Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
Conventional long name	Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Native name
Common name	Jordan
Image coat	Coat of Arms of Jordan.svg
National anthem	''The Royal Anthem of Jordan''("As-salam al-malaki al-urdoni")''Long Live the King''
National motto	Arabic: الله، الوطن، المليك Transliteration: Allah Al-Watan Al-MalekTranslation: "God, Fatherland, The King"
Official languages	Arabic
Languages type	Spoken languages
Languages	English, French, Circassian, Jordanian Levantine, Chechen, Turkish
Demonym	Jordanian
Capital	Amman
Government type	Constitutional monarchy
Leader title1	King
Leader name1	Abdullah II
Leader title2	Prime Minister
Leader name2	Marouf al-Bakhit
Sovereignty type	Independence
Established event1	End of British League of Nations mandate
Established date1	25 May 1946
Area km2	92,300
Area sq mi	35,637
Area rank	111th
Area highest point	Mount Um Dami (1,855 m)
Area lowest point	Dead Sea (−446 m)
Percent water	0.8
Population estimate	6,407,085
Population estimate year	July 2010
Population estimate rank	102nd
Population census	5,611,202
Population census year	July 2004
Population density km2	68.4
Population density sq mi	138.8
Population density sq mi (w/o water)	175
Population density rank	131st
Gdp ppp year	2010
Gdp ppp	$34.528 billion
Gdp ppp per capita	$5,956
Gdp nominal	$27.527 billion
Gdp nominal year	2010
Gdp nominal per capita	$4,499
Hdi year	2010
Hdi	0.681
Hdi rank	82nd
Hdi category	high
Gini	38.8
Gini year	2002–03
Gini category	medium
Currency	Jordanian dinar
Currency code	JOD
Time zone	UTC+2
Utc offset	+2
Time zone dst	UTC+3
Utc offset dst	+3
Drives on	Right
Cctld	.jo, الاردن.
Calling code	962
Iso 3166-1 alpha2	JO
Iso 3166-1 alpha3	JOR
Iso 3166-1 numeric	400
Sport code	JOR
Vehicle code	JOR
Footnote1	Also serves as the Royal anthem. }}

Jordan (: Arabic: الأردن, Al-'Urdun), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Arabic: المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية), Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing control of the Dead Sea. Jordan's only port is at its south-western tip, at the Gulf of Aqaba, which is shared with Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Over half of Jordan is covered by the Arabian Desert. However, the western part of Jordan is arable land and forests. Jordan is part of the Fertile Crescent. The capital city is Amman.

Modern Jordan was founded in 1921, and it was recognized by the League of Nations as a state under the British mandate in 1922 known as The Emirate of Transjordan. In 1946, Jordan joined the United Nations as an independent sovereign state officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

In antiquity, the present day Jordan was in the heart of the earlier civilizations which prospered in the Fertile Crescent including the Babylonian and the Canaanites. Later, Jordan became a home for several ancient kingdoms including: the kingdom of Edom, the kingdom of Moab, the kingdom of Ammon and the prominent Nabataean kingdom of Petra. However, across different eras of history, parts of the country laid under the control of some regional powers including Pharaonic Egypt during their wars with the Babylonian and the Hittites; and for discrete periods of times by Israelites who were taken under the captivity of the Babylonian, and who were later defeated by the Moabites as recorded in Mesha stele. Furthermore, and due to its strategic location in the middle of the ancient world, Jordan was also controlled by the ancient empires of Greece, the Persians, the Romans and later by the Byzantine. Yet, the Nabataean managed to create their independent kingdom which covered most parts of modern Jordan and beyond, for some centuries, before it was taken by the still expanding Roman empire. However, apart from Petra, the Romans maintained the prosperity of most of the ancient cities in Jordan which enjoyed a sort of city-state autonomy under the umbrella of the alliance of the Decapolis. With the decline of the Roman Empire, Jordan came to be controlled by the Ghassanid Arab kingdom. In the seventh century, and due to its proximity to Damascus, Jordan became a heartland for the Arabic Islamic Empire and therefore secured several centuries of stability and prosperity, which allowed the coining of its current Arabic Islamic identity. In the 11th century, Jordan witnessed a phase of instability, as it became a battlefield for the Crusade wars which ended with defeat by the Ayyubids. Jordan suffered also from the Mongol attacks which were blocked by Mamluks. In 1516, It became part of the Ottoman Empire and it remained so until 1918, when the Army of the Great Arab Revolt took over, and secured the present day Jordan with the help and support of Jordan local tribes.

As witness to Jordan's rich history, the Nabataean civilization left many magnificent archaeological sites at Petra, which is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World as well as been recognized by the UNESCO as a world Heritage site. Beside Petra, other civilizations also left their archaeological fingerprints on Jordan including the Hellenistic and the Roman through their ruins in Decapolis cities of Gerasa (Jerash), Gadara (Umm Qais), Amman(Amman), Capitolias (Beit Ras), Raphana, Pella and Arabella (Irbid) and the Byzantine site of Um er-Rasas (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). The Arabic Islamic Empire also left its unique architectural signature which is embodied by desert palaces including Qasr Mshatta, Qasr al Hallabat and Qasr Amra which is recognized as World Heritage; in addition to the castles of Ajloun and Karak which combine the Crusade, Ayyubid and Mamluk eras all together. The more recent Ottomans left some landmarks including several mosques, tombs, small railway stations and castles.

Modern Jordan is predominantly urbanized. Jordan is classified as a country of "high human development" by the 2010 Human Development Report. Furthermore, The Kingdom has been classified as an emerging market with a free market economy by the CIA World Fact Book. The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States went into effect in December, 2001 phased out duties on nearly all goods and services between the two countries. Jordan has also enjoyed "advanced status" with the European Union since December 2010 as well as being a member of the Euro-Mediterranean free trade area. Jordan has more Free Trade Agreements than any other country in the region. It has a moderate "pro-Western" policy with very close relations with the United States and the United Kingdom, and became a major non-NATO ally of the United States in 1996. Yet, Jordan is a founding member of both the Arab League, and the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Recently, Jordan has been invited to Join the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Jordanian Government is one of only three members of the 22 state Arab League to have diplomatic relations with Israel, the others being the Egyptian and Palestinian governments. Jordan is a member of the WTO, the AFESD, the Arab Parliament, the AIDMO, the AMF, the International Monetary Fund, the International Criminal Court, the UNHRC, the GAFTA, the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), the ESCWA, the ENP and the United Nations.

Etymology

The kingdom is named after the River Jordan. The name "Jordan" derives from Arabic and other Semitic languages and has multiple meanings (Ancient Arabic الأردن meaning "Steep/Slope" from the root أرد Ard, the Canaanite root Arda, the Aramaic Yarden meaning "down-flowing" or "one who descends" in Hebrew the root ירד Yrd).

Geography

Jordan lies between latitudes 29° and 34° N, and longitudes 35° and 40° E (a small area lies west of 35°). It consists of arid plateau in the east irrigated by oasis and seasonal water streams, with highland area in the west of arable land and Mediterranean evergreen forestry.

The Great Rift Valley of the Jordan River separates Jordan, the west bank and Israel. The highest point in the country is Jabal Umm al Dami, it is above sea level, its top is also covered with snow, while the lowest is the Dead Sea . Jordan is part of a region considered to be "the cradle of civilization", the Levant region of the Fertile Crescent.

Major cities include the capital Amman and as-Salt in the west, Irbid, Jerash and Zarqa, in the northwest and Madaba, Karak and Aqaba in the southwest. Major towns in the eastern part of the of the country are the oasis town of Azraq and Ruwaished.

Climate

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

The major characteristic of the climate is humid from November to March and semi dry weather for the rest of the year. With hot, dry summers and cool winters during which practically all of the precipitation occurs, the country has a Mediterranean-style climate. In general, the farther inland from the Mediterranean a given part of the country lies, the greater are the seasonal contrasts in temperature and the less rainfall.

Atmospheric pressures during the summer months are relatively uniform, whereas the winter months bring a succession of marked low pressure areas and accompanying cold fronts. These cyclonic disturbances generally move eastward from over the Mediterranean Sea several times a month and result in sporadic precipitation.

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

The country's long summer reaches a peak during August. January is usually the coldest month. The fairly wide ranges of temperature during a twenty-four-hour period are greatest during the summer months and have a tendency to increase with higher elevation. Daytime temperatures during the summer months frequently exceed and average about .

In contrast, the winter months—September to March—bring moderately cool and sometimes very cold weather, averaging about . Except in the rift depression, frost is fairly common during the winter, it may take the form of snow at the higher elevations of the north western highlands. Usually it snows a couple of times in the winter.

For a month or so before and after the summer dry season, hot, dry air from the desert, drawn by low pressure, produces strong winds from the south or southeast that sometimes reach gale force. Known in Western Asia by various names, including the ''khamsin'', this dry, sirocco-style wind is usually accompanied by great dust clouds. Its onset is heralded by a hazy sky, a falling barometer, and a drop in relative humidity to about 10%. Within a few hours there may be a to rise in temperature. These windstorms ordinarily last a day or so, cause much discomfort, and destroy crops by desiccating them.

The ''shamal'', comes from the north or northwest, generally at intervals between June and September. Steady during daytime hours but becoming a breeze at night, the shamal may blow for as long as nine days out of ten and then repeat the process. It originates as a dry continental mass of polar air that is warmed as it passes over the Eurasian landmass.

History of Jordan

Ancient history

Jordan's roots as a sovereign independent state go back to the ancient kingdoms of the Nabatean Petra, Edom, Ammon, and Moab which flourished in the modern state of Jordan in the 2nd and 1st millennium B.C which makes its history goes back to 3000–4000 years ago.

The Nabatean kingdom (Arabic: الأنباط, Al-Anbāt) was one of the most prominent states in the region. The amazing ruins of its capital, Petra, bear witness to their unique architecture, civilization, and prosperity. In 2007 Petra was selected as one of the new seven wonders of the world.

The Nabatean were an ancient Arabic Semitic people who inhabited most of the populated region of modern Jordan. During its peak, the Nabataean kingdom controlled regional and international trade routes of the ancient world by dominating a large area southwest of the fertile crescent, which included the whole of modern Jordan in addition to the southern part of Syria in the north and the northern part of Arabian Peninsula in the south. As a result, Nabatean enjoyed independence, prosperity, and wealth for hundreds of years until it was occupied by the Roman Empire, which was still expanding in 100 CE. The Nabataeans developed the Arabic Script, with their language as an intermediary between Aramaean and the ancient Classical Arabic, which evolved into Modern Arabic.

The Kingdom of Edom was another strong ancient kingdom, based in the south of Jordan, it controlled most of the populated region of modern Jordan. The writings of Mesha Stele recorded the glory of the King of Edom and the victories of the kingdom in its wars with the Israelites and other nations.

In addition to Nabatean and Edom, the Ammon and Moab kingdoms were also based in the area of modern Jordan. All are mentioned in several ancient maps, Near Eastern documents, ancient Greco-Roman artifacts, and Christian and Jewish religious scriptures.

Classic antiquity

During the Greco-Roman period of influence, a number of semi-independent city-states also developed in the region of Jordan under the umbrella of the Decapolis including: Gerasa (Jerash), Philadelphia (Amman), Raphana (Abila), Dion (Capitolias), Gadara (Umm Qays), and Pella (Irbid). Parts of Jordan were later incorporated into the Hasmonean kingdom, with pastoralist Nabateans slowly establishing their own realm in the southern parts of the Transjordan. Following the establishment of Roman Empire at Syria and Judaea, the country was incorporated into the client Judaea Kingdom of Herod, and later the Iudaea Province. With the suppression of Jewish Revolts, the eastern bank of Jordan was incorporated into the Syria Palaestina province, while the eastern deserts fell under Parthian and later Persian Sassanid control.

Muslim empires

In the 7th century, and for several centuries, the region of today's Jordan became one of the heartlands of the Arabic Islamic Empire across its different Caliphates' stages, including the Rashidun Empire, Umayyad Empire and Abbasid Empire. During the Islamic era, Jordan coined its current Arabic Islamic cultural identity. Several resources pointed that the Abbasid movement, was started in region of Jordan before it took over the Umayyad empire. After the decline of the Abbasid, It was ruled by several conflicting powers including the Mongols, the Crusaders, the Ayyubids and the Mamluks until it became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1516.

Modern history

The Great Arab Revolt

During World War I, the Jordanian tribes fought, along with other tribes of Hijaz and Levant regions, as part of the Arab Army of the Great Arab Revolt. The revolt was launched by Hashemites and led by Sherif Hussein of Mecca against the Ottoman Empire. It was supported by the Allies of World War I. The chronicle of the revolt was written by T. E. Lawrence who, as a young British Army officer, played a liaison role during the revolt. He published the chronicle in London, 1922 under the title "Seven Pillars of Wisdom", which was the base for the iconic Hollywood movie "Lawrence of Arabia".

The Great Arab Revolt was successful in liberating most of the territories of Hijaz and the Levant, including the region of east of Jordan. However, it failed to gain international recognition of the region as an independent state, due mainly to the secret Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916 and the Balfour Declaration of 1917. This was seen by the Hashemites and the Arabs as betrayal of the previous agreements with the British, including the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence in 1915, in which the British stated their willingness to recognize the independence of the Arab state in Hijaz and the Levant. However, A compromise was eventually reached; and the Emirate of Transjordan was created under the Hashemites reign.

British mandate of Transjordan

In September 1922 the Council of the League of Nations recognized Transjordan as a state under the British Mandate and Transjordan memorandum excluded the territories east of the River Jordan from all of the provisions of the mandate dealing with Jewish settlement. The country remained under British supervision until 1946.

The Hashemite leadership met multiple difficulties upon assuming power in the region. The most serious threats to emir Abdullah's position in Transjordan were repeated Wahhabi incursions fron Najd into southern parts of his territory. The emir was powerless to repel those raids by himself, thus the British maintained a military base, with a small air force, at Marka, close to Amman. The British military force was the primary obstacle against the Ikhwan, and was also used to help emir Abdullah with the suppression of local rebellions at Kura and later by Sultan Adwan, in 1921 and 1923 respectively.

Independence

On May 25, 1946 the United Nations approved the end of the British Mandate and recognized Jordan as an independent sovereign kingdom. The Parliament of Jordan proclaimed King Abdullah as the first King. Abdullah I continued to rule until he was assassinated in 1951 as he was leaving the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Post-independence history

Jordan became a founding member of the Arab League in 1945 and, as an independent country, it joined the United Nations in 1955. In 1957 it terminated the Anglo-Jordan treaty, one year after the king sacked the British personnel serving in the Jordanian Army. This act of Arabization ensured the complete sovereignty of Jordan as a fully independent nation.

1967 War with Israel

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

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

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

1973 Arab-Israeli war

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

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

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

Peace treaty with Israel

In 1991, Jordan agreed, along with Syria, Lebanon, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), to participate in direct peace negotiations with Israel at the Madrid Conference, sponsored by the U.S. and the Soviet Union. It negotiated an end to hostilities with Israel and signed a declaration to that effect on 25 July 1994 (see Washington Declaration). As a result, an Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty was concluded on 26 October 1994. King Hussein was later honored when his picture appeared on an Israeli postage stamp in recognition of the good relations he established with his neighbor. Since the signing of the peace treaty with Israel, the United States not only contributes hundreds of millions of dollars in an annual foreign aid stipend to Jordan, but also has allowed it to establish a free trade zone in which to manufacture goods that will enter the US without paying the usual import taxes as long as a percentage of the material used in them is purchased in Israel.

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

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

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

On 9 November 2005 Jordan experienced three simultaneous terrorist bombings at hotels in Amman. At least 57 people died and 115 were wounded. "Al-Qaeda in Iraq", a group led by terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility.

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

Government

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

Kings

King Abdullah I ruled Jordan after independence from Britain. After the assassination of King Abdullah I in 1951, his son King Talal ruled briefly. King Talal's major accomplishment was the Jordanian constitution. King Talal was removed from the throne in 1952 due to mental illness. At that time his son, Hussein, was too young to rule, and hence a committee ruled over Jordan.

After Hussein reached 18, he ruled Jordan as king from 1953 to 1999, surviving a number of challenges to his rule, drawing on the loyalty of his military, and serving as a symbol of unity and stability in Jordan. King Hussein ended martial law in 1991 and legalized political parties in 1992. In 1989 and 1993, Jordan held free and fair parliamentary elections. Controversial changes in the election law led Islamist parties to boycott the 1997 elections.

King Abdullah II succeeded his father Hussein following the latter's death in February 1999. Abdullah moved quickly to reaffirm Jordan's peace treaty with Israel and its relations with the United States. Abdullah, during the first year in power, refocused the government's agenda on economic reform.

Jordan's continuing structural economic difficulties, burgeoning population, and more open political environment led to the emergence of a variety of political parties. Moving toward greater independence, Jordan's parliament has investigated corruption charges against several regime figures and has become the major forum in which differing political views, including those of political Islamists, are expressed. While the King remains the ultimate authority in Jordan, the parliament plays an important role.

Parliament

The 1952 Constitution provided for the establishment of the bicameral National Assembly of Jordan (‘Majlis al-Umma’). The Parliament consists of two Chambers: The Chamber of Deputies (‘Majlis al-Nuwaab’) and the Senate (‘Majlis al-Aayan’; literally, ‘Assembly of Notables’). The Senate has 60 Senators, all of whom are directly appointed by the King, while the Chamber of Deputies/House of Representatives has 120 elected members representing 12 constituencies. Of the 120 members of the Lower Chamber, 12 seats are reserved for women, 9 seats are reserved for Christian candidates, 9 seats are reserved for Bedouin candidates, and 3 seats are reserved for Jordanians of Chechen or Circassian descent. The Constitution ensures that the Senate cannot be more than half the size of the Chamber of Deputies.

The constitution does not provide a strong system of checks and balances within which the Jordanian Parliament can assert its role in relationship to the monarch. During the suspension of Parliament between 2001 and 2003, the scope of King Abdullah II's power was demonstrated with the passing of 110 temporary laws. Two of such laws dealt with election law and were seen to reduce the power of Parliament.

Senators have terms of four years and are appointed by the King and can be reappointed. Prospective Senators must be at least forty years old and have held senior positions in either the government or military. Appointed Senators have included former Prime Ministers and Members of the Chamber of Deputies. Deputies are elected to also serve a four year term. Candidates must be older than thirty-five, cannot have blood ties to the King, and must not have any financial interests in government contracts.

Constitution

Jordan is a constitutional monarchy based on the constitution promulgated on 8 January 1952. Executive authority is vested in the king and his council of ministers. The king signs and executes all laws. His veto power may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of both houses of the National Assembly. He appoints and may dismiss all judges by decree, approves amendments to the constitution, declares war, and commands the armed forces. Cabinet decisions, court judgments, and the national currency are issued in his name. The council of ministers, led by a prime minister, is appointed by the king, who may dismiss other cabinet members at the prime minister's request. The cabinet is accountable to the Chamber of Deputies on matters of general policy and can be forced to resign by a 50% or more of vote of "no confidence" by that body.

The constitution provides for three categories of courts: civil, religious, and special. Administratively, Jordan is divided into twelve governorates, each headed by a governor appointed by the king. They are the sole authorities for all government departments and development projects in their respective areas.

Legal system and legislation

Jordan's legal system is based on French code law system via the Egyptian civil laws while Islamic law is limited to civic status legislation for Muslims. Religious minority civic status is regulated by respective religious courts. Judicial review of legislative acts occurs in a special High Tribunal. It has not accepted International Court of Justice jurisdiction.

Jordan has multi-party politics. There are over 30 political parties in the Jordan from a wide range of positions ranging from extreme left (Jordanian Communist Party) to extreme right (Islamic Action Front).

Article 97 of Jordan's constitution guarantees the independence of the judicial branch, clearly stating that judges are 'subject to no authority but that of the law.' While the king must approve the appointment and dismissal of judges, in practice these are supervised by the Higher Judicial Council.

The Jordanian legal system draws upon civil traditions as well as Islamic law and custom. Article 99 of the Constitution divides the courts into three categories: civil, religious and special. The civil courts deal with civil and criminal matters in accordance with the law, and they have jurisdiction over all persons in all matters, civil and criminal, including cases brought against the government. The civil courts include Magistrate Courts, Courts of First Instance, Courts of Appeal, High Administrative Courts and the Supreme Court.

The religious courts include shari’a (Islamic law) courts and the tribunals of other religious communities, namely those of the Christian minority. Religious courts have primary and appellate courts and deal only with matters involving personal law such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and child custody. Shari’a courts also have jurisdiction over matters pertaining to the Islamic waqfs. In cases involving parties of different religions, regular courts have jurisdiction.

Despite being traditionally dominated by men the number of women involved as lawyers in the Jordan legal system has been increasing. As of mid-2006 Jordan had 1,284 female lawyers, out of a total number of 6,915, and 35 female judges from a total of 630. In Jordan, between 15 and 20 women are murdered annually in the name of "honour" and at least eight such killings have been reported in 2008, according to Jordanian authorities. In 2007 17 such murders were recorded. Despite popular beliefs these are not legal, nor limited to any one community, but have frequently been hard to seek justice for.

Police

Jordan ranked 24th in the world, 4th in the Middle East, in terms of police services' reliability in the Global Competitiveness Report. Jordan also ranked 13th in the world and 3rd in the Middle East in terms of prevention of organized crime, making it one of the safest countries in the world.

Foreign relations

Jordan has consistently followed a pro-Western foreign policy and traditionally has had close relations with the United States and the United Kingdom. These relations were damaged by Jordan's neutrality and maintaining relations with Iraq during the first Gulf War even though it was negotiating a peace settlement to end the conflict. Jordan has a well earned reputation for usually following a pragmatic and non-confrontational foreign policy, leading to good relations with its neighbours.

Jordan has always been a mediator during times of high tension. During the 1970s, King Hussein negotiated with Iran to halt the military buildup to annex the small Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain. In the 1990s, King Hussein also tried to mediate the conflict between the United States and Iraq and tried to bring an end to hostilities while still condemning the Iraqi annexation of Kuwait. Jordan has historically been at the forefront of negotiating peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. King Abdullah II is the mediator between Israel and the Arab League's negotiations for peace and normalization of bilateral ties.

Following the Gulf War, Jordan largely restored its relations with Western countries through its participation in the Southwest Asia peace process and enforcement of UN sanctions against Iraq. Relations between Jordan and the Persian Gulf countries improved substantially after King Hussein's death. Following the fall of the Iraqi regime, Jordan has played a pivotal role in supporting the restoration of stability and security to Iraq. The Government of Jordan signed a memorandum of understanding with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq to facilitate the training of up to 30,000 Iraqi police cadets at a Jordanian facility.

Jordan signed a non-belligerency agreement with Israel (the Washington Declaration) in Washington, D.C., on 25 July 1994. King Hussein and Yitzhak Rabin negotiated this treaty. Jordan and Israel signed a historic peace treaty on 26 October 1994, witnessed by President Bill Clinton, accompanied by U.S. Secretary, Warren Christopher. The U.S. has participated with Jordan and Israel in trilateral development discussions in which key issues have been water-sharing and security; cooperation on Jordan Rift Valley development; infrastructure projects; and trade, finance, and banking issues.

Jordan and Israel had generally close relations even before the signing of the 1994 Peace Treaty. On more than one occasion, Jordan warned Israel of an impending attack by Syria and Egypt. Also, during the Black September conflict in Jordan, Israel warned Syria that any Syrian intervention on the side of the PLO against the Jordanian monarchy would result in an Israeli attack. Israel and Jordan along with Lebanon were already negotiating a peace treaty as early as the 1950s but a string of assassinations including Jordanian and Lebanese ambassadors and the King of Jordan himself, stopped such an attempt at peace. However, this friendship has been damaged several times due to the worsening situation in the Palestinian territories and the slow peace process with the Palestinians. In Israel in 2009, several Likud lawmakers proposed a bill that called for a Palestinian state on both sides of the Jordan River, presuming that Jordan should be the alternative homeland for the Palestinians. Later, following similar remarks by the Israeli Speaker of the Knesset, twenty Jordanian lawmakers proposed a bill in the Jordanian Parliament in which the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan would be frozen. The Israeli Foreign Ministry disavowed the original proposal.

Jordan's relations with the United States have traditionally been close. However, the relationship between the two countries reached new heights during the reign of King Abdullah II. The Jordanian General Intelligence Department is reportedly the CIA's closest partner after Britain's MI6. Also, the release classified U.S. cables on Wikileaks proved the depth of US-Jordan relations. Over 4,000 military cables were sent from Amman, the fifth most popular origin of U.S. military cables worldwide, higher than from London or Tel Aviv. Regionally, only Ankara and Baghdad surpassed Amman. Jordan provides extensive strategic and logistic support to U.S. military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the leaked military cables show that America had kept Jordan's involvement in the War on Terror quiet whether it be its rendition program or Jordan's leading of counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Jordan also participates in the multilateral peace talks. Jordan belongs to the UN and several of its specialized and related agencies, including the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the World Health Organization (WHO). Jordan also is a member of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Nonaligned Movement (NAM), and Arab League.

Military

Jordan has a strong defensive army with strong support and aid from the United States, the United Kingdom and France. This is due to its critical position between Israel and the West Bank, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia with very close proximity to Lebanon and Egypt. The development of the special forces has been particularly significant, enhancing the capability of the forces to react rapidly to threats to state security, as well as training special forces from the region and beyond.

The Royal Special Forces is a unit of the armed forces of Jordan. The Commander was Brigadier-General His Royal Highness Prince Abdullah (now King Abdullah II of Jordan), 1993–1996. In 2007, these forces received training from Blackwater Worldwide.

The Royal Naval Force is the Naval entity of the Jordanian Armed Forces.

The Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) (Arabic: سلاح الجو الملكي الأردني, transliterated: ''Silah al-Jaw Almalaki al-Urduni'') is the aviation branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces and includes the Royal Jordanian Air Defence.

Peacekeeping abroad

There are about 50,000 Jordanian troops working with the United Nations in peacekeeping missions across the world. These soldiers provide everything from military defense, training of native police, medical help, and charity. Jordan ranks third internationally in taking part in UN peacekeeping missions.

Jordan has dispatched several field hospitals to conflict zones and areas affected by natural disasters across the world such as Iraq, the West Bank, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Haiti, Indonesia, Congo, Liberia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sierra Leone and Pakistan. The Kingdom's field hospitals extended aid to more than one million people in Iraq, some one million in the West Bank and 55,000 in Lebanon. According to the military, there are Jordanian peacekeeping forces in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. Jordanian Armed Forces field hospital in Afghanistan has since 2002 provided assistance to some 750,000 persons and has significantly reduced the suffering of people residing in areas where the hospital operates.In some missions, the number of Jordanian troops was the second largest, the sources said. Jordan also provides extensive training of security forces in Iraq, the Palestinian territories, and the GCC.

Politics

Jordan's most executive power is the King and it is a constitutional monarchy with a representative government. The King traditionally has held substantial power, however the democratically elected Parliament holds significant influence and power in national governance.

Political parties

The reforms of 1989 legalized political parties and opposition movements. The result is over 30 political parties, but the only political party that plays a role in the legislature is the Islamic Action Front (IAF). Political parties can be seen to represent four sections: Islamists, leftists, Arab nationalists and liberals. Some other political parties in Jordan including the Jordanian Arab Democratic Party, Jordanian Socialist Party, and Muslim Centre Party, but these have little impact on the political process because of lack of organization and clear platforms on key domestic issues as well as differences and factions within these political parties.

Administrative Devisions

Jordan is divided into 12 provinces named Governorates, which are subdivided into 54 departments {| style="background:none; font-size:95%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" |- valign="top" |

Governorate !! Capital !! Region
Ajloun Governorate	Ajloun	North
Aqaba Governorate	Aqaba
Balqa Governorate	Salt, Jordan>Salt
Amman Governorate	Capital Governorate	Amman
Irbid Governorate	Irbid
Jerash Governorate	Jerash

|

Governorate !! Capital !! Location
Kerak Governorate	Al Karak	South
Ma'an Governorate	Ma'an
Madaba Governorate	Madaba
Mafraq Governorate	Mafraq
Tafilah Governorate	Tafilah
Zarqa Governorate	Zarqa

|style="padding-top:8px;"| |}

Human rights

Human rights in Jordan is a matter of concern for many in and outside of the country, including international human rights groups.

The 2010 Arab Democracy Index from the Arab Reform Initiative ranked Jordan first in the state of democratic reforms out of fifteen Arab countries.

Jordan ranked 141 out of 196 countries worldwide, earning "Not Free" status in Freedom House's 2011 Freedom of the Press 2011 report. Jordan had the 5th freest press of 19 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Civil liberties and political rights scored 5 and 6 respectively in Freedom House's Freedom in the World 2011 report, where 1 is most free and 7 is least free. This earned Jordan "Not Free" status. Jordan ranked ahead of 6, behind 4, and the same as 8 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region.

In the 2010 Press Freedom Index maintained by Reporters Without Borders, Jordan ranked 120th out of 178 countries listed, 5th out of the 20 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. Jordan's score was 37 on a scale from 0 (most free) to 105 (least free).

Jordan ranked 6th among the 19 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, and 50th out of 178 countries worldwide in the 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) issued by Transparency International. Jordan's 2010 CPI score was 4.7 on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (very clean). Jordan ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in February 2005 and has been a regional leader in spearheading efforts to promote the UNCAC and its implementation.

Areas where the government of Jordan was praised in its human rights efforts were in its protection of minority groups and freedom of religion. Christians are well integrated in Jordanian society and they are members of the country's political and economic elite. There are usually two cabinet posts held by Christians. A survey by a Western embassy in Amman found that nearly half of Jordan's leading business families are Christian despite being a minority group. Christians have established good relations with the royal family and many hold senior positions in the military. Jordanian Christians are equally represented in the Parliament.

Areas of concern with respect to human rights in Jordan include:

limitations on the right of citizens to change their government peacefully;

a newly drafted electoral law that perpetuates significant under representation of urban areas and citizens of Palestinian origin in leadership positions;

cases of arbitrary deprivation of life, torture, poor prison conditions, impunity, arbitrary arrest and denial of due process through administrative detention, and prolonged detention;

breaches of fair trial standards and external interference in judicial decisions;

infringements on privacy rights;

limited freedoms of speech and press, and government interference in the media and threats of fines and detention that encourage self-censorship;

restricted freedoms of assembly and association;

legal and societal discrimination and harassment of women remain a concern, although there have been significant improvements in recent years;

legal and societal discrimination and harassment of religious minorities and converts from Islam are a concern, although Jordan is widely acknowledged as being a strong supporter of religious freedoms;

legal and societal discrimination of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community;

loss of Jordanian nationality by some citizens of Palestinian origin;

restricted labor rights; and

abuse of foreign domestic workers.

In response to domestic and regional unrest, in February 2011 King Abdallah replaced his prime minister and formed a National Dialogue Commission with a reform mandate. The King told the new prime minister to "take quick, concrete and practical steps to launch a genuine political reform process", "to strengthen democracy," and provide Jordanians with the "dignified life they deserve." The King called for an "immediate revision" of laws governing politics and public freedoms. Initial reports say that this effort has started well, but much work remains to be done.

Demographics

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

Jordan's Arab population mainly consists of Jordanians, Palestinians and Iraqis. In addition, there are sizable immigrant communities from Egypt, Syria and Lebanon residing in Jordan. Of the non-Arab population which comprises 2% to 5% of Jordan's population, most are Circassians, Chechens, Armenians, Turkmans, and Romanis, all of which have maintained separate ethnic identities, but have integrated into mainstream Jordanian culture. Also, Jordan is home to a relatively large American and European expatriate population concentrated mainly in the capital as the city is home to many international organizations and diplomatic missions that base their regional operations in Amman. Since the Iraq War many Christians (Assyrians/Chaldeans) from Iraq have settled permanently or temporarily in Jordan. They could number as many as 500,000.

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

UNRWA indicates that as many as 1,951,603 persons are registered as Palestinian refugees in 2008 mostly as Jordanian citizens. 338,000 of which reside in UNRWA administered refugee camps scattered across Jordan.

There are is no exact number detailing the extent of migrant workers in Jordan, however they are believed to form between 20–30% of the labor force in Jordan.. The population of migrant workers including domestic workers in Jordan are believed to be as high as one million. Many are Egyptians who number at around 500,000 laborers and the remaining workers are mostly from Syria, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Nepal. Jordan is home to one of the world's largest population of migrant domestic workers according to the Human Rights Watch. Domestic workers in Jordan number around 300,000, according to estimates, and they mainly come from the countries of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. Furthermore, there are thousands of foreign women working in nightclubs and bars across Jordan, mostly from Eastern Europe and North Africa.

Genetics

Jordan, having always been at the crossroads of civilizations has the genetic remnants of these civilizations in the genetic make up of modern-day Jordanians, recent genetic studies have shown strong genetic links between the modern Jordanian people and the core populations of the Levant and the fertile crescent. A study published by Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza found that the Jordanians have the closest genetics to the Assyrians among all other nations in the west of Asia, but also linking to the ancient tribes of Arabia and Yemen.

Language

The official language is Arabic. English, though without an official status, is widely spoken throughout the country and is the de facto language of commerce and banking, as well as a co-official status in the education sector. The spoken language is Jordanian Levantine. Modern Standard Arabic and English are obligatory learnt at public and most private schools with French being a less popular elective. Radio Jordan offers radio services in Arabic, English,and French. Armenian as well as Caucasian languages like Circassian and Chechen, are understood and spoken by small communities residing in Jordan, with several schools teaching them.

Religion

{{Bar box |title=Religion in Jordan |titlebar=#ddd |left1=Religion |right1=Percent |float=right |bars= }}

Islam is the predominant religion in Jordan, and it is the majority religion among both Arabs and non-Arabs. It is the official religion of the country, and approximately 92% of the population is Muslim by religion, primarily of the Sunni branch of Islam. Islamic and Christian studies are offered to students but are not mandatory and do not factor into the University entry school exams. Jordan is an advocate for religious freedom in the region and the world.

According to the 2010 Legatum Prosperity Index, less than half of Jordanians regularly attend religious services, a moderate percentage in comparison to industrialized countries. However, this rate is the lowest among all the Arab countries and it is one of the lowest in the entire Muslim World.

Jordan has an indigenous Christian minority. Christians are a religious minority both among the Arab and non-Arab segment. Christians of all ethnic backgrounds permanently residing in Jordan form approximately 6% of the population and are allocated respective seats in parliament (The Department of Statistics released no information about the religion distribution from the census of 2004). Christians made up 30% of the Jordanian population in 1950. However, emigration to Europe, Canada and the United States and lower birth rates compared to Muslims has significantly decreased the ratio of the Christian population, coupled with the fact that the majority of people that have come to Jordan as refugees were Muslim.

Indigenous Jordanians of the Christians faith, are, like their counterpart indigenous Jordanians of the Muslim faith, an Arab people in language, culture and identity. Jordanian Arab Christians hold services in the Arabic language, and share the culture of Jordan, and share the broader Levantine Arab identity. Most Jordanian Christians belong to the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem. The remainder include members of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Latin Rite Catholic Church, Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Syriac Catholic Church, Chaldean Catholic Church, Assyrian Church of the East, Maronite Church , Ancient Church of the East, and Anglican Communion.

Among the Christian non-Arab population, significant part is made up of Armenians in Jordan; the Armenian Apostolic Church and Armenian Catholic Church (and some in other churches). Others include expatriate Christians in Jordan from various countries, as evinced, for example, by some Catholic masses held in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Sinhala. With Protestant services in English (4 Churches), Tagalog, Tamil, and German. Many Iraqi Christians have recently moved to Jordan with the turmoil in neighboring Iraq, and they are composed mostly of Iraqi Assyrian Christians.

Other religious minorities groups in Jordan include adherents to the Druze and Bahá'í Faith. The Druze are mainly located in the Eastern Oasis Town of Azraq, some villages on the Syrian border and the city of Zarka, while the Village of Adassiyeh bordering the Jordan Valley is home to Jordan's Bahá'í community.

Health

Jordan has quite an advanced health care system, although services remain highly concentrated in Amman. Government figures have put total health spending in 2002 at some 7.5% of Gross domestic product (GDP), while international health organizations place the figure even higher, at approximately 9.3% of GDP. The country's health care system is divided between public and private institutions. In the public sector, the Ministry of Health operates 1,245 primary health-care centers and 27 hospitals, accounting for 37% of all hospital beds in the country; the military's Royal Medical Services runs 11 hospitals, providing 24% of all beds; and the Jordan University Hospital accounts for 3% of total beds in the country. The private sector provides 36% of all hospital beds, distributed among 56 hospitals. In 1 June 2007, Jordan Hospital (as the biggest private hospital) was the first general specialty hospital who gets the international accreditation JCAHO.

According to 2003 estimates, the rate of prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) was less than 0.1%. According to a United Nations Development Program report, Jordan has been considered malaria-free since 2001; cases of tuberculosis declined by half during the 1990s, but tuberculosis remains an issue and an area needing improvement. Jordan experienced a brief outbreak of bird flu in March 2006. Noncommunicable diseases such as cancer also are a major health issue in Jordan. Childhood immunization rates have increased steadily over the past 15 years; by 2002 immunizations and vaccines reached more than 95% of children under five.

About 86% of Jordanians had medical insurance in 2009, the Jordanian government plans to reach 100% in 2011.

The King Hussein Cancer Center is the only specialized cancer treatment facility in the Middle East. It is one of the top cancer treatment facilities in the world. Jordan was ranked by the World Bank to be the number one health care services provider in the region and among the top 5 in the world. In 2008, 250,000 patients sought treatment in the Kingdom including Iraqis, Palestinians, Sudanese, Syrians, GCC citizens, Americans, Canadians, and Egyptians. Jordan earned almost $1 billion dollars in medical tourism revenues according to the World Bank.

According to the CIA World Factbook, the life expectancy in Jordan is 80.05 years, the second highest in the region (after Israel). There were 203 physicians per 100,000 people in the years 2000–2004, a proportion comparable to many developed countries and higher than most of the developing world.

Water and sanitation, available to only 10% of the population in 1950, now reach 99% of Jordanians. Electricity now also reaches 99% of the population, as compared to less than 10% in 1955. :''See: Medical education in Jordan''.

Quality of life

Jordan is consistently ranked as having a superior quality of life in comparison to the region and developing countries as a whole. Jordan has one of the highest standards of living in the developing world with a highly educated population with access to advanced healthcare services in urban and rural areas. Jordan ranked as having the 11th highest standard of living in the developing world and the second highest standard of living in the Arab and Muslim World as measured by the Human Poverty Index-2. Jordan is a noticeably clean country with an extremely low crime rate by both regional and international standards. Decades of political stability and security and strict law enforcement make Jordan one of the top 10 countries worldwide in security. In the 2010 Newsweek "World's Best Countries" list, Jordan ranked as the third best Arab country to live in (53rd worldwide), after Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Globally, it ranks higher than China and South Africa. According to the index, its standard of living is on par with Turkey and Argentina. In addition, Jordan is one of the most liberal countries in the Middle East with a pro-secular government. In the 2010 Human Development Index, Jordan was placed in the "high human development" bracket and came 7th among Arab countries, behind the oil-rich states and one place behind Tunisia. In the HDI index score excluding income, Jordan came in second in the Arab world, higher than most of the affluent Persian Gulf states, showing the huge emphasis the Jordanian government has placed on human capital in its development process. Furthermore, in the Inequality-adjusted HDI, Jordan came first among all the Arab countries showing that the average Jordanian was better off than the average citizen of any Arab country listed in the index.

The 2010 Quality of Life Index prepared by International Living Magazine ranked Jordan as having almost the highest quality of life in the Middle East and North Africa Region. To produce this annual Index, International Living considers, for each of these countries, nine categories: Cost of Living, Culture and Leisure, Economy, Environment, Freedom, Health, Infrastructure, Safety and Risk and Climate. Jordan ranked second in the MENA with 55.0 points after Israel and followed by Kuwait with 54.47 points, Morocco with 54.45 points, and Lebanon with 54.3 points. Only 3.5 percent of Jordanians earn less than $2 a day, one of the lowest rates in the developing world and the lowest among the Arab states, according to the UN Human Development Report. Furthermore, Jordan hosts one of the highest percentages of immigrants in the world in comparison to its total population, with more than 40% of its residents being born in another country, a rate even higher than the United States, according to a 2005 UN Report. Access to adequate food and shelter in Jordan is the sixth highest rate in the world, and a relatively high 72%* of Jordanians are satisfied with their living standards. Despite high levels of perceived corruption in politics and business, Jordanians have relatively high confidence in the government. Over eight in 10 people approve of their government which is the 13th highest level in the 2010 Legatum Prosperity Index. Levels of support for the country’s policies to preserve the environment and address poverty are also among the top 25 nations. Jordanians are highly enthusiastic about their other civil institutions: 96% support the military, the seventh highest rate overall, and 70% have confidence in the judiciary, the 25th highest rate. Jordanians also enjoy high levels of safety in their personal lives. In a 2009 survey, just 2.8%* of respondents said they had been assaulted in the last 12 months, and less than 7%* had experienced theft: these figures are the 21st and 10th lowest in the world, respectively. Jordan is also among the top ten countries whose citizens feel safest walking the streets at night.

Jordan spends 4.2% of its GDP to guarantee the well being of its citizens- more than any other country in the region. Life expectancy and public health levels in Jordan are comparable to the West with 88% of the population on medical insurance, one of the highest rates in the world. The remaining 12% are covered under Royal makruma. Also, the Social Security Corporation (SSC) is working to increase social security subscribers across the Kingdom with public sector workers currently covered and working to include private sector employees as well. After employees in the Kingdom receive coverage, the SSC is now expanding to include Jordanian expatriates in the Persian Gulf states and students, housewives, business owners, and the unemployed. As of 2011, 63% of working Jordanians are insured with the Social Security Corporation, as well as 120,000 foreigners. The corporation plans to have 85% of the population covered under the social security umbrella by the end of the year.

In 2008, the Jordanian government launched the "Decent Housing for a Decent Living" project aimed at giving poor people and even Palestinian refugees the chance at owning their own house. Approximately 120,000 affordable housing units will be constructed within the next 5 years, and an additional 100,000 housing units can be built if the need arises.

Jordan was ranked as the 19th most expensive country in the world to live in 2010 and the most expensive Arab country to live in.

Despite these positive indicators, Jordan remains marred by chronic high unemployment rates, 11.9% in the fourth quarter of 2010. Also, an estimated 13.3% of citizens live under the poverty line of 680 dinars per month ($960). Wide disaparities in wealth are evident between urban and rural areas and even between the Western and Eastern districts of the capital Amman. Currently, there are over 700,000 highly skilled college graduates working temporarily in GCC nations like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. These white-collar workers send home more than three billion dollars in remittances to Jordan each year, a vital part of the Jordanian economy. High cost of living and lower wages push thousands of fresh college graduates to seek their fortunes in the oil-rich gulf. According to the 2010 Middle East Salary Survey conducted by Bayt.com, Jordanians earn more than their counterparts in other Arab countries with the exception of the oil-rich Gulf:

27% of Jordanian workers earn less than $500 a month,

28% earn between $  500 and $1000 a month,

21% earn between $1000 and $2000 a month,

10% earn between $2000 and $3000 a month,

  6% earn between $3000 and $5000 a month,

  2% earn between $5000 and $8000 a month, and

  2% earn above $8000 a month.

Several aspects of Jordan's quality of life include:

Good health infrastructure, see: Health in Jordan

Relatively open socio-political environment, see: Politics of Jordan and Human rights in Jordan

Reliable infrastructure, see: Communications in Jordan and Transport in Jordan

A moderate climate, see: Climate of Jordan and Geography of Jordan

A growing economy, see: Economy of Jordan

Diverse ethnic and religious background, see: Demographics of Jordan

Political stability, see: History of Jordan

Education

Jordan has given great attention to education in particular. The literacy rate in Jordan is 93%. In addition, the role played by a good education system has been significant in the development of Jordan from a predominantly agrarian to an industrialized nation. Jordan's education system ranks number one in the Arab World and is one of the highest in the developing world. UNESCO ranked Jordan's education system 18th worldwide for providing gender equality in education. 20.5% of Jordan's total government expenditures goes to education compared to 2.5% in Turkey and 3.86% in Syria.

Jordan is world-renowned for its highly educated population. Jordan is among the region's highest spenders on education, investing more than 20.4% of its GDP to enable a labor force tailored to meet the demands of the modern market. Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Report in 2003, ranked Jordanian students scores to be 22 points above international average in science and mathematics. It also ranked Jordan as having the highest average science scores in the MENA region, including Israel and Turkey. Jordan also had one of the highest average scores in mathematics in the region. Jordan ranked 14th out of 110 countries for the number of engineers and scientists according to the Global Competitiveness Report 2004–2005 (WEF). Jordan has a higher proportion of university graduates in technological fields than any other country in the region. There are over 200,000 Jordanian students enrolled in universities each year. An additional 20,000 Jordanians pursue higher education abroad primarily in Western countries like the United States and Great Britain.

There is a primary school enrollment rate of 98.2% in Jordan. Secondary school enrollment has increased from 63% to 97% of high school aged students in Jordan and between 79% and 85% of high school students in Jordan move on to higher education, an extremely high rate for a middle income nation.

According to the Global Innovation Index 2011, Jordan is considered the 3rd most innovative economy in the Middle East, only behind Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Worldwide, Jordan ranked 41st beating global economic powerhouses like India, South Africa, Greece, and Russia.

Jordan is the top contributor among all Arab countries in terms of internet content. 75% of all Arabic online content originates from Jordan.

In scientific research generally, Jordan is ranked number one in the region. Nature Journal reported Jordan having the highest number of researchers per million people among all the 57 countries members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); the average of OIC countries is 500 researchers per million people. In Jordan there are 2,000 researchers per million people, higher than Israel and the United Kingdom.

School education

The illiteracy rate in Jordan was 6.9% in 2010, one of the lowest in the region. School education in Jordan could be categorized into two sections:

Secondary education, which consists of two years of school study, for students who have completed the 10-year basic cycle. It comprises two major tracks:

:#Secondary education, which can either be academic or vocational. At the end of the two-year period, students sit for the general secondary examination (Tawjihi) in the appropriate branch and those who pass are awarded the Tawjihi (General Secondary Education Certificate). The academic stream qualifies students for university entrance, whereas the vocational or technical type qualifies for entrance to Community colleges or universities or the job market, provided they pass the two additional subjects. :#Vocational secondary education, which provides intensive vocational training and apprenticeship, and leads to the award of a Certificate (''not'' the Tawjihi). This type of education is provided by the Vocational Training Corporation, under the control of the Ministry of Labour / Technical and Vocational Education and Training Higher Council.

After completing the 8, 9 or 10 years of basic education, Jordanians are free to choose any foreign secondary education program instead of the Tawjihi examinations (8 for IGCSE, 10 for SAT and IB). Such programmes are usually offered by private schools. These programmes include:

IGCSE

SAT

International Baccalaureate

Private schools in Jordan also offer IGCSE examinations. About 25% of school-aged students in Jordan are enrolled in private schools. The following is a list of the most prominent private schools in the kingdom:

Amman Academy: which offers Tawjihi, and International Baccalaureate (IGCSE examinations are no longer administered).

The International School of Choueifat which only offers external examinations, and which is known as one of the toughest schools world wide, whose students take honors world wide in external examinations.

College De La Salle which is a school with only male students, no females.

Amman Baccalurate School which only offers IB.

Modern Montessori School which only offers IB.

Amman National School which supplies both tawjihi and externals.

Amman Baptist school which offers both tawjihi and externals.

Kings Academy which only gives American Externals.

The National Orthodox School which give both externals and tawjihi.

Upon graduation, the ministry of Higher Education, through a system similar to UK tariff points, transforms the grades/marks of these foreign educational programmes into the same marks used in grading Tawjihi students. This system is controversial, both as to the conversion process and the number of places allocated to non-Tawjihi applicants.

Higher education

Access to higher education is open to holders of the General Secondary Education Certificate or Tawjihi who can then apply to private community colleges, public community colleges or universities (public and private), the admission to public universities is very competitive. The kingdom has 10 public and 16 private universities, in addition to some 54 community colleges, of which 14 are public, 24 private and others affiliated with the Jordan Armed Forces, the Civil Defence Department, the ministry of health and UNRWA. The first university established in the kingdom was the University of Jordan. A United Nations-supported research nuclear reactor and a synchrotron-light scientific facility (International Centre for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science Applications in the Middle East) are currently being built on campus of Jordan University of Science and Technology and the Hashemite University to establish the first nuclear facilities for academic research in the kingdom. All post-secondary education is the responsibility of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Jordan is home to campuses of many distinguished foreign universities such as NYIT, DePaul University, Columbia University and the American University at Madaba.

Economy

Jordan is a small country with limited natural resources. The country is currently exploring ways to expand its limited water supply and use its existing water resources more efficiently, including through the good regional cooperation it has with Israel. The country depends on external sources for the majority of its energy requirements. During the 1990s, its crude petroleum needs were met through imports from Iraq and neighboring countries. Since early 2003, oil has been provided by some Gulf Cooperation Council member countries. In addition, the Arab Gas Pipeline from Egypt to the southern port city of Aqaba was completed in 2003. The government plans to extend this pipeline north to the Amman area and beyond.

Since King Abdullah II's accession to the throne in 1999, liberal economic policies have been introduced which has resulted in a boom lasting for a decade continuing even through 2009. Jordan is the 4th freest economy in the Middle East and North Africa, beating traditionally free economies like Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. Jordan's developed and modern banking sector is becoming the investment destination of choice due to its conservative bank policies that helped Jordan escape the worst of the global financial crisis of 2009. With instability across the region in Iraq and Lebanon, Jordan is emerging as the "business capital of the Levant" and "the next Beirut". Jordan's economy has been growing at an annual rate of 7% for a decade. Jordan's economy is undergoing a major shift from an aid-dependent, rentier economy to one of the most robust, open and competitive economies in the region. In recent years, there has been shift to knowledge-intensive industries, i.e ICT, and a rapidly growing trade sector benefiting from regional instability.

Jordan has more free trade agreements than any other Arab country. Jordan has FTA's with the United States, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, the European Union, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Iraq, Turkey and Syria. More FTA's are planned with the Palestinian Authority, the GCC, Lebanon, and Pakistan. Jordan is a member of the Greater Arab Free Trade Agreement, the Euro-Mediterranean free trade agreement, and the Agadir Agreement. Increased investment and exports are the main sources of Jordan's growth. Continued close integration into the European Union and GCC markets will reap vast economic rewards for the Kingdom in the coming years. However, the main obstacles to Jordan's economy are scarce water supplies, complete reliance on oil imports for energy, and regional instability.

Rapid privatization of previously state-controlled industries and liberalization of the economy is spurring unprecedented growth in Jordan's urban centers like Amman and especially Aqaba. Jordan has six special economic zones that attract significant amount of investment amounting in the billions: Aqaba, Mafraq, Ma'an, Ajloun, the Dead Sea, and Irbid. Jordan also has a plethora of industrial zones producing goods in the textile, aerospace, defense, ICT, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic sectors.

The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States that went into effect in December 2001 will phase out duties on nearly all goods and services by 2010. The agreement also provides for more open markets in communications, construction, finance, health, transportation, and services, as well as strict application of international standards for the protection of intellectual property. In 1996, Jordan and the United States signed a civil aviation agreement that provides for open skies between the two countries, and a U.S.-Jordan treaty for the protection and encouragement of bilateral investment entered into force in 2003. Jordan has been a member of the World Trade Organization since 2000.

In the 2000 Competitive Industrial Performance (CIP) Index, Jordan ranked as the third most industrialized economy in the Middle East and North Africa, behind Turkey and Kuwait. Jordan was in the upper bracket of nations scored by the CIP index. In the 2009 Global Trade Enabling Report, Jordan ranked 4th in the Arab World behind the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar. The report analyzes the country's market access, the country's transport and communications infrastructure, border administration, and the business environment of the country Textile and clothing exports from Jordan to the United States shot up 2,000% from 2000 to 2005, following introduction of the FTA. According to the National Labor Committee, a U.S.-based NGO (Non-Governmental Organization), Jordan has experienced sharp increases in sweatshop conditions in its export-oriented manufacturing sector.

The proportion of skilled workers in Jordan is among the highest in the region. The services sector dominates the Jordanian economy. Tourism is a rapidly growing industry in Jordan with revenues over one billion. Industries such as pharmaceuticals are emerging as very profitable products in Jordan. The Real Estate economy and construction sectors continue to flourish with mass amounts of investments pouring in from the Persian Gulf and Europe. Foreign Direct Investment is in the billions. The stock market capitalization of Jordan is worth nearly $40 billion.

Jordan is classified by the World Bank as a "lower middle income country." The per-capita GDP was approximately US$5,100 for 2007 and 14.5% of the economically active population, on average, was unemployed in 2003. Education and literacy rates and measures of social well-being are very high compared to other countries with similar incomes. Jordan's population growth rate is high, but has declined in recent years, to approximately 2.8% currently. One of the most important factors in the government's efforts to improve the well-being of its citizens is the macroeconomic stability that has been achieved since the 1990s. However, unemployment rates remain high, with the official figure standing at 12.5%, and the unofficial around 30%. The currency has been stable with an exchange rate fixed to the U.S. dollar since 1995.

Jordan is pinning its hopes on tourism, future uranium and oil shale exports, trade, and ICT for future economic growth.

Amman was ranked as the Arab World's most expensive city in 2006 by the Economist Intelligence Unit, beating Dubai. In 2009, Amman ranked as the 4th most expensive city in the Arab World, behind Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Beirut.

Jordan is an importer of low skilled and semi-skilled laborers from Egypt, South Asia, Indonesia, Syria, and the Philippines. There are a range of estimates of the size of the migrant workforce in Jordan from conservative estimates of 300,000 foreign workers to almost one million foreigners working in Jordan. They constitute about 20–30% of the labor force in Jordan and they are consistently cited when discussing Jordan's chronic unemployment problem. These migrant workers often work in construction, the textile factories in Jordan's Qualified Industrial Zones, municipal maintenance services, and as domestic workers. Recently, these migrant workers were incorporated into the Kingdom's labor laws giving them a wide range of benefits and rights and access to legal protection, the first Arab country to do so.

In relation to the population size, Jordan is also one of the largest suppliers of skilled labour and human capital in the world. An estimated 600,000 Jordanians or one fourth of the labour force are earning their living in foreign countries working primarily in high paying white-collar jobs. Between 1968 and 2003, the accumulated net number of emmigrants amounted to over 1.1 million persons. Most of the skilled labor that left Jordan emigrated on a temporary basis to the oil producing Persian Gulf states. Since the mid 1970s, migrants’ remittances are Jordan’s most important source of foreign exchange, and a decisive factor in the country’s economic development and the rising standard of living of the population. By the mid-1980s, agriculture's share of GNP in Jordan was only about 6 percent.

The main irrigated area in Jordan is focused in fertile lands of Jordan Valley. However, other non-irrigated lands which depends on the seasonal rain are also available. Most of these lands are in the northern region in the provinces of Jerash, Ajloun and Irbid.

Yet, some other lands are also available in the mid-western regions of Karak and Madaba. Recently, some desert land in the east of Mafraq have witnessed a large scale of irrigation projects, however, the sustainability of these projects is still in doubt, due to their intensive dependent on groundwater.

Jordan is a producer of a wide variety of agricultural products which covers most of the local market, and sell its exports to its neighbouring countries, the Gulf and Europe which are including citruses, fruits and vegetables e.g. olives as will as other products including Orange, lemon, apple, grapes, figs, peaches, pears, plums, apples, apricots, almonds, and cherries, etc.

Natural resources

Although Jordan is a generally resource-poor country, Jordan does contain significant deposits of both oil shale and sources of uranium; these potential sources of indigenous energy have been the focus of renewed interest in recent years.

Jordan, however, is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world and considerable water is required to develop these resources, particularly oil shale. There are very limited resources of timber and forestry products and timbering is strictly limited by Jordan's environmentalists.

Phosphate mines at the south of the kingdom enable Jordan to be one of the largest producers and exporters of this mineral in the world. Potassium, salt, natural gas and stone are the most important other substances extracted. Phosphates are carried by rail from the mines to the port of Aqaba where it is shipped via cargo ship to other ports.

Jordan has one of the largest uranium reserves in the world. Jordan's reserves account for 2% of the world's total uranium. It's estimated that Jordan can extract 80,000 tons of uranium from its uranic ores, and the country's phosphate reserves also contain some 100,000 tons of uranium. Jordan plans that by 2035, 60% of the country's total energy consumption will be from nuclear energy. 4 nuclear power plants are planned to be built in Jordan with the first one to be operational in 2017.

Since the beginning of 2010, the government of Jordan has been seeking approval from the U.S. for producing nuclear fuel from Jordan's uranium for use in nuclear power plants that Jordan plans to build. Jordan is not required to obtain U.S. approval since, as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Jordan has every right to produce nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes. However, in view of the U.S.-led sanctions against Iran over Iran's nuclear program, despite Iran being a signatory of the NPT, Jordan is first seeking US approval to avoid a fate similar to that of Iran. The government of Israel, not a signatory of the NPT, has made clear to Washington its objection to Jordan's nuclear energy program. According to ''Haaretz'', Jordan learned that the US position is essentially the Israeli position, and the U.S. has rejected Jordan's request for approval.

Natural gas was discovered in Jordan in 1987, and the estimated size of the reserve discovered was about 230 billion cubic feet, and quantities are very modest compared with its neighbours. It was the development of the Risha field in the Eastern Desert beside the Iraqi border, and the field produces nearly 30 million cubic feet of gas a day, to be sent to a nearby power plant to produce nearly 10% of the Jordan's Electric needs.

Despite the fact that reserves of crude oil are non-commercial, Jordan possesses one of the world's richest stockpiles of oil shale where there are huge quantities that could be commercially exploited in the central and northern regions west of the country. The extent the World Energy Council reserves Jordan approximately 40 billion tons, which established it as the second richest state in rock oil reserves after Canada (estimated), and first at the world's level of proven discoveries at a rate of extraction of oil up to between 8% and 12% of content, and could be the production of 4 billion tons of oil from the current reserve, which puts the quality of Jordanian oil on the one hand extraction, on an equal footing with their counterparts in western Colorado in the United States, which its estimated amount may rise to 20 billion tons. The moisture content and ash within is relatively low. And the total thermal value is 7.5 megajoules/kg, and the content of ointments reach 9% of the weight of the organic content. Jordan recently signed a deal with Royal Dutch Shell to extract and exploit shale oil reserves in central Jordan. It is expected Jordan will produce its first commercial quantities of oil in the year 2020, with an estimated production of 50,000 barrels of oil a day, 35 per cent of the Kingdom's energy consumption in "less than 10 years". Previous NRA studies have revealed that 40 billion tonnes of oil shale exist in 21 sites concentrated near the Yarmouk River, Buweida, Beit Ras, Rweished, Karak, Madaba and Maan.

A switch to power plants operated by oil shale has the potential to reduce Jordan's energy bill by at least 40–50 per cent, according to the National Electric Power Company.

Currency and exchange rates

The official currency in Jordan is the Jordanian dinar and divides into 100 qirsh (also called piastres) or 1000 fils. In 1949, banknotes were issued by the government in denominations of 500 fils, 1, 5 ,10 dinar. From 1959, the Central Bank of Jordan took over note production. 20 dinar notes were introduced in 1977, followed by 50 dinar in 1999. ½ dinar notes were replaced by coins in 1999. Coins were introduced in 1949 in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 fils. The first issue of 1 fils were mistakenly minted with the denomination given as "1 fil". 20 fils coins were minted until 1965, with 25 fils introduced in 1968 and ¼ dinar coins in 1970. The 1 fils coin was last minted in 1985. In 1996, smaller ¼ dinar coins were introduced alongside ½ and 1 dinar coins. Since October 23, 1995, the dinar has been officially pegged to the IMF's Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). In practice, it is fixed at 1 U.S. dollar = 0.709 dinar, which translates to approximately 1 dinar = 1.41044 dollars. The Central Bank buys U.S. dollars at 0.708 dinar, and sell U.S. dollars at 0.7125 dinar,Exchangers buys U.S. dollars at 0.708 and sell U.S. dollars at 0.709.

Tourism

Tourism is a very important sector of the Jordanian economy, contributing between 10% and 12% to the country's Gross National Product in 2006. In addition to the country's political stability, the geography offered makes Jordan an attractive tourism destination. In 2010, there were about 8 million tourists that visited Jordan. The result was $3.4 billion in tourism revenues. Opodo and Travel Guides named Jordan as the Top Emerging Destination for 2009. Jordan's major tourist activities include numerous ancient places, its unique desert castles and unspoiled natural locations to its cultural and religious sites.

Jordan also offers a variety of nightlife options with nightclubs, discothèques, bars, and raves in Amman, Irbid, Aqaba, and in 4 and 5-star hotels across the kingdom including in the Dead Sea and Petra areas. However, Jordan's best options for nightlife and clubbing are in West Amman. More traditional nightlife options like shisha lounges and late-night street cafes are available around Jordan. In addition, Jordan has played host to numerous raves and concerts like the Petra Prana Festival in 2007 which celebrated Petra's win as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World with world-renowned DJ's like Tiesto and Sarah Main. Also, the annual Distant Heat festival held in Wadi Rum and Aqaba, which was ranked as one of the world's top 10 raves, brings local, regional, and international DJ's to play nonstop for two whole days. The best known tourist attractions include:

Ancient sightseeing

* Petra in Wadi Musa, the home of the Nabateans, is a complete city carved in a mountain. The huge rocks are colorful, mostly pink, and the entrance to the ancient city is through a 1.25 km narrow gorge in the mountain—called the Siq. In the city are various structures, all (except 2) are carved into rock, including al Khazneh – known as the Treasury – which has been designated as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World" by the for-profit New Open World Corporation. Other major sites of interest in Petra include the Monastery, the Roman theater, the Royal Tombs, the High Place of Sacrifice. Petra was rediscovered for the western world by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812.

* Umm Qais, a town located on the site of the ruined Hellenistic–Roman city of Gadara amongst the few in the Hellenistic world to have black basalt facades .

* Ajlun, famous for the Ajlun Castle called in Arabic Al-Rabad Castle.

* Jerash, famous for its ancient Roman architecture, with colonnaded streets, Corinthian arches, outdoor Roman Theaters and the Oval Plaza. Outside Jerash proper, the countryside is amongst the most scenic in the country with ancient olive groves and oak and pine woodlands.

Amman, Jordan's cosmopolitan capital, contains the Roman theater, in addition to several museums, where one may find remains of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Amman is one of the world's oldest cities however the city is surprisingly modern and very prosperous. It is considered to be one of the most westernized and sophisticated cities in the Arab World. Jordan's capital city boasts plenty of historical sites, a thriving nightlife scene, a rapidly growing culinary scene with restaurants serving a plethora of international dishes including anything from regional dishes to Western dishes and even Asian cuisine like sushi, a plethora of modern shopping malls and cultural events from around the world. The city has become a favourite destination among affluent Arab vacationers in recent years due to its rather temperate climate, its lavish shopping and fine dining scene, and ample nightlife entertainment.

Discothèques, music bars and shisha lounges have sprouted across Amman, changing the city's old image as the conservative capital of the kingdom. Jordan's young population is helping shape this new burgeoning nightlife scene turning this once "staid" capital into one of the region's most vibrant clubbing destinations. It has drastically changed so much that partying is becoming a cultural lifestyle for Jordanians. Driving expensive cars and sporting the latest fashions, many of these young, affluent Jordanians gather almost every night at the chic new spots. Furthermore, Amman has developed one of the Middle East's very few homosexual partying scenes that is mostly concentrated around liberal, affluent nightclubs like Fame and Drop in addition to the popular hangout spot Books@Cafe, attesting to the rapid opening and westernization of Jordanian society over the past decade. The main centers for clubbing in the city are Abdun, Jabal Amman, and Sweifieh, Amman's unofficial red light district. Amman along with, Abu Dhabi and Jeddah, had the highest hotel occupancy rates in the region in 2009. Although not quite as popular as Dubai or Beirut, Amman has emerged as a major shopping destination in the Middle East. There are over a dozen malls in the Amman area alone including City Mall, Mecca Mall, Abdoun Mall, Amman Mall, Al Baraka Mall, Sweifieh Avenue Mall, Istikal Mall, Mukhtar Mall, and the Zara Shopping Center. In addition, there are several mega malls under construction like the ultra luxurious Taj Mall in Abdoun, the Abdali Mall, the Abdali Boulevard and the Atrium. Wakalat Street and the Sweifieh area in general are also popular shopping destinations.

* Al Karak is built around an important Crusader castle from around the times of Salah al-Din, "Crac des Moabites" now known as Al-Karak Castle.

Religious sites

* Madaba, well known for its Byzantine mosaics, as well as important religious sites such as:

** The "terra Santa" Madaba Map of the Holyland.

** The River Jordan, Bethany Beyond the Jordan the biblical Bethabara where Jesus of Nazareth was baptized, by John the Baptist.

** Mount Nebo, where Moses was said to have gone to get a view of the Promised Land before he died.

Seaside

The Dead Sea – It is the lowest point on earth, 402 meters below sea level, and becomes 1 meter lower each year. It is the only depository of River Jordan and was part of the biblical kingdoms of Midianites and later the Moabites. The Dead Sea area is home to numerous world-class resorts such as the Kempinski, Mövenpick and Marriott. In addition, there are water parks, a public beach and international restaurants. The ultra-chic destination in the area, however, is the O-Beach which is home to cabanas, bars, international restaurants, and a beach club.

* Aqaba is a town on the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba with numerous shopping centers, hotels and access to various water sports and protected coral reefs and marine life. It has the ruins of the mediaeval town of Ayla and other Edomite ruins. Aqaba also has a vibrant nightlife scene especially on holiday weekends when hordes of wealthy Jordanians visit the coastal city. Numerous raves and concerts are held by international DJ's and artists at the major resorts and beach clubs. Aqaba is seeing nearly $20 billion worth of developments centered on tourism and real estate projects transforming the city into a "new Dubai".

Other sites

* as-Salt, was the administrative capital east of the river Jordan during the Ottoman era. It still boasts architecture from the 17th century upwards and is famous for its old vineyards. It is considered today as the most ancient of the urban centers east of the river Jordan.

* Wadi Rum is a desert full of mountains and hills located south of Jordan. It is popular for its sights in addition to a variety of sports that are practiced there, such as rock-climbing. It is also known for its association with Lawrence of Arabia.

* Fuheis, a town about 20 minutes north-west of Amman known for its traditional 18th and 19th century churches and turn of the century provincial Jordanian architecture.

* Mahis with important religious sites, and wonderful landscape.

Irbid, Jordan's second largest city, is home to several museums and malls as well. However, the main reason for foreigners visiting the city is the plethora of universities that the cities host with Jordan University of Science and Technology and Yarmouk University being the two most prominent. The city hosts a large student population from all across Jordan, the Middle East and further afield. Irbid's University Street is home to the most internet cafes per mile in the world.

* Shoubak with its Crusader Castle "Crac de Montreal", Marking both the eastern and southern frontier of Crusader expansion.

* Muwakir (Arabic for Machaerus) was the hilltop stronghold of Herod the Great. Upon Herod's death, his son Herod Antipas inhabited the fortress, and ordered John the Baptist to be beheaded there and where the fabled Salomé daughter of Herodias is said to have danced the famous Dance of the Seven Veils thus asking for John the Baptists' head.

Medical tourism

Jordan has been an established medical tourism destination in the Middle East since the 1970s. A study conducted by Jordan's Private Hospitals Association (PHA) found that 210,100 patients from 48 countries received treatment in the kingdom in 2008, compared to 190,000 in 2007, bringing over $1 billion in revenue. It is the region's top medical tourism destination as rated by the World Bank, and fifth in the world overall.

There are about 60 private health care institutions in the kingdom, four of which have been accredited by US-based Joint Commission International, which is considered the gold standard for international accreditation in the healthcare industry.

Also, most of Jordan's doctors speak proficient English and many have been trained or are affiliated with top US hospitals such as the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins. Although Jordan's medical institutions are of high standards, its costs are relatively low compared to the developed world but relatively high for the developing world. Healthcare costs in Jordan typically are just one-tenth of the price of treatments in the USA, and less than a third of the cost of medical services in the UK. Other features that make Jordan a popular healthcare destination are sight-seeing attractions such as Petra and the Dead Sea.

The most common procedures requested by patients from the USA and UK at the hospital are plastic surgery, in-vitro fertilization, and orthopaedic care. Regional Patients travelling to Jordan usually seek cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, neurosurgery, and cancer-related procedures.

The main barrier to further growth for Jordan's medical tourism industry is visa restrictions placed on some countries due to the fear of permanent illegal settlement in Jordan. Jordan's main focus of attention in its marketing effort are the ex-Soviet states, Europe, and America. Top institutions that work in this industry include JORDICURE for medical tourism, King Hussein Cancer Center, Khalidi Hospital, Jordan Hospital and the Specialty Hospital among others.

Nature reserves

Jordan has a number of nature reserves including:

Dana Biosphere Reserve

The Azraq Wetland Reserve

The Shaumari Wildlife Reserve

The Mujib Nature Reserve

Transportation

Being that Jordan is a transit country for goods and services to the Palestinian territories and Iraq, Jordan maintains a well-developed transportation infrastructure.

There are three commercial airports, all receiving and sending international commercial flights, two of them in Amman and the third is located in the city of Aqaba. The largest airport in the country is Queen Alia International Airport in Amman that serves as the hub of the regional airline Royal Jordanian. The airport is currently under significant expansion in a bid to make it the hub for the Levant. Marka International Airport was the country's main airport before it was replaced by Queen Alia Airport but it still serves several regional routes. King Hussein International Airport serves Aqaba with connections to Amman and several regional and international cities.

Jordan has a well-developed road infrastructure with 7,999 kilometres of paved highways.

A National Rail System was approved by the Jordanian Government which will connect all major cities and towns by passenger and cargo rail. There are two lines to be constructed. The North-South Line passing through Mafraq, Zarqa, Amman, Maan, and Aqaba with international connections to Syria and Saudi Arabia. The East-West Line will run from Mafraq, Irbid, and Azraq with international connections to Iraq and possibly Israel. The national rail system will be completed by 2013. These routes are planned to be electrified. There are also plans for a light rail system operating between Amman and Zarqa and a funicular and a three line metro system for Amman.

Two connected but non-contiguously operated sections of the Hedjaz Railway exist:

from Amman in Jordan to Syria, as the "Hedjaz Jordan Railway."

from phosphate mines near Ma'an to the Gulf of Aqaba as the "Aqaba Railway."

Jordan shares the longest common borders with the West Bank, there are two border crossings between Jordan and Israel in the Bisan merge (King Hussein Bridge) in the north in the Wadi Araba in the south.

The Port of Aqaba is Jordan's sole outlet to the sea. It handles all cargo bound to Jordan, Iraq,and in some cases the West Bank. The Main Port is being relocated further south and being expanded. An Abu Dhabi consortium will handle the $5 billion dollar deal. The project is set to be completed in 2013.

Defense industry

Jordan is a recent entrant to the domestic defense industry with the establishment of King Abdullah Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) in 1999. The defense industrial initiative is intended to jumpstart industrialization across a range of sectors. With the Jordanian defense expenditures at 8.7% of GDP, the Jordanian authorities created the defense industry to utilize defense budget spending power and to assist in economic growth without placing additional demands on the national budget. Jordan also hosts SOFEX, the world's fastest growing and region’s only special operations and homeland security exhibition and conference. Jordan is a regional and international provider of advanced military goods and services.

A KADDB Industrial Park was opened in September 2009 in Mafraq. It is an integral industrial free zone specialized in defense industries and vehicles and machinery manufacturing. By 2015, the park is expected to provide around 15,000 job opportunities whereas the investment volume is expected to reach JD500 million.

Influence of the Southwest Asian conflict

The ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, the Persian Gulf War, and other conflicts in Southwest Asia have made huge impacts on the economy of Jordan. The fact that Jordan has peace with the surrounding countries, combined with its stability, has made it a preference for many Palestinians, Lebanese, and Persian Gulf immigrants and refugees. Though this may have resulted in a more active economy, it has also damaged it by substantially decreasing the amount of resources each person is entitled to. Jordan has a law that states that any Palestinian may immigrate and obtain Jordanian citizenship, but must remit his/her Palestinian claim. Palestinians are not allowed to purchase land unless they give up their Palestinian citizenship. In November 2005, King Abdullah called for a "war on extremism" in the wake of three suicide bombings in Amman.

Opportunity cost of the conflict

A report by Strategic Foresight Group has calculated the opportunity cost of conflict for the Middle East from 1991 to 2010 at a whopping $12 trillion (12,000,000,000,000). Jordan's share in this is almost $84 billion. Every Jordanian family will also have the opportunity to increase their annual income by more than $1,250 if peace is established in the region and the Arab-Israeli boycott is lifted in full.

The report also outlines how an extremely significant cost to Jordan is that the country is host to millions of refugees who make up 40% of their population and are a drain on 7% of the GDP. Jordan also spends over 5% of its GDP on defense, and has one of the highest numbers of military personnel in the region, 23,500 military personnel per million people.

Culture

The culture of Jordan, as in its spoken language, values, beliefs, ethnicities is Arab as the Kingdom is in the heart of Southwest Asia. Although many people from different regions of the world have come to settle in Jordan, Europeans like the (Circassians and the Chechens) or the Armenians, they have long been assimilated in the society and added their richness to the society that subsequently developed. Jordan has a very diverse cultural scene with many different artists, religious sects, and ethnic groups residing in the small country because of Jordan's reputation for stability and tolerance.

Despite that Jordan music, cinema, and other forms of entertainment are influenced by other countries most specifically other Arab countries like Lebanon and Egypt as well as by the West primarily the United States. However, there has been a rise of home-grown songs, music, art, movies and television, but they pale in comparison to the amount imported from abroad.

See:

Music of Jordan

Sports in Jordan

Cuisine of Jordan

Art in Jordan

Public holidays in Jordan

Globalization

In the 2007 A.T. Kearney Globalization Index, Jordan was ranked as the 9th most globalized nation in the world. The 2010 AOF Index of Globalization ranked Jordan as the most globalized country in the Middle East and North Africa region as well. Jordan ranked in the top 10 for the economic, social, and political components of the index. Jordan scored high on the trade tables with high investment rates, large amounts of expatriate remittances, and a liberal trade regime. Jordan also had one of the most political engagements, organization and treaty memberships in the world. High technology penetration rates and its fast growing ICT industry earned Jordan high marks in the technology connectivity rankings. For example, Jordan has a 112% mobile phone penetration rate and a 40% internet penetration rate. Furthermore, 52% of Jordanians, 15 years old and above, own a desktop computer and another 15 per cent own a laptop at home. Also, Jordan has one of the highest levels of peacekeeping troop contributions of all U.N. member states.

Jordan ranked as the 9th best outsourcing destination worldwide. Amman was ranked as the one of the "Top 10 Aspirants", cities in this ranking have a good chance in making the top 50 outsourcing cities in the next ranking. The report said that Jordan had one of the region's most favourable business climates, a well-educated population, solid capabilities in the ICT industry, and Jordan was home to numerous outsourcing companies that compete successfully internationally.

See also

Outline of Jordan

Index of Jordan-related articles

International rankings

Jund al-Urdunn, one of the five districts of Syria during the period of the Arab Caliphates

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References

Further reading

El-Anis, Imad. ''Jordan and the United States: The Political Economy of Trade and Economic Reform in the Middle East'' (I.B. Tauris, distributed by Palgrave Macmillan; 2011) 320 pages; case studies of trade in textiles, pharmaceuticals, and financial services.

Robins, Philip. ''A History of Jordan'' (2004)

Salibi, Kamal S. ''The Modern History of Jordan'' (1998)

Teller, Matthew. ''The Rough Guide to Jordan'' (4th ed. 2009)

External links

Government of Jordan ''official website''

Category:Member states of the Arab League Category:Arabic-speaking countries and territories Category:Western Asian countries Category:Countries bordering the Red Sea Category:Eastern Mediterranean countries Category:Fertile Crescent Category:Levant Category:Middle Eastern countries Category:Near Eastern countries Category:Member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Category:States and territories established in 1946 Category:Western Asia Category:Southern Levant Category:Former British colonies Category:Member states of the United Nations

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Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
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

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Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
Name	Katie Price
Birth name	Katrina Amy Alexandria Alexis Infield
Birth date	May 22, 1978
Birth place	Brighton, England
Other names	Jordan
Occupation	Glamour model, media personality, author, singer
Years active	1996–present
Networth	£40m+ (US$66.76 million) (estimated)
Height
Spouse	(divorced) (separated)
Children	Harvey (born 2002)Junior (born 2005)Princess (born 2007)
Parents	Ray Infield (father)Amy Price (née Charlier) (mother)
Relations	Daniel Price (brother)Sophie Price (half-sister)
Homepage	}}

Katie Price (born 22 May 1978), previously known under the pseudonym Jordan, is an English media personality, former glamour model and occasional singer.

Her time at topless female glamour model pictorial Page Three in British tabloid newspaper ''The Sun'' instantly shot Price into the limelight. Her placement in the public's spotlight has allowed Price to expand into a variety of different industries including television, books, fashion and music.

Price has experienced many highly-publicised relationships in the eye of the British media and has been married twice, to singer Peter Andre in 2005 and to professional fighter Alex Reid in 2010, both of which dissolved.

Life and career

1978–93: Early life

Katie Price was born Katrina Amy Alexandria Alexis Infield in Brighton, East Sussex, England to parents Amy (née Charlier) and Ray Infield. In 1982, at the age of four, her parents separated when her father left the family. However, in 1988, her mother married Paul Price, a builder, after which, Price obtained the surname. She has an older brother named Daniel and a maternal half-sister, Sophie, who was born in 1989.

Price attended Blatchington Mill School and although not an academic student, she excelled at sport, swimming for Sussex in regional competitions. During her childhood she also developed a passion for horses and horse-riding. She was molested by a man in a park's bushes at the age of seven. She began modelling as a child, and at the age of 13 modelled for a clothing line. However, unknown to Price, the project's photographer was a convicted paedophile and insisted on shooting her in her underwear.

1994–96: Career beginnings

Price left school in 1994, at the age of 16, and after the suggestion of a friend to have some professional photographs taken she decided to pursue a modelling career. The pictures were sent to a modelling agency in London and, to her surprise, agencies invited her into their studios for photo shoots and to discuss a contract. It took a few negative responses for Price to have a successful outcome, but when in 1996 she was offered a job at Page Three, a topless female glamour model pictorial in British tabloid newspaper ''The Sun''. Price's career as a glamour model had begun. She adopted the name Jordan in 1996, and made frequent appearances as a model on both Page Three and in men's lifestyle magazines.

1997–2003: Success as a model and branching into other areas

In 1996, when she was eighteen, Price's fame grew to new heights when she had breast enhancement surgery; increasing her natural 32B/C to a 32D. Unhappy with her breasts from an early age and despite her family's objections, she went ahead with the procedure because she felt that as a glamour model, she did not look "as sexy or [as] womanly" as other models. She would later have many enhancements, as well as reductions, on her breasts. She told a reporter, "Some people may be famous for creating a pencil sharpener. I'm famous for my tits." However, ''The Sun'' later barred Price from Page Three after announcing that they would only hire "all natural" models. However, she would continue modelling and has graced such covers like FHM, Maxim, Nuts, Loaded, Vogue, British Elle and the British edition of Playboy.

In an attempt to cross over from modelling to other areas, Price auditioned for a part on the UK television remake of the American-series ''Baywatch'' in 1998, guest presented ''The Big Breakfast'' and played herself in an episode of ''Dream Team''.

During the 2001 British General Election, Jordan ran as a candidate in Stretford and Urmston under her real name using the slogan: 'For a Bigger and Betta Future'. As part of her comical election campaign, she promised free breast implants, more nudist beaches, and a ban on parking tickets. In the end, Jordan won 713 votes, 1.8% of the votes cast.

In 2002, she appeared on the cover of the American edition of Hugh Hefner's Playboy magazine. Price's reputation led to a trio of documentaries by film-maker Richard Macer: ''Jordan: The Truth About Me'' in 2002; later followed by ''Jordan: The Model Mum'' and ''Jordan: You Don't Even Know Me'' in 2004.

2004–05: ''I'm a Celebrity'', Peter Andre, Eurovision and further business ventures

Price's celebrity soon brought her to television; she was a contestant on ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' between the months of January and February in 2004, a reality television series where a group of celebrities live together in a jungle environment with few luxuries. It was there that she met Australian-English pop singer Peter Andre whom she would eventually marry and later divorce.

She made a cameo appearance playing herself in an episode of the television drama series ''Footballers' Wives'' in March 2004 and also appeared in the programme ''Jordan Gets Even'' for Five.

Price appeared on ''Top Gear'''s "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" in May 2004. She completed the lap in one minute and fifty-two seconds.

Price released the first of four autobiographies ''Being Jordan'' in May 2004. Initially turned down by the mainstream publishing houses after demanding a £1 million advance, she was eventually signed up by small independent publisher John Blake, a former tabloid journalist, for £10,000 plus royalties. In a departure from industry norms, she conducted a 10-day book signing tour which provoked enough interest – contrary to expectations and almost exclusively female – to propel her to first position in the Nielsen BookScan hardback sales chart and to sell 97,090 copies in one year; and over 1,000,000 as of January 2007.

She appeared in the documentaries ''Jordan: Living With a Dream '' (Channel 4) and the series ''When Jordan Met Peter'' (ITV), ''Jordan & Peter: Laid Bare'' (ITV2) and ''Jordan & Peter: Marriage and Mayhem'' (ITV2).

Price was one of the contestants in the selection process of finding a representative for the United Kingdom at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest. The selection process, named ''Making Your Mind Up'', was broadcast live on television in March 2005. Price sang a song titled "Not Just Anybody" wearing a skin-tight pink catsuit. She came in second place behind winner Javine.

In the summer of summer 2005, Price was one of many guest hosts of the first series of ''The Friday Night Project''. In December 2005, she released an exercise fitness DVD, ''The Jordan Workout'', featuring "The Juice Master" Jason Vale.

2006–07: Book releases, ''A Whole New World'' and ''Katie & Peter''

Her second autobiography, ''A Whole New World'', was published in January 2006. It reached number two in the hardback general category and sold 198,105 copies by 1 April 2006.

Her first ghost-written novel, ''Angel'', about a young woman who becomes a model, was published in July 2006, and sold 300,000 copies in six weeks.

Price, with Peter Andre, released ''A Whole New World'', a duet album, in November 2006. All sales of the album went to their chosen charities affiliated with the many health conditions of her eldest son, Harvey. The album debuted at number twenty on the UK Albums Chart and achieved platinum status.

In 2006 Price signed a £300,000 advance with Random House for ''Katie Price's Perfect Ponies'', a series of children's books, with the first 6 released in 2007. Three more books have been released throughout 2008. A title from that series, ''My Pony Care Book'', was nominated for the WH Smith's Children's Book of the Year. In 2008, she released a new children's book series entitled ''Mermaids & Pirates'', with six in the series. Four more are expected for release in April 2008.

''Katie & Peter: Unleashed'' began on Friday 19 October 2007 at 9 pm on ITV2. A new series titled, ''Katie & Peter: The Next Chapter Down Under'' aired on ITV2 on 27 March 2008 at 9 pm running for 13 weeks. ''Katie & Peter: Stateside'' began on Thursday 16 April 2009 on ITV2 and followed the family as they relocate to Malibu, California for three months, where Andre recorded his new album.

Her second ghost-written novel, ''Crystal'', about a young woman's efforts to become a singer, sold 159,407 copies during the first three months after its release in June 2007. All four books were ghost-written by Rebecca Farnworth.

2008–09: Business ventures, split from Peter Andre, Alex Reid, ''What Katie Did Next'' and return to ''I'm a Celebrity''

In February 2008, Price's third autobiography, ''Pushed to the Limit'', was released.

In July 2008, Price released her third novel, ''Angel Uncovered''.

In July 2009, Price released a novel entitled ''Sapphire'' which was No.1 on the hardback fiction chart for 4 consecutive weeks and sold 42,215 copies in its first two weeks in the UK alone.

After three and a half years of marriage, Price and Andre separated in May 2009 after Andre's decision to leave her. They were officially divorced on 8 September 2009, two days before what would have been their fourth wedding anniversary.

A series aired in August/September 2009 called ''What Katie Did Next'', which showed Price's life/career after her split and eventual divorce from Andre.

Price released a fashion / how-to manual in October 2009 called ''Standing Out''.

In November 2009, Price made a return visit to ''I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!''. Presenters Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, insinuated during the broadcast that the surprise of Price's return had been ruined by the media. Whilst in the jungle, the public repeatedly voted Price to undertake each and every "Bush Tucker Trial" challenge. After it had been announced that Price had been selected for her seventh consecutive trial, she decided to quit the show and left one week after her arrival.

2010–present: Alex Reid, ''You Only Live Once'' and current business ventures

In July 2010, Price released "Free to Love Again", a non-album single. About the release, she explained: "I'm not a singer, this is just something that I'm doing for fun. It's not like I'm worried about getting a chart position or number one, this is purely for fun. Whether people like it or not, I'm doing it." The single had scarce promotion or radio play and was negatively received by contemporary critics. It charted at number sixty on the UK Singles Chart and was only supported by performances on GMTV and at various other London nightclubs. On all occasions, she admitted that she had been lip-synching.

Price released her fifth novel, ''Paradise'', in July 2010.

Giving a personal insight to her life between the start of 2008 and the summer of 2010, Price released her fourth autobiography titled ''You Only Live Once'' in October 2010. The book documents her split from Andre and leads up to her marriage to Alex Reid. Price dedicated the autobiography to Andre, amongst other family members and close friends, in the "hope [that he] find the happiness [he has] always been searching for". She also thanks him for taking her on a journey of self-discovery.

Price continues to write a regular advice column in ''OK!'' magazine.

In January 2011, it was reported in the Daily Mirror that Price was separating from Reid.

Endorsements

In October 2003, Price appeared in an advertising campaign for the supermarket chain ''Kwik Save''. To publicise the chain's promotion to cut the prices of their leading lines in half, Price was sawn in half by magician Peter McCahon.

In November 2006, Price launched The Katie Price Lingerie Collection in conjunction with Panache, available exclusively at Asda stores, as well as a follow-up jewellery deal with Argos.

In 2007, Price was announced as the new face of Foxy Bingo and launched a hair care range at Superdrug. She also brought out her first perfume, 'Stunning', in August. Her second perfume, 'Besotted', was released in September 2008. November 2007 saw Price releasing her 'Jordan' hair care electrical range at Superdrug. There was a hairdryer, straighteners and curlers. She released a second, similar range in November 2008 under the name 'Katie Price', to somewhat differing design.

In 2008, Price signed a deal with Derby House to launch her equestrian range named 'KP Equestrian'. On 23 March 2008, Price launched her springwear of KP Equestrian as well as KP Pony, which is for children.

In 2008, Price was refused admission to Guards Polo Club for the most prestigious day in the international Polo Season and a highlight of the British Social Season, the Hurlingham Polo Cartier International match for the Coronation Cup, presented by Prince Charles. She attempted to circumvent this by buying a table at the Chinawhite marquee for £6,000 through her agent, but this was refused as well. A statement said "Jordan has been told she is not welcome. Polo is very prestigious and there are certain names they want there and others they definitely don’t. Jordan is still too 'chavvy' as far as Cartier is concerned. Having Jordan there just wouldn’t be in keeping with Cartier’s image. If she turns up she will not be allowed access".

In 2009 Price was named as the Patron of a charity polo match that was played at an Estate, near Epping, Essex. She was photographed arriving by helicopter, wearing a mini-dress and stiletto heels. Ex-boyfriend Dane Bowers and Jade Goody's widower Jack Tweed also attended.

Controversy

Price and Andre were criticised for sexually explicit behaviour in their reality show. In taping the show the couple re-enacted sex scenes (while fully clothed) and had frank discussions about sex.

The couple were libelled by an ex-employee and later accepted damages from the ''News of the World'' newspaper after it published the accusations about their parental abilities.

In May 2009, three days after her announced separation from Andre, her management company of five years said that they would no longer represent her. They have chosen to represent Andre instead.

Personal life

Relationships

Price embarked on several brief relationships with celebrities and sports stars including footballers Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke, singer Gareth Gates, and Warren Furman (Ace from the television series ''Gladiators''). Jordan experienced a much-publicised relationship with Dane Bowers of the boy band Another Level and had an abortion after discovering he had cheated on her.

After spending time in the jungle, Price and Peter Andre got together. In September 2005, she married Andre, at Highclere Castle, Hampshire. However, in May 2009, they announced that they were separating after three and a half years of marriage. In a televised interview with Piers Morgan in July 2009, Price claimed that their break-up was partly due to Andre's jealousy of her relationship with dressage trainer Andrew Gould, which she claimed was entirely platonic. However, she described it finally came to an end when she was photographed in a Bristol nightclub after she and Andre had agreed that they would not go out without each other. She also revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage before the split.

In July 2009, Price began dating MMA fighter and former ''Hollyoaks'' actor Alex Reid. On 2 February 2010, Price married Alex Reid in a private ceremony in Las Vegas at the chapel in the Wynn Hotel, although some press reports claimed their wedding was not legal.They later formally married in a church in the UK which was filmed and shown on her TV series. They separated in January 2011. In April 2011, while visiting his parents in Córdoba Province in Argentina, she survived a near-fatal car crash into a group of horses.

Children

In May 2002, she gave birth to her first son, Harvey, in Brighton. Harvey's father is former footballer Dwight Yorke. Jordan has said she had intended to have at least one birth shown live over the Internet, but she later decided to keep it private. He was found to be blind, having a condition known as septo-optic dysplasia, meaning that the development of his optic nerve was unpredictable. As he has matured, she has also discovered that he is on the autistic spectrum, gains weight easily, and finds walking difficult.

In June 2005, Price gave birth by Caesarean section to her second child, a boy named Junior Savva Andreas Andre, in Westminster, London. In June 2007, she gave birth to her third child: a daughter named Princess Tiaamii Crystal Esther Andre.

Surgery

In 2002, Price was treated for cancer. She had a leiomyosarcoma on her finger and the tumour was removed at a Nuffield Hospital near her Brighton home.

In December 2007, Price underwent surgery in the United States to reduce the size of her breast implants and also had rhinoplasty. However, she was not happy with the results of her breast implants, so returned to Beverly Hills, California in July 2008 for corrective surgery. She returned to the United Kingdom five days later, showing off much smaller breasts: a size 32C.

Legal issues

In September 2009, Price claimed that she had previously been raped by a "famous celebrity", but had not reported the incident. Price insisted that she would "absolutely never" reveal who the attacker was. Surrey Police stated that they had not contacted Price: "No allegation of rape has been made and Miss Price will not be making a statement to police".

Discography

Albums

{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center; ! rowspan=2| Year ! rowspan=2| Album ! colspan=1| Peakchartpositions ! rowspan=2| Sales !rowspan="2"| Certifications |- ! UK |- | 2006 | align=left| ''A Whole New World''

Released: 27 November 2006

Label: Sony BMG

Formats: CD, download

| align=center| 20 | align=left|

UK: 180,000+

|

BPI: Gold

|}

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions		Album
		! width=30	! width=30

Bibliography

Autobiographies

''Being Jordan'' (2004)

''A Whole New World'' (2006)

''Pushed to the Limit'' (2008)

''You Only Live Once'' (2010)

Novels

''Angel'' (2006)

''Crystal'' (2007)

''Angel Uncovered'' (2008)

''Sapphire'' (2009)

''Paradise'' (2010)

''The Comeback Girl'' (2011)

Series

''Perfect Ponies'' (2007–10)

* ''Here Comes the Bride'', ''Little Treasures'', ''Fancy Dress Ponies'', ''Pony Club Weekend'', ''The New Best Friend'', ''Ponies to the Rescue'', ''My Pony Care Book'', ''Star Ponies'', ''Pony 'n' Pooch'', ''Pony in Disguise'', ''Stage Fright!'', ''Secrets and Surprises'', ''Wild West Weekend'' (in order of publication date)

''Mermaids & Pirates'' (2008–10)

*''Follow the Fish'', ''I Spy'', ''Let's Build a Sandcastle'', ''A Sunny Day'', ''Telescope Overboard'', ''Time for a Picnic'', ''All Around'', ''Hide and Seek'', ''Katie the Mermaid'', ''Katie's Day'', ''Peter's Friends'', ''Pirate Olympics'' (in order of publication date)

Fashion

''Standing Out'' (2009)

Awards and nominations

|- |style="text-align:center;"|2004 |style="text-align:center;"| Herself |''Loaded'''s "Cover Girl of the Decade" | |- |style="text-align:center;"|2005 |style="text-align:center;"|''Being Jordan'' |''British Book Awards''' "The Biography of the Year" | |- |rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|2007 |rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Herself |''Cosmopolitan'''s "Woman of the Year" | |- |''Grattan'''s "Celebrity Mum of the Year" | |- |style="text-align:center;"|2008 |style="text-align:center;"|''My Pony Care Book'' (a part of the ''Perfect Ponies'' series) |''British Book Awards''' "British Children's Book of the Year" | |- |rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|2009 |style="text-align:center;"|Herself |''Bounty'''s "Celebrity Mum of the Year" | |- |style="text-align:center;"|''Besotted'' |''Fifi'''s "Award for Celebrity Fragrance" | |}

See also

List of glamour models

Notes

External links

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:Cancer survivors Category:English crime victims Category:English female models Category:English female singers Category:English pop singers Category:English socialites Category:English television personalities Category:Footballers' wives and girlfriends Category:I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here! contestants Category:Page Three girls Category:Participants in British reality television series Category:People from Brighton

cy:Jordan (Katie Price) da:Katie Price de:Katie Price et:Katie Price es:Katie Price fr:Katie Price ga:Katie Price nl:Katie Price no:Katie Price pl:Katie Price pt:Katie Price ru:Кэти Прайс sq:Katie Price simple:Katie Price fi:Jordan (Katie Price) sv:Katie Price

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
Width	200
Position	Forward
Number	33
Height ft	6 |height_in9
Weight lbs	220
Birth date	December 07, 1956
Birth place	West Baden, Indiana
Career start	1979
Career end	1992
Draft year	1978
Draft team	Boston Celtics
Draft round	1
Draft pick	6
College	Indiana State (1976–1979)
Years1	– |team1 Boston Celtics
Cyears1	– |cteam1 Indiana Pacers
Stat1label	Points
Stat1value	21,791 (24.3 ppg)
Stat2label	Assists
Stat2value	5,695 (6.3 apg)
Stat3label	Rebounds
Stat3value	8,974 (10.0 rpg)
Letter	b
Bbr	birdla01
Highlights	3× NBA Champion (, , ) 3× NBA Most Valuable Player (–) 12× NBA All-Star (–, –) 2× NBA Finals MVP (, ) 9× All-NBA First Team (–) All-NBA Second Team () 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (–) NBA Rookie of the Year () NBA All-Rookie First Team () NBA All-Star Game MVP () 3× Three-point Shootout champion (–) NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team #33 retired by Boston Celtics NBA Coach of the Year () John R. Wooden Award (1979) Naismith College Player of the Year (1979) AP National Player of the Year (1979) Oscar Robertson Trophy (1979) Adolph Rupp Trophy (1979) NABC Player of the Year (1979)
Hof player	larry-j-bird }}

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

Early life

Larry Bird was born in West Baden, Indiana, the son of Georgia (née Kerns) and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird. He grew up in both West Baden and the adjacent town French Lick, which earned him the nickname "the Hick from French Lick" in his later basketball career. Financial troubles would plague the Bird family for most of Larry's childhood. Bird recalled how his mother would make do on the family's meager earnings: "If there was a payment to the bank due, and we needed shoes, she'd get the shoes, and then deal with them guys at the bank. I don't mean she wouldn't pay the bank, but the children always came first." According to Bird, his being poor as a child "motivates me to this day". He sometimes was sent to live with his grandmother due to the family's struggles. The Bird family's struggle with poverty was compounded by the alcoholism and personal difficulties of Joe Bird, who likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from serving in the Korean War. Joe and Georgia Bird divorced in 1975; Joe Bird committed suicide the same year.

In spite of his domestic woes, by the time he was a high school sophomore, Bird had become one of the better basketball players in French Lick. He started for French Lick/West Baden's high school team, Springs Valley High School, where he left as the school's all-time scoring leader. Bird's high school coach, Jim Jones, was a key factor to Bird's success. "Jonesie", as Bird called him, would come help Bird and his friends practice any day of the week. Bird would often go to the gym early, shoot between classes, and stay late into the evening. He quit both football and baseball to focus on basketball.

Collegiate career

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

King suffered a stroke prior to the 1978–79 season and assistant Bill Hodges, who had persuaded Bird to return to college basketball, was promoted to head coach. Before Bird, the Sycamores had never been to the Division I NCAA tournament; he led the team to the NCAA championship game in 1979, his senior season, only to lose to the Michigan State University Spartans, who were led by his future NBA rival, Earvin "Magic" Johnson. The Sycamores finished the season 33–1. That year, Bird won the USBWA College Player of the Year, Naismith and Wooden Awards, given to the year's top male college basketball player. After his three seasons at Indiana State, he left as the fifth-highest scorer in NCAA history. Bird finished his collegiate career with an average of 30.3 points per game. In 2007, he was voted as one of the Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball 50 greatest players.

NCAA career statistics

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

1979–1981: Immediate impact

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On , in a game played between the Celtics and Atlanta Hawks at the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana, Bird scored a career high 60 points in a tremendous shooting display. Bird scored all 19 of his points in the third quarter without the aid of a free throw; instead, he scored on jump shots from 20 feet and out. Bird scored Boston's last sixteen points in the game. In the fourth quarter, he made a fadeaway three-point shot while being fouled. He was not given continuation and the basket was not allowed (instead it was ruled a non-shooting foul and he received two free throws). Bird's 59th and 60th points were scored on a 17-foot jump shot at the buzzer. For the game, Bird officially shot 22 of 36 from the field, 1 of 4 from three-point range, and 15 of 16 from the free throw line.

Boston would have another great season the next year, with help from another Hall of Famer, Bill Walton. Walton, whose up and down career had been plagued by foot injuries, was looking for a team, and after having been turned down by the Lakers called Celtics president and general manager Red Auerbach in a last ditch effort to close out his career on an upswing. Because of Walton's reputation for being injury prone, Auerbach was initially unwilling to take a risk on him, but Bird, who happened to be in Auerbach's office at the time of Walton's call, urged him to sign Walton, saying that if Walton felt he was healthy enough to play, it was all Bird needed to hear.

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

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

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

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

1988–1992: The twilight years

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

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

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

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

In 1989, Bird published his autobiography, ''Drive: The Story of My Life'' with Bob Ryan. The book chronicles his life and career up to the 1989 NBA season.

NBA career after retirement

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

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

Head coaching record

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

Legacy

}}

In 1999, Bird ranked #30 in ''ESPN's SportsCentury's 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century''.

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

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

Player profile

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

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

Bird scored 24.3 points per game in his career on a high .496 field goal average, a stellar .886 free throw average (9th best all-time) and a 37.6 percentage on 3-point shots. Bird was also a good rebounder (10.0 rebound career average) and an excellent playmaker (6.3 assist career average). His multidimensional game made him a consistent triple-double threat; Bird currently ranks fifth all-time in triple-doubles with 59, not including the 10 he recorded in the playoffs. Bird's lifetime player efficiency rating (PER) is 23.5, 18th all-time, a further testament to his all around game. Additionally, he is the only 20, 10, 5 player in NBA history (points, rebounds, assists per game) with a lifetime PRA rating (points + rebounds + assists per game) of 40.6, which is 8th all-time. Bird was the first player in NBA history to shoot 50% or better on field goals, 40% on 3-pointers, and 90% on free-throws in a single NBA season while achieving the league minimum for makes in each category. Bird accomplished this feat twice and is second only to Steve Nash for seasons in the 50-40-90 Club.

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

Bird's humble roots were the source of his most frequently used moniker, "The Hick From French Lick". Other observers called him "The Great White Hope". He has also acquired the nickname "Larry Legend".

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

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

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

Reggie Miller recalled his encounter with Larry Bird's legendary trash talking ability in his book "I Love Being The Enemy". Reggie tried to disrupt Larry's concentration when he was shooting free throws late in a game. Larry glared at him, made the first free throw and said, "You got to be kidding me. Rook, I'm the best shooter in the league right now. In the league. Understand? And you're up here trying to say something?" Then Larry buried the second free throw. Late in a tied game against the Seattle SuperSonics, Bird told Supersonics forward Xavier McDaniel, who was guarding him, “I’m going to get [the ball] right here and I am going to bury it in your face.” As McDaniel remembers it, he responded by saying, “I know, I’ll be waiting.” After a timeout, Bird made two baseline cuts, then posted in the exact spot he had indicated to McDaniel, paused, turned, and made it in his face. He finished up the sequence by telling McDaniel, “I didn’t mean to leave two seconds on the clock.” On November 9, 1984, Bird was ejected along with Julius Erving in the third quarter after an on court scuffle. At the point of both ejections, Bird had outscored Erving 42 to 6. During the game, Bird had continuously informed Erving of their tallies with every chance he got to score. Bird denies this stating that it was teammate "M.L. (Carr) talking trash from the bench" during that game. Eventually a shoving match ensued, then swings taken by both players, and finally a bench-clearing brawl.

NBA career statistics

	Led the league

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 82 || 82 || 36.0 || .474 || .406 || .836 || 10.4 || 4.5 || 1.7 || 0.6 || 21.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| † | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 82 || 82 || 39.5 || .478 || .270 || .863 || 10.9 || 5.5 || 2.0 || 0.8 || 21.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 77 || 58 || 38.0 || .503 || .212 || .863 || 10.9 || 5.8 || 1.9 || 0.9 || 22.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 79 || 79 || 37.7 || .504 || .286 || .840 || 11.0 || 5.8 || 1.9 || 0.9 || 23.6 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| † | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 79 || 77 || 38.3 || .492 || .247 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| .888 || 10.1 || 6.6 || 1.8 || 0.9 || 24.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 80 || 77 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| 39.5 || .522 || .427 || .882 || 10.5 || 6.6 || 1.6 || 1.2 || 28.7 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| † | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 82 || 81 || 38.0 || .496 || .423 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| .896 || 9.8 || 6.8 || 2.0 || 0.6 || 25.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 74 || 73 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| 40.6 || .525 || .400 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| .910 || 9.2 || 7.6 || 1.8 || 0.9 || 28.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 76 || 75 || 39.0 || .527 || .414 || .916 || 9.3 || 6.1 || 1.6 || 0.8 || 29.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 6 || 6 || 31.5 || .471 || ... || .947 || 6.2 || 4.8 || 1.0 || 0.8 || 19.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 75 || 75 || 39.3 || .473 || .333 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| .930 || 9.5 || 7.5 || 1.4 || 0.8 || 24.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 60 || 60 || 38.0 || .454 || .389 || .891 || 8.5 || 7.2 || 1.8 || 1.0 || 19.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 45 || 45 || 36.9 || .466 || .406 || .926 || 9.6 || 6.8 || 0.9 || 0.7 || 20.2 |-class=sortbottom | style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| Career | 897 || 870 || 38.4 || .496 || .376 || .886 || 10.0 || 6.3 || 1.7 || 0.8 || 24.3 |-

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 1980 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 9 || 9 || 41.3 || .469 || .267 || .880 || 11.2 || 4.7 || 1.6 || 0.9 || 21.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| 1981† | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 17 || 17 || 44.1 || .470 || .375 || .894 || 14.0 || 6.1 || 2.3 || 1.0 || 21.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1982 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 12 || 12 || 40.8 || .427 || .167 || .822 || 12.5 || 5.6 || 1.9 || 1.4 || 17.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1983 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 6 || 6 || 40.0 || .422 || .250 || .828 || 12.5 || 6.8 || 2.2 || 0.5 || 20.5 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| 1984† | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | bgcolor="CFECEC"| 23 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| 23 || 41.8 || .524 || .412 || .879 || 11.0 || 5.9 || 2.3 || 1.2 || 27.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1985 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 20 || 20 || 40.8 || .461 || .280 || .890 || 9.1 || 5.8 || 1.7 || 1.0 || 26.0 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| 1986† | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 18 || 18 || 42.8 || .517 || .411 || .927 || 9.3 || 8.2 || 2.1 || 0.6 || 25.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1987 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | bgcolor="CFECEC"| 23 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| 23 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| 44.1 || .476 || .341 || .912 || 10.0 || 7.2 || 1.2 || 0.8 || 27.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1988 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 17 || 17 || 44.9 || .450 || .375 || .894 || 8.8 || 6.8 || 2.1 || 0.8 || 24.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1990 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 5 || 5 || 41.4 || .444 || .263 || .906 || 9.2 || 8.8 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 24.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1991 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 10 || 10 || 39.6 || .408 || .143 || .863 || 7.2 || 6.5 || 1.3 || 0.3 || 17.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1992 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 4 || 2 || 26.8 || .500 || .000 || .750 || 4.5 || 5.3 || 0.3 || 0.5 || 11.3 |-class=sortbottom | style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| Career | 164 || 162 || 42.0 || .472 || .321 || .890 || 10.3 || 6.5 || 1.8 || 0.9 || 23.8 |-

Career highs

40 point games

Bird scored 40 or more points 47 times in the regular season.

! Points	! Opponent	! Home/Away	! Date	! Minutes played	Field goal (basketball)>FGM	! FGA	Three-point field goal>3PM	! 3PA	Free throw (basketball)>FTM	! FTA	Rebound (basketball)>Rebounds	Assist (basketball)>Assists	Steal (basketball)>Steals	Block (basketball)>Blocks
60	Atlanta Hawks	Neutral		43	22	36	1	4	15	16	7	3	0	0
53	Indiana Pacers	Home			21	30	0		11	11
50	Dallas Mavericks	Away		40	18	33	4	7	10	11	11	5	1	0
50	Atlanta Hawks	Home		39	19	25	1	1	11	12	13	7	0	0
49	Washington Bullets	Home		43	20	30	0	4	9	9	8	6	4	0
49	Phoenix Suns	Away		43	17	27	3	6	12	12	12	7	0	2
49	Portland Trail Blazers	Home		54	19	35	2	8	9	10	14	12	4	1
48	Atlanta Hawks	Home		42	20	32	0	2	8	9	14	5	1	1
48	Portland Trail Blazers	Home		45	17	28	2	5	12	12	10	7	3	1
48	Houston Rockets	Home		43	17	32	0	2	14	15	15	7	2	0
47	Milwaukee Bucks	Home
47	Detroit Pistons	Home		39	17	31	0	0	13	13	12	2	2	0
47	Portland Trail Blazers	Away		49	21	34	3	3	2	3	14	11	1	2
47	New York Knicks	Home		38	22	34	0	1	3	5	7	8	4	0
47	Washington Bullets	Away		53	19	29	1	2	8	10	8	7	2	0
46	Orlando Magic	Away		44	19	33	1	3	7	8	8	10	1	0
45	Phoenix Suns	Away
45	Indiana Pacers	Away		45	18	31	1	3	8	11	12	5	5	0
45	Charlotte Hornets	Home		44	18	28	0	0	9	9	8	8	2	5
44	Houston Rockets	Away		44	17	27	1	2	9	10	15	3	2	2
44	Portland Trail Blazers	Home		44	17	35	1	5	9	9	11	8	1	0
44	Chicago Bulls	Home		40	19	29	0	0	6	6	10	3	1	1
43	Cleveland Cavaliers	Neutral		29	17	24	5	6	4	4	8	3	3	0
43	Portland Trail Blazers	Home		46	17	30	1	4	8	9	10	8	2	1
43	New Jersey Nets	Home		39	16	29	2	4	9	9	15	6	2	0
43	Denver Nuggets	Home		44	14	26	3	6	12	13	8	13	2	2
42	Philadelphia 76ers	Home
42	Seattle SuperSonics	Home		46	15	28	2	5	10	10	12	5	3	3
42	Indiana Pacers	Home		42	15	24	2	2	10	10	20	5	3	2
41	Detroit Pistons	Home
41	Portland Trail Blazers	Home
41	Atlanta Hawks	Away		40	15	27	2	4	9	11	7	6	3	2
41	Chicago Bulls	Away		46	17	29	1	1	6	6	7	7	3	1
41	Golden State Warriors	Home		43	15	24	3	6	8	10	10	5	2	0
41	New York Knicks	Home		44	17	30	3	3	4	4	6	5	3	0
41	Philadelphia 76ers	Home		43	15	21	1	2	10	10	10	4	0	0
40	Detroit Pistons	Home
40	Dallas Mavericks	Away		44	16	20	0		8	8	10	9	0	1
40	Denver Nuggets	Away		46	14	28	0	2	12	13	9	6	0	0
40	New Jersey Nets	Home		46	15	28	3	7	7	8	7	7	1	0
40	Atlanta Hawks	Home		39	14	24	3	7	9	10	12	5	2	1
40	New Jersey Nets	Home		42	17	27	3	5	3	4	8	13	2	0
40	Denver Nuggets	Home		40	16	25	0	5	8	8	13	1	2	1
40	Portland Trail Blazers	Away		40	18	27	1	2	3	4	13	5	2	0
40	Seattle SuperSonics	Home		46	17	27	2	5	4	4	11	10	1	2
40	Utah Jazz	Home		41	16	30	1	2	7	7	8	5	2	0
40	Miami Heat	Home		40	14	23	2	5	10	10	6	9	1	0

Regular season

! Stat	! High	! Opponent	! Date
Points, game		Atlanta Hawks
Points, half	37	Atlanta Hawks
Points, quarter	24	vs. Indiana Pacers
Points without a free throw, quarter	19	Atlanta Hawks
Consecutive points	16	Atlanta Hawks
Field goal percentage
Field goals made	22	Atlanta Hawks
Field goals made	22	vs. New York Knicks
Field goals made, half	15	Atlanta Hawks
Field goals made, half	15	vs. Washington Bullets
Field goals made, quarter	10	vs. Indiana Pacers
Field goals made, quarter	10	vs. Washington Bullets
Field goal attempts	36	Atlanta Hawks
Field goal attempts	36	vs. Chicago Bulls
Field goal attempts, half	23	Atlanta Hawks
Free throws made, none missed
Free throws made, one missed	16—17	vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Free throws made	16	vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Free throw attempts
Three-point field goals made	7	vs. Dallas Mavericks
Three-point field goals made	7	vs. Indiana Pacers
Three-point field goal attempts	10	three	times
Rebounds	21	at Philadelphia 76ers
Rebounds	21	at Los Angeles Lakers
Rebounds	21	at Denver Nuggets
Rebounds	21	at Washington Bullets
Offensive rebounds
Defensive rebounds	18	at Chicago Bulls
Defensive rebounds	18	vs. Indiana Pacers
Assists	17	at Golden State Warriors
Assists	16	vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Steals		at Utah Jazz
Steals	8	at New Jersey Nets
Steals	8	vs. New Jersey Nets
Blocked shots
Turnovers	10	at New York Knicks
Minutes played

Playoffs

! Stat	! High	! Opponent	! Date
Points	43	vs. Detroit Pistons
Points	42	vs. Detroit Pistons
Points	42	at Milwaukee Bucks
Points, half	30	vs. Detroit Pistons
Points, quarter	24	vs. Atlanta Hawks
Field goal percentage
Field goals made	17	vs. Detroit Pistons
Field goals made	16	vs. New York Knicks
Field goals made, quarter	10	vs. Atlanta Hawks
Field goal attempts	33	vs. Detroit Pistons
Free throws made, none missed	14—14	vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Free throws made, one missed	14—15	vs. Detroit Pistons
Free throws made	14	vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Free throws made	14	vs. Detroit Pistons
Free throws made, half	12	vs. Detroit Pistons
Free throw attempts	15	vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Free throw attempts	15	vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Free throw attempts	15	at Los Angeles Lakers
Free throw attempts	15	vs. Detroit Pistons
Free throw attempts	15	at Milwaukee Bucks
Three-point field goals made	5	at Milwaukee Bucks
Three-point field goal attempts	6	vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Three-point field goal attempts	6	at Milwaukee Bucks
Rebounds	21	at Philadelphia 76ers
Rebounds	21	vs. Houston Rockets
Rebounds	21	vs. Houston Rockets
Rebounds	21	at Los Angeles Lakers
Offensive rebounds
Defensive rebounds	19	at Philadelphia 76ers
Assists	16	vs. New York Knicks
Assists, half	11	vs. New York Knicks
Steals	5	vs. Houston Rockets
Steals	5	at Houston Rockets
Steals	5	at New York Knicks
Steals	5	vs. Detroit Pistons
Blocked shots
Turnovers	10	vs. Chicago Bulls
Minutes played	56	at Milwaukee Bucks

Personal life

Prior to attending Indiana State University, Bird married his high school girlfriend, Janet Condra. The marriage lasted only 11 months, but produced a daughter, Corrie, born on August 14, 1977.

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

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

''Game Informer'' magazine associate editor Dan Ryckert is Bird's nephew.

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

In popular culture

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

Bird has appeared in several video games. In One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird Bird plays opposite Julius Erving in a game of one-on-one. A sequel, Jordan vs Bird: One on One, was a 1988 basketball video game.

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

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

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson wrote a book together (with Jackie MacMullan) titled ''When The Game Was Ours''.

In a commercial during Super Bowl XLIV, Dwight Howard and LeBron James challenge each other at trick shots for a McDonald's lunch. After they finish, clapping is heard, then the camera pans to the crowd and Bird says "Great show, guys. Thanks for lunch." Howard and James share a confused look. Howard asks, "Who was that?" James replies, "I have no idea." This refers to a McDonald's commercial from 1991 in which Bird and Michael Jordan have a trick shot contest, in which the winner got the lunch and the loser had to watch the winner eat.

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson are joining Michael Jordan on the cover of NBA 2K12.

See also

List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders

List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders

List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff rebounding leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff assists leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders

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

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

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

References

Further reading

External links

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

NBA.com: Where Legends Are Born

NBA History

CNN/Sports Illustrated: A Player for the Ages

1979 Oscar Robertson Trophy USBWA College Player of the Year

Videos of Larry Bird on mReplay.com

Larry Bird Statistics

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame profile

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

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