to register at least 100 blocks in a season. Wade also became just the fifth player in NBA History to reach 2,000 points, 500 assists, and 150 steals in a season. After a 97–92 win against the Charlotte Bobcats, Wade helped the Heat clinch a playoff berth and become only the second team in NBA History to reach the postseason after winning 15 or fewer games the year before. In a 122–105 win against the New York Knicks, Wade recorded a career high 55 points on 63% field goal shooting and added 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Wade recorded 50 points through three quarters and was pulled out of the game while he was one point shy of eclipsing the franchise record of 56 points set by Glen Rice. For the season, Wade averaged a league high 30.2 points per game, earning his first NBA Scoring Title, and added 7.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. Wade finished the season with higher point, assist, steal and block averages than LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who both finished ahead of Wade in the MVP race.

2009–10

On November 1, in just his third game of the season Wade recorded his 10,000th career point in a 95–87 win against the Chicago Bulls. On November 12 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wade made a spectacular dunk over Anderson Varejão, considered by many to be one of the greatest of the season until then. LeBron James himself described the dunk as "great, probably top 10 all-time". Two days later against the New Jersey Nets, with the Heat down by two in the final seconds, Wade hit a clutch three-point shot, giving the Heat the win by one point, 81–80. On January 6, Wade scored a season-high 44 points in an overtime loss against the Boston Celtics, the most points scored by a player in a losing effort in the season until that point. On January 21, Wade was selected to play for the East in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, which was his sixth overall All-Star appearance. Wade was named the game's MVP after recording 28 points, 11 assists, 5 steals and 6 rebounds.

In just his second game back from the All-Star Game on February 17, Wade strained his calf in the first quarter. He left the game with 8 points in 8 minutes of play, ending his personal and also Heat's franchise record streak of 148 consecutive games with at least 10 points. On April 2, Wade was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month and Player of the Week twice for his play in the month of March, leading the Heat to a 12–3, the team's best record since March 2006. It was his first Player of the Month award of the season and 5th of his career. He averaged 26.9 and 7.5 assists per game, which both ranked third in the Eastern Conference, and 2.3 steals per game, which ranked first. Wade recorded six 30 points games and had six double-doubles in the month, including a season-high 14 assists in an overtime win against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 4.

For the season, Wade averaged 26.6 points on 47.6% field goal shooting, 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, while leading his team to a 47–35 record, clinching the fifth seed in the NBA Playoffs. In the first round, with the Heat facing a sweep against the Boston Celtics, Wade recorded a career playoff-high and also franchise record 46 points, outscoring the entire Celtics team in the 4th quarter with 19 points versus 15 by Boston. It was also Wade's sixth career playoff game with at least 40 points scored. Despite averaging 33.2 points on 56.4% shooting, 6.8 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks, Wade and the Heat would lose to Boston in five games.

2010–11

On July 7, it was announced that Wade would be re-signing with the Miami Heat, along with former Toronto Raptor, Chris Bosh. The following day, LeBron James announced he would be joining the Heat to play with Wade and Bosh. Wade, Bosh and James signed their contracts on July 9.

United States national team

Wade was a member of the 2004 US Olympics team with fellow NBA All-Stars LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. The team competed in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, in which Wade averaged 19.3 points per game. The team won a bronze medal, which disappointed many USA fans who had hoped for a return to the days of the original "Dream Team". Wade was named to the USA Men's Basketball National Team from 2006 to 2008. He was named co-captain of the 2006 team, along with James and Anthony. In 2007, due to injury, Wade was unable to compete at the Tournament of Americas Olympic Qualifiers, where the United States compiled a 10–0 record and qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

At the 2008 Olympics, the United States went unbeaten and earned gold medal honors, defeating the 2006 World Champion Spain in the final game. Wade led the team in scoring throughout the tournament and tallied a game high 27 points in 27 minutes on 75% field goal shooting and added 4 steals, 2 assists and 2 rebounds in the game. For the tournament, he averaged a team high 16 points in 18 minutes on 67% field goal shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.3 steals, as the United States lived up to their Redeem Team moniker and captured gold medal honors for the first time since 2000.

Player profile

Wade plays the shooting guard position, but is also capable of playing point guard. On offense, he has established himself as one of the quickest and most difficult players to guard in the NBA. Wade's signature one-two step allows him to dash past bigger defenders and occasionally get the extra foul shot. Wade is able to get to the free throw line consistently; he ranked first in free-throw attempts per 48 minutes in 2004–05 and again in the 2006–07 season. He has proven himself an unselfish player, averaging 6.3 assists per game throughout his career. After winning the NBA Finals MVP Award in 2006, Wade developed a reputation as one of the premier clutch players in the NBA.

David Thorpe, an athletic trainer who runs a training center for NBA players in the offseason, also cites Wade's developing post up game as one of his strengths. "Watching Wade operate on the left block is literally like watching old footage of MJ (Michael Jordan)," comments Thorpe. Thorpe goes on to say that Wade's best moves from the post are his turnaround jump shot, double pivot, and what Thorpe terms as a "freeze fake", a pump fake Wade uses to get his opponent to jump, so that he can then drive around him to the basket. The main weakness cited in Wade's ability is his lack of three-point range; he has averaged .292 on three-point field goal attempts for his career.

Wade is best known for his ability to convert difficult lay-ups, even after hard mid-air collisions with larger defenders. As crowd pleasing as his high-flying style of basketball may be, some have expressed concerns over the dangers of playing in this manner, as Wade has already hurt his knees and wrists after mid-air collisions with larger players. Wade has also established himself on defense for his ability to block shots and accumulate steals.

Salaries

Season !! Team !! Salary
2003–04 NBA season	2003–04	Miami Heat>Miami	$2,636,400
2004–05 NBA season	2004–05	Miami
2005–06 NBA season	2005–06	Miami
2006–07 NBA season	2006–07	Miami
2007–08 NBA season	2007–08	Miami
2008–09 NBA season	2008–09	Miami
2009–10 NBA season	2009–10	Miami
2010–11 NBA season	2010–11	Miami

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 61 || 56 || 34.9 || .465 || .302 || .747 || 4.0 || 4.5 || 1.4 || .6 || 16.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 77 || 77 || 38.6 || .478 || .289 || .762 || 5.2 || 6.8 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 24.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 75 || 75 || 38.6 || .495 || .171 || .783 || 5.7 || 6.7 || 2.0 || .8 || 27.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 51 || 50 || 37.9 || .491 || .266 || .807 || 4.7 || 7.5 || 2.1 || 1.2 || 27.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 51 || 49 || 38.3 || .469 || .286 || .758 || 4.2 || 6.9 || 1.7 || .7 || 24.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 79 || 79 || 38.6 || .491 || .317 || .765 || 5.0 || 7.5 || 2.2 || 1.3 || 30.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 77|| 77 || 36.3 || .476 || .300 || .761 || 4.8 || 6.5 || 1.8 || 1.1 || 26.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 76|| 76 || 37.1 || .500 || .306 || .758 || 6.4 || 4.6 || 1.5 || 1.1 || 25.5 |- class="unsortable" | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 547 || 539 || 37.6 || .485 || .292 || .769 || 5.1 || 6.3 || 1.8 || 1.0 || 25.4 |- class="unsortable" | style="text-align:left;"| All-Star | style="text-align:left;"| | 7 || 6 || 25.4 || .593 || .200 || .667 || 3.3 || 4.0 || 2.7 || .4 || 16.9

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 13 || 13 || 39.2 || .455 || .375 || .787 || 4.0 || 5.6 || 1.3 || .3 || 18.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 14 || 14 || 40.8 || .484 || .100 || .799 || 5.7 || 6.6 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 27.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 23 || 23 || 41.7 || .497 || .378 || .808 || 5.9 || 5.7 || 2.2 || 1.1 || 28.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 4 || 4 || 40.5 || .429 || .000 || .688 || 4.8 || 6.3 || 1.2 || .5 || 23.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 7 || 7 || 40.7 || .439 || .360 || .862 || 5.0 || 5.3 || .9 || 1.6 || 29.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 5 || 5 || 42.0 || .564 || .405 || .675 || 5.6 || 6.8 || 1.6 || 1.6 || 33.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 21 || 21 || 39.4 || .485 || .269 || .777 || 7.1 || 4.4 || 1.6 || 1.3 || 24.5 |- class="unsortable" | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 87 || 87 || 40.5 || .483 || .327 || .789 || 5.7 || 5.6 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 25.9

Awards and honors

NBA Champion: 2006

NBA Finals MVP: 2006

NBA Scoring Title: 2009

NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2010

7× NBA All-Star: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

6× All-NBA:

:* First Team: 2009, 2010 :* Second Team: 2005, 2006, 2011 :* Third Team: 2007

3× All-Defense:

:* Second Team: 2005, 2009, 2010

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2004

NBA All-Star Skills Challenge Champion: 2006, 2007

Gold medal with Team USA: 2008 Summer Olympic Games

Bronze medal with Team USA: 2004 Summer Olympic Games

Bronze medal with Team USA: 2006 FIBA World Championship

Miami Heat All-time Leading Scorer

Miami Heat All-time Assists Leader

2005 ''Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award''

2006 ''Best NBA Player ESPY Award''

2006 ''Sports Illustrated'' Sportsman of the Year

Off the court

Wade married his high school girlfriend Siohvaughn Funches but filed for a divorce in 2007. He has two sons, Zaire Blessing Dwyane Wade (born February 4, 2002) and Zion Malachi Airamis Wade (born May 29, 2007). Wade's nicknames include D-Wade and Flash, which was given to him by former teammate Shaquille O'Neal who would sing, "He's the greatest in the Universe," in reference to the Queen song of the same name from the 1980 film ''Flash Gordon''. The Heat's 2005 NBA Playoff run and Wade's performances with Shaquille O'Neal hampered by injury, led to an explosion of media attention and rapid increase in Wade's popularity. During those playoffs, Wade's jersey became the top selling jersey in the league and remained so for nearly two years. After the Heat's success and Wade's memorable performances during the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Wade was further elevated into the public's eye and appeared on several talk shows, including ''Late Show with David Letterman'' and ''Live with Regis and Kelly''.

Wade has been featured in a number of magazine articles and publications. In 2005, he was featured on People's 50 Most Beautiful People, and in 2006 he was named the NBA's best dressed player by GQ Magazine. In 2007, Esquire named him to their 4th annual Best Dressed Men in the World list for the second straight year. Wade has endorsement deals with companies such as Gatorade, Lincoln, Staples, Sean John, T-Mobile (his TV commercials feature him paired with NBA legend Charles Barkley), and Topps. He had his own line of shoes with Converse named "The Wade" and a series of Sidekick phones known as the D-Wade Edition with T-Mobile. During the 2009–10 season, Wade switched from Converse to Nike's Jordan Brand. Wade noted that the partnership ended on good terms, stating, "When I came into the NBA, I didn't have a lot of exposure and Converse gave me an opportunity to head a brand and be the face of a brand. I'm really thankful for six long, good years. I've gotten five shoes out of the deal and my dream came true at the Converse brand, because they put my name on a pair of sneakers." Wade was hand-chosen by Michael Jordan and debuted the Air Jordan 2010 during the 2010 NBA All-Star break. During the 2011 NBA Playoffs, Wade debuted his first signature shoe for the Jordan Brand, joining fellow players Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, who have their own signature shoes for the brand.

Philanthropy

Wade is well known for his philanthropic involvement in various organizations. In 2003, he founded The Wade's World Foundation, which provides support to community-based organizations that promote education, health, and social skills for children in at-risk situations. He hosts a variety of community outreach programs in Chicago and South Florida. In 2008, he announced his partnership with former teammate Alonzo Mourning's charitable foundation and co-hosted ZO's Summer Groove, an annual summer event. On December 24, 2008, Wade purchased a new home for a South Florida woman whose nephew accidentally burned down the family home. In addition, Wade donated some furnishings, clothing, and gifts to the family for the holiday.

After breaking his own Miami Heat single-season scoring record, Wade gave the jersey he wore in that night's victory to 8-year-old Michael Stolzenberg, an avid Heat fan that had his hands and feet removed surgically due to a bacterial infection. Wade stated that he knew Stolzenberg previously and wished to add to his collection of Heat memorabilia. Wade has been known for visiting other sick children, usually in private to avoid placing himself in the media spotlight.

In September 2009, Wade donated money from his foundation to keep the Robbins, Illinois public library from having to shut down. He handed the library director Priscilla Coatney a $25,000 check in order to resurrect the building, which brought Coatney to tears. He called the donation a "small contribution", and reminisced about the difficult experiences he faced as a child, stating that he sometimes did not know how he would find his next meal. In January 2010, Wade co-founded the Haitian earthquake relief fund with former teammate Alonzo Mourning. The fund seeks to raise money to help the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In the three days since the fund began soliciting donations from athletes, Wade announced that the "Athletes Relief Fund for Haiti" had already raised over $800,000. Wade stated, "I expected nothing less from my friends and colleagues in the sports community, our commitment to this cause knows no bounds, and we will continue to accept any and all donations throughout the days ahead."

Religion

Wade is a devout Christian and chose the number 3 because it represents the Holy Trinity. He tithes 10% of his salary to a church in Chicago.

His mother, Jolinda, strengthened her ties with Christianity in 2001 after years of drug abuse and dealing. She served as a minister during her final prison sentence in 2002 and 2003. She was ordained as a Baptist minister in January 2007, and formed the non-denominational Temple of Praise Binding and Loosing Ministry in Chicago. In May 2008, Wade purchased a church building for his mother's ministry.

See also

2002–03 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team

List of all-time Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball leaders

List of National Basketball Association season scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders

List of Olympic medalists in basketball

List of 2010–11 NBA season transactions

References

External links

NBA.com profile

Marquette University Men's Basketball team biography

US Olympic Team bio

2003 NBA Draft profile

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American basketball players Category:American Christians Category:Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Illinois Category:Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball players Category:Miami Heat draft picks Category:Miami Heat players Category:NBA Finals MVP Award winners Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Sportspeople from Chicago, Illinois Category:Shooting guards Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:Olympic medalists in basketball

ar:دواين وايد bs:Dwyane Wade ca:Dwyane Wade cs:Dwyane Wade da:Dwayne Wade de:Dwyane Wade et:Dwyane Wade es:Dwyane Wade fa:دوین وید fr:Dwyane Wade gl:Dwyane Wade hr:Dwyane Wade id:Dwyane Wade is:Dwyane Wade it:Dwyane Wade he:דוויין וייד lv:Dveins Veids lt:Dwyane Wade hu:Dwyane Wade mk:Двејн Вејд nl:Dwyane Wade ja:ドウェイン・ウェイド no:Dwyane Wade pl:Dwyane Wade pt:Dwyane Wade ro:Dwyane Wade ru:Уэйд, Дуэйн simple:Dwyane Wade sk:Dwyane Tyrone Wade sr:Двејн Вејд fi:Dwyane Wade sv:Dwyane Wade ta:டுவேன் வேட் th:ดเวน เหว็ด tr:Dwyane Wade uk:Двейн Вейд zh:德文·韋德