Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Before he reached his first birthday, his parents, James and Deloris, moved the family to Wilmington, North Carolina, where James built a basketball court in the backyard of the family’s new house. Young Michael was one of five children — he had two brothers, Larry and James, and two sisters, Delores and Roslyn.
Growing up, Michael Jordan adored baseball, but also played football and basketball. He was a very good pitcher in Little League and threw several no-hitters, coming one game away from leading his team to the Little League World Series. In 1975, Michael was named “Mr. Baseball” among players in his age group by the Dixie Youth Baseball Association. At one point, while pitching for Laney High School in Wilmington, Jordan boasted a 42-inning scoreless streak. It wasn’t until he was older that Jordan truly took basketball seriously. After being beaten by his older brother, Larry, Michael took it personally and improved his game. Being beaten by his older brother was the only motivation Jordan needed to work on his basketball game and become the best player he could.
During his sophomore year at Laney, a 5’9″ Michael Jordan tried out for the basketball team. He was passed over for the final spot on the varsity team when coach Clifton Herring decided he preferred 6’8″ sophomore Leroy Smith over Jordan. Jordan was quoted as saying, “It was embarrassing not making that team. They posted the roster and it was there for a long, long time without my name on it. I remember being really mad, too, because there was a guy who made it that really wasn’t as good as me.” Jordan put up one of the best performances on the school’s junior varsity team that season and joined the varsity the next year. He led Laney High to the state playoffs as a senior.
Jordan made a name for himself on the national scene with a stellar performance in the McDonald’s All-American game. He hit the winning free throws to give his East team a 96-95 win, scoring 30 points in the process. Jordan’s 30 points were the most ever scored by a player in the McDonald’s game, and stood as the record until Jonathan Bender scored 31 in 1999. Jordan was not, however, named the game’s MVP; that honor went to Adrian Branch.
Michael Jordan 