Michael Jordan : biography

In 1991, Jordan purchased a lot in Highland Park, Illinois, to build a 56,000 square foot mansion, which was completed four years later.Rodkin, Dennis. "", Chicago Magazine, February 29, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2012. Both of his sons attended Loyola Academy, a private Roman Catholic high school located in Wilmette, Illinois.Associated Press. , nbcsports.msnbc.com, July 9, 2005. Retrieved April 9, 2008. 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,Associated Press. , ESPN, June 24, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2009., Illinois Fighting Illini, October 16, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2010. then received a release to transfer to the University of Central Florida, where Marcus was attending.Associated Press. , The New York Times, May 21, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010., ESPN, June 1, 2010. Retrieved December 14, 2010. Marcus transferred to Whitney Young High School after his sophomore year at Loyola Academy and graduated in 2009. He began attending UCF in the fall of 2009,Weir, Tom. "", USA Today, April 7, 2009. Retrieved December 24, 2011. and played three seasons of basketball for the school."", SI.com, August 20, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

On July 21, 2006, a Cook County, Illinois judge determined that Jordan did not owe his alleged former lover Karla Knafel $5 million.Associated Press. , USA Today, June 12, 2003. Retrieved January 16, 2007. Jordan had allegedly paid Knafel $250,000 to keep their relationship a secret.Associated Press. , ESPN, July 22, 2006. Retrieved March 3, 2011,, USA Today, November 25, 2002. Retrieved February 12, 2009., whiotv.com, November 19, 2002. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 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.

He proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto, on Christmas Eve, 2011,Troop, Caleb. "", WCNC-TV, December 29, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2012. and they were married on April 27, 2013.Garcia, Jennifer. "", People, April 27, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013. Jordan listed his Highland Park mansion for sale in 2012.

Jordan’s private jet features a stripe in Carolina blue, the "Air Jordan" logo on the tail, and references to his career in the identification number.Dwyer, Kelly. "", Yahoo! Sports, October 6, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2011.

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. The team was coached by Bob Knight and featured players such as Patrick Ewing, Sam Perkins, Chris Mullin, Steve Alford, and Wayman Tisdale. Jordan led the team in scoring, averaging 17.1 ppg for the tournament., USA Basketball, Inc. Retrieved February 16, 2009.

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". Jordan was the only player to start all 8 games in the Olympics. Playing limited minutes due to the frequent blowouts, Jordan averaged 14.9 ppg, finishing second on the team in scoring.Hareas, John. , National Basketball Association. Retrieved March 23, 2012. Jordan and fellow Dream Team members Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin are the only American men’s basketball players to win Olympic gold as amateurs and professionals., USA Basketball Inc. Retrieved February 16, 2009.

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,Gross, Jane. , The New York Times, October 21, 1984. Retrieved March 7, 2007.Goldaper, Sam. , The New York Times, October 19, 1984. Retrieved March 7, 2007.Johnson, Roy S. , The New York Times, November 9, 1984. Retrieved March 7, 2007. and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the heading "A Star Is Born" just over a month into his professional career., si.cnn.com. Retrieved March 9, 2007., databasebasketball.com. Retrieved March 10, 2007. 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., National Basketball Association. Retrieved January 20, 2007. The Bulls finished the season 38–44,, databasebasketball.com. Retrieved January 16, 2007. and lost in the first round of the playoffs in four games to the Milwaukee Bucks.