15 Things You Don’t Know About Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan has been the face of basketball for generations.

The consensus G.O.A.T. is not only one of the most popular athletes to ever live, but one of the most well known and respected men today.

Despite retiring from the NBA in 2003, Michael Jordan still makes headlines. Every time someone says the words LeBron or Kobe in the same breath as greatest or G.O.A.T., Michael Jordan’s name enters the discussion.

Jordan’s legacy is immortal. He was a 5x NBA MVP, 10x Scoring Leader, 14x All-Star, 3x All-Star MVP, 2x Slam Dunk Champion, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist, 9x All-Defensive First Team, 10x All-NBA First Time, Rookie of the Year, 6x NBA Champion, & 6x Finals MVP (but who’s counting).

And of course, Michael Jordan is MUCH more than an athlete. As some of you may already know, he is the first Billionaire athlete, ever.

But now, we are here to talk about all the things you likely never knew about MJ. All the stories, theories, & facts that make him, him.

The incredible achievements, stats, and even NBA struggles that somehow have fallen between the cracks.

Soon, you will learn what kind of human being MJ is, how he thinks as a competitor, why he stuck out his tongue while dunking, his remarkable effect on basketball, & more.

It’s time for a little goat talk.

Here are 15 things you probably never knew about Michael Jordan.

15. MICHAEL JORDAN’S FAVORITE PART OF THE OLYMPICS

It’s no secret that Michael Jordan prides himself on having a competitive nature.

It’s what drives him to be a powerful businessman and it’s the substance that fueled him to make the varsity basketball team in high school after struggling to do so. But how far did he take his competitiveness?

Michael Jordan said his FAVORITE part of playing for team USA, aka the Dream Team was learning the weaknesses of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and all his other All-Star teammates that way he could expose them on the NBA court. Never mind traveling the world enjoying sightseeing, MJ had an agenda.

14. RIDICULOUS POSTSEASON SCORING AVERAGES

Michael Jordan dominated the regular reasons, but he really cemented his legacy with insane playoff performances.

During the 1986 playoffs, Michael Jordan averaged 43.7 points per game on 50.5% shooting. By far the best scoring averages in NBA postseason history.

13. MJ HAD THE WORST 3PT CONTEST PERFORMANCE EVER

You typically won’t see Michael Jordan and worst performance in the same sentence. But unfortunately, Michael Jordan had the worst three-point contest performance in NBA history.

In 1990, Michael Jordan practically missed every single 3pt attempt during the contest, only scoring a total of 5 points. An awful outing to say the least.

12. SPACE JAM SETTING RECORDS

The movie Space Jam was highly anticipated and still far exceeded expectations.

Financially, Space Jam is by far the most successful basketball movie to be released. Space Jam racked up about $230 million dollars from movie theater ticket sales worldwide. LeBron James has big shoes to fill…

11. HE WAS UNDER PAID FOR 11 SEASONS

Michael Jordan was an NBA star right away, winning ROY his first season and averaged 37.1 points per game in his next full season. However, the checks didn’t match the production.

Despite quickly becoming the best player in the NBA by just his 3rd season, Michael Jordan didn’t earn a penny over $4 million from his NBA salaries until the 1996-97 season. This would never happen in the league today.

10. THE EFFICIENCY GOAT

Everyone knows Michael Jordan for putting up crazy scoring numbers and winning titles, but many don’t realize how efficient he was.

From 1986 to 1993 Michael Jordan led the league in player efficiency ratings. Typically, during this era, this honor would go to centers or power forwards who normally shoot over 50% and get easier shot opportunities. So, a guard receiving this honor was extremely rare at the time and still is today.

9. MJ NEVER BEAT THE CELTICS IN THE PLAYOFFS

This is so hard to believe but 100% true.

How could Michael Jordan win 6 NBA Finals while playing in the eastern conference and never beat the Celtics in the playoffs, a team that almost always made the postseason?

The Bulls as a franchise are 0-4 against the Celtics in the playoffs and 3-14 in games played against them in the playoffs. *ouch*

8. JORDAN PLAYED A CARTOON SUPERHERO

Ever hear of ProStars? If you’re under 30 years old than probably not.

ProStars was a cartoon show that featured Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Bo Jackson.

They were the 3-star athletes that would also save the world from countless of evil villains. Although there were big names involved in the show, the series didn’t last long, only 2 season

7. WHY MJ WAGGED HIS TONGUE WHEN DUNKING

One of the most iconic images you’ll see in sports is Air Jordan sticking his tongue out in mid air going for a dunk.

Apparently, this is a learned behavior that originated from Michael as child watching his father stick his tongue out while working. Experts say this behavior means that person is concentrating and sticks out their tongue to reject others socially in order to keep their focus.

6. MICHAEL JORDAN DONATED HIS SALARY TO 9/11 RECOVERY

This is a statement of character.

Before the start of Michael Jordan’s first season with the Washington Wizards, the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred. For those that aren’t old enough to remember; the tragedy shook the entire nation, but some were left with practically nothing.

Recognizing that his $1 million-dollar salary could go a long way, Jordan donated his entire earnings that season to aid the 9/11 victims. Indeed, a goat move.

5. WAS THE FLU GAME REALLY THE POISON GAME?

Michael Jordan’s flu game against the Utah Jazz Game 5 of the 1991 NBA Finals may have not been by chance.

First off, Michael Jordan was the only one who got sick on his team.How? He practiced, trained, ate, and interacted with teammates and coaching staff nearly every day.

A common theory that has resurfaced recently is that Michael Jordan was “poisoned” before the game.

MJ ordered a Pizza for himself the night before, none of his teammates had a slice. Many believe that the local Utah natives were up to something. If the delivery boy did know that pizza was for Jordan ahead of time, it wouldn’t be a HUGE shocker if one of the locals tampered with the pie before MJ had a few slices.

4. JORDAN HAD HIS JERSEY STOLEN BEFORE TIP-OFF

On Valentine’s day, 1990, in Orlando, someone (still unknown) stole MJ’s jersey right out of the locker room just an hour before tip-off.

The Bulls were unable to find the jersey and were unable to get another #23 jersey with his name on it in time for the game. Therefore, Michael Jordan had to wear a nameless #12 jersey against the Orlando Magic. Luckily Michael Jordan was not the superstitious type; he went on to drop 49 points that game.

3. HIS NICKNAME USED TO BE MAGIC JORDAN

Eventually, Michael Jordan admitted during an interview with Playboy in 1992 that he admired Lakers point guard Magic Johnson before he entered the NBA.

He idolized Magic Johnson so much that his friends started calling him Magic Jordan. Years later, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan became friends.

I liked him when I was in high school. They used to call me Magic Jordan. My first car had a license plate with Magic Jordan on it. It was a 1976 Grand Prix… – Michael Jordan

2. ORIGIN OF THE JORDAN LOGO & BRAND

Originally, Michael Jordan intended on signing with Adidas. However, the company was dealing with succession issues, so they couldn’t make him an offer…

Nike jumped in and stole Jordan, making what would eventually be one of the most lucrative deals in professional sports history.

Nike design team leader, Peter Moore, found a photo of Michael Jordan during the Olympics in Life Magazine with the pose of his Jordan logo. The design team then worked on Jordan pulling off the same move in Chicago Bulls gear.

The rest is history.

1. MICHAEL JORDAN AND THE BULLS DOMINATION

Starting in 1990, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls never lost more than 2 games in a row. This streak lasted 8 years.

During these 8 years, the Bulls won 3 consecutive NBA titles, TWICE.