Michael Jordan Essays (1388 words) - , Term Papers

Michael Jordan In this paper , it will be proven that Michael Jordan is the best basketball player that ever played the game . The Road to Greatness Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17 , 1963. He was born in Brooklyn ,New York . He was the fourth of five children , the most active but also laziest . "Michael was probably the laziest kid I had" said his father ("100% JORDAN" ,.20). At the age of 5 he moved to Wilmington , North Carolina , where he spent the rest of his scholastic career . As a teenager , he became very athletic. Maybe the best learning experiences for young Michael were the backyard games against his brother, Larry . On the court that his father built , Michael suffered some of the worst beatings in basketball that he ever received . The way Michael remembers , " It was like we were opponents . We never thought of brotherhood at all . Sometimes it would end in fighting." (Krugel , 11). When Michael speaks of Larry now , it is with all respect that an older brother should receive . " He's got the dunks and some 360's and most all the same stuff I got . And he's 5-foot-7 . Larry is my inspiration ."(11). All the games against his brother gave him the better sense of competitiveness , persistence , and responsibility that he has today. He attended Laney High School where he first started playing organized basketball . As a freshmen , he started on Junior Varsity , where he averaged 25 points per game . He did not make the Varsity team as a sophomore , even though he averaged 28 points per game on Junior Varsity. When junior year came , he grew up to 6-foot-3 inches and made people notice him . He made varsity that season and averaged 20 points a game . That summer he attended the well known Five-Star Basketball Camp where he started to attract the attention of college coaches . " His is one of the strange , great stories" says Sonny Vaccaro ("100% JORDAN', .22). "He was a nobody , he wasn't all that highly-touted"(22). By the time his senior year began , he didn't have to worry , for he was already being scouted by the North Carolina Tar-Heels . He had a strong senior season , averaging 23 points a game and helping Laney to 19 victories . But they lost in the conference tournament to a New Hanover team that included future NBA player, Kenny Gattison and future NFL defensive end, Clyde Simmons . Even though Patrick Ewing was rated number one high school player, North Carolina still picked Michael . "What set him apart from the rest was his burning desire for the game" Gibbons, coach of North Carolina, said . "I've watched many, many players that rise above the pack because of some special characteristic that others don't have-the heart of a champion. If anybody has that , it's Michael Jordan" (.22). Jordan took part in the McDonald's All-star Game , and scored 30 points ; that made people realize how good he really was . The next year he started to play at North Carolina . In North Carolina ,he played for coach Smith , who is known for his great tactics in the game of basketball , and for his winning career . He became the eighth freshman player to start on a Smith-coached team and proved to be a fine outside weapon, balancing the inside play of veterans Sam Perkins and James Worthy . He really started to make heads turn by showing up some of the best college players . Like Hakeem Olajuwan ,and Patrick Ewing . His first day of practice , we noticed he was trying to do what we said, even though maybe it wasn't natural from a defensive standpoint," Smith said . " But within three or four days , he would have it down pat . He has good savvy about the game , learning it.("100% JORDAN", .24). Jordan finished third on the team in points (13.5) and rebounds (4.4) in a fine freshman season , although he definitely deferred to Worthy and Perkins . Against Georgetown in the '82 NCAA title game , he really took over the court . With 31 seconds seconds to play and the Georgetown Hoyas holding a 62-61 lead , Smith designed a play that would get the