List of 43 Facts About Michael Jordan:
#1 On February 14, 1990, Jordan was wearing the number 12 for the Chicago Bulls. It was against the Orlando Magic after his #23 jersey was stolen from the locker room. He whopped 49 points on 21-of-43 shooting.
#2 Jordan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography from the University of North Carolina.
#3 MJ suffers from aquaphobia because he watched a friend drown to death. He said:
“I went swimming with a friend, we were playing when a giant wave came, dragging me along. He grabbed me. It was very strong, they call it a death grip. It’s a kind of grip that happens to someone who realizes they’re dying. I almost broke his hand. He died and I’ve never been in the water since.”
#4 Since 1993, the NBA legend has smoked a cigar before every home game. “It became a ritual for every home game,” Jordan revealed in an interview.
#5 On August 26, 1985, Jordan dunked so forcefully that he destroyed a backboard during an exhibition game in Trieste, Italy. The scene became known as the “Shattered Backboard Game.”
The University of North Carolina’s Michael Jordan has been selected as United Press International’s Player of the Year – @Getty
#6 In 2025, Michael revealed that he promised Adidas he’d sign if they matched or exceeded Nike’s offer.
“They actually never matched the deal,” Jordan said. “They couldn’t even come close.”
#7 He earned a total of at least $1.5 billion from his deal with Nike since 1986.
#8 MJ was a member of Omega Psi Phi at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
#9 He owns Catch 23, a luxurious motor yacht that was built by the world-renowned brand, Viking Yachts. Catch 23 is worth at least $8 million. In 2022, Jordan bought a 224-foot, $115 million superyacht, M’BRACE, which was designed and built by Abeking & Rasmussen.
March 28, 1983. Player of the Year – North Carolina’s Michael Jordan – @Getty
#10 In 2023, Jordan donates $10 million to Make-A-Wish for his 60th birthday.
“I can’t think of a better birthday gift than seeing others join me in supporting Make-A-Wish so that every child can experience the magic of having their wish come true,” he said.
#11 In 2021, Jordan co-founded 23XI with NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin.
#12 Before the NASCAR team, he owned a Superbike team through Michael Jordan Motorsports. It competed from 2004 to 2013 on the AMA motorcycle circuit.
#14 Dr. Stanford Shulman is the person who named a new strain of Salmonella (Salmonella mjordan) after MJ. “Believe me, I meant for this to be a high honor,” Shulman said.
@Getty
#15 In 1994, he retired from the NBA to play minor league baseball for the Birmingham Barons. Jordan played a total of 127 games for the Birmingham Barons. It was always his father’s dream that he would be a baseball player.
#16 In 1993, his father, James, was shot and killed while sleeping in his car in Robeson County, North Carolina.
#17 He averaged 21.4 points at the age of 40.
#18 During the 1988–89 season, MJ had 11 triple-doubles, which included a stretch where he had seven in a row.
#19 Jordan won the Finals MVP award 6 times (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) in the NBA Finals in his career.
#20 Michael played in 1,251 career games (regular season + playoffs).
#21 He has 2 Olympic gold medals.
“It adds something to your life when you win a gold medal,” Jordan said. “You hear the whole world cheering for you. That’s far greater than any other cheering you’re going to hear in basketball.”
#22 MJ has one of the best statues ever created. It stands 12 feet tall and weighs more than 2,000 pounds. You can find it inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
@Getty
#23 The Jordan Rules was a basketball tactic employed by the Detroit Pistons. “The Jordan Rules by the Pistons were all about not letting him get to the basket,” says former Bulls center Will Perdue
#24 On May 7, 1989, Michael hit “The Shot” to eliminate the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the first-round NBA playoffs series.
“We started to get over the hump of loser’s mentality,” Mj later said. “We were starting to become a winning franchise. And the sky was the limit.”
#25 In 1978, he was cut from his high school basketball team.
#26 About three to four hours before every game, Jordan would have a massive steak and baked potato.
#27 In 1991, MJ declined an invitation by George HW Bush to the White House. Jordan reportedly wanted to spend time relaxing with his family back in North Carolina.
#28 Jordan has freakishly large hands that he displayed as he palmed the basketball with ease during games.
#29 His longest recorded hang time is an impressive 0.92 seconds.
@Getty
#30 Michael chose #23 as a tribute to his older brother, Larry Jordan.
“My brother wore No. 45, which was my number,” Jordan expalined in an interview. “So when we were on the same team, we couldn’t wear the same number. Therefore, I chose half of what his jersey number was, which was 22.5. Ultimately, I preferred to round it up and wear 23.”
#31 He came back wearing #45 — After his first retirement, when he returned to the NBA, he wore 45 instead of 23.
#32 In 2023, Jordan’s trainers sold for a record $2.2 million. He wore the sneaker during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals.
#33 After winning the 1996 NBA Finals against the Seattle Supersonics, Jordan broke down in tears in the locker room. It was MJ’s first title without his dad by his side.
#34 Between 1990 to 1998, he and the Chicago Bulls never lost 3 games in a row.
@Getty
#35 In 1988, he won Defensive Player of the Year and averaged 35 ppg.
#36 Jordan had 13 games played in All-Star Games in his career.
#37 At some point, MJ considered being a weatherman.
“I went to college,” Jordan confessed at the 20th annual Michael Jordan Flight School in Santa Barbara, California. “I got my degree in coastal geography. Everybody wants to know: What’s coastal geography? Well, it’s an introduction to meteorology. I always wanted to be the weatherman.”
#38 In 1991, Jordan played a cartoon superhero with Wayne Gretzky and Bo Jackson as his sidekicks.
#39 MJ was so superstitious that he wore his UNC shorts under his Bulls shorts every single game.
#40 Michael Jordan is officially a billionaire. He has a net worth of $3.8 billion.
Michael Jordan attend Feherty Live from The Ryder Cup on September 24, 2012 in Downers Grove – @Getty
#41 Born in Brooklyn, New York, Michael grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina.
#42 He played 15 seasons in the NBA between 1984 and 2003. Jordan was the third pick in the 1984 NBA draft.
How old was Michael Jordan when he retired?
#43 Jordan first retired in 1993, at age 30.
“I have no more challenges that I felt I could get motivated for. It doesn’t have anything to do with my father’s passing, or media pressure, or anything other than that I had achieved everything in basketball I could,” he said at the press conference.
MJ returned to the Bulls in the 1994-95 season. He retired for the second time in 1999. Jordan said he was “99.9 percent certain” that he would never play in the NBA again.
Basketball legend Michael Jordan walks in the Paddock prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at the Miami International Autodrome – @Getty
In 2001, Jordan returned to the NBA as a member of the Washington Wizards. He was 38.
In 2003, Michael Jordan retired at the age of 40 for the third and final time. His last game was on April 16, 2003.
READ THIS NEXT:
Is Billie Eilish Vegan or Vegetarian?
I am Bulgarea Candin Stefan, and I founded FamousPeopleToday.com in 2018. I’m using my bachelor’s degree in economics and 9 years of experience in blogging to guide millions of people through the incredibly complex world of celebrity net worths.