Michael Jordan

Born

1963 · Brooklyn, New York, US (raised in Wilmington, North Carolina)

Roots

Black American

Family

Middle class

His father was an equipment supervisor at General Electric, his mother worked in banking; a disciplined five-child household.

Education

University of North Carolina (left for the draft after junior year)

Started with

A JV assignment

Left off the varsity roster as a 15-year-old sophomore; he treated the snub as fuel for decades.

Affiliations & societies

Omega Psi PhiDocumented

Pledged the Black fraternity at North Carolina.

Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.

The pathway

1. 1982 · age 19
   The shot

   Hits the title-winning jumper for North Carolina as a freshman.

2. 1984 · age 21
   Air Jordan$126M

   Drafted third; Nike bets $500K a year on a rookie and hopes for $3M in four years — year one sells $126M.

3. 1991 · age 28
   First three-peat

   Three straight titles with the Bulls.

4. 1993 · age 30
   His father is murdered

   James Jordan is killed in a roadside robbery; Michael retires and plays minor-league baseball.

5. 1995 · age 31
   "I'm back"

   The two-word fax announces the return; a 72-win season and a second three-peat follow.

6. 2010 · age 47
   Majority owner

   Buys control of the Charlotte franchise — the first former player to own a team outright.

7. 2014 · age 51
   Billionaire status$1B

   Per Forbes, driven more by Jordan Brand royalties than career salary; he sells the team's majority in 2023 at a ~$3B valuation.