Michael Jordan: Legends in Sports (9 page)

Michael Jordan plays on his high school team, the Laney Buccaneers. He wears number 23, the same number he will wear later
as a member of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and the Chicago Bulls

With his soon-to-be-signature expression, North Carolina Tar Heel guard Michael Jordan drives down the court.

Michael Jordan hangs from the hoop after a tremendous slam dunk.

Michael poses with the 1989 “Top Vote Getter” award just before the NBA All-Star game. He received more than one million votes!

Air Jordan flies again!

An emotional Michael Jordan cradles the 1991 NBA championship trophy.

In 1994, Michael Jordan left basketball to try a new career in baseball. Here, he slugs an RBI double for his minor league
team, the Birmingham Barons.

“His Airness” flies again—but upon his return to basketball in 1995, following a year in baseball, he sported number 45 rather
than his signature number 23.

Jordan aims, shoots, and scores the winning basket to give the Bulls their third straight NBA title in 1998.

Jordan, the series MVP, jumps in celebration after his 1998 title-winning shot drops through the hoop.

Michael Jordan waves farewell as he walks off the court one final time after his last NBA game on April 16, 2003.

Two of the most recognizable people in the world of sport, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, are all smiles during the Wachovia
pro-am tournament in 2007.

The Bulls entered the playoffs knowing they faced their toughest challenge yet. While the Pistons, Lakers, and Celtics were
not the tough teams they had once been, the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Portland Trail Blazers were all much
improved and had their sights set on an NBA title.

After defeating the Miami Heat in three straight games in the opening round, the Bulls were tested in round two against the
Knicks. Like the Pistons a few years before, the Knicks were known as the roughest and toughest defensive team in the league.
They gave the Bulls all they could handle. Entering game seven, the series was tied.

Michael Jordan led the way. In the first quarter, he exploded for 18 points, and the Bulls opened up a big lead. The Knicks
never recovered. Michael finished with 42, and the Bulls won in a rout, 110–81. The Bulls were one step closer to their goal.

Next up were the Cleveland Cavaliers. A good team, the Cavs put up a monumental fight, but in the end, the Bulls dispatched
them in six tough games to win the Eastern Conference. The Bulls
moved on to face the Portland Trail Blazers in the finals.

Trail Blazer fans saw the series as a showdown between Michael Jordan and Portland star Clyde Drexler. Next to Michael, Drexler
was probably the most exciting player in the league. While he wasn’t quite as big as Michael, Portland fans thought that Drexler
had a better jump shot and was more dangerous from the outside.

In the first game, in Chicago, Michael showed Trail Blazer fans who had a good outside shot. On his way to 35 first-half points,
he made six of nine three-pointers, including a remarkable five in a row. The Bulls won big, 122–89.

But the Trail Blazers weren’t finished. In game two, they fought back to tie the score at the end of regulation play, then
snuck out of Chicago Stadium with a 115–104 win in overtime.

The two teams then traveled to Portland. The Bulls played great team defense and won by ten, holding the Trail Blazers to
only 84 points. In game four, Portland bounced back again, however, and knotted the series at two games apiece.