Life timeline of Michael Jordan

Around 1978

Was left off Laney High School's varsity basketball roster as a sophomore and responded by starring on junior varsity

Also in Education

1981 – 1984

Played college basketball for Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Also in Education

29 Mar 1982

Hit the late go-ahead jumper as North Carolina beat Georgetown 63-62 for the NCAA championship

Also in Education

1984

Left North Carolina with one season of eligibility remaining to enter the NBA draft

Also in Education

19 Jun 1984

Chicago Bulls selected him third overall in the NBA draft

10 Aug 1984

Won Olympic basketball gold with the United States in Los Angeles as the team's leading scorer

Also in Honors

20 Apr 1986

Scored an NBA playoff-record 63 points in a double-overtime loss at Boston

1987 – 1993

Won seven consecutive NBA scoring titles

Also in Honors

1988

Won his first NBA Most Valuable Player award

Also in Honors

7 May 1989

Hit 'The Shot' over Cleveland at the buzzer to win deciding Game 5 of the first playoff round

12 Jun 1991

Won his first NBA championship as Chicago beat the Lakers 4-1; earned his first Finals MVP

Also in Honors

8 Aug 1992

Won a second Olympic basketball gold medal as a starter on the U.S. 'Dream Team' in Barcelona

Also in Honors

20 Jun 1993

Completed Chicago's first three-peat by defeating Phoenix; averaged a Finals-record 41 points per game and won Finals MVP

Also in Honors

6 Oct 1993

Announced his first retirement from basketball, citing loss of desire and later describing physical and mental exhaustion

7 Feb 1994 – 10 Mar 1995

Pursued professional baseball, spending the 1994 season with the Double-A Birmingham Barons

Also in Location · Work

18 Mar 1995

Announced his return to the NBA with the two-word statement 'I'm back'

15 Nov 1996

Starred in the feature film 'Space Jam', extending his global media and commercial presence beyond basketball

Also in Media · Work

14 Jun 1998

Won a sixth NBA championship, hitting the late title-clinching shot in Game 6 against Utah and earning Finals MVP

Also in Honors

13 Jan 1999

Announced his second retirement from professional basketball

25 Sept 2001

Announced a second NBA comeback and signed a two-year contract to play for the Washington Wizards

30 Oct 2001 – 16 Apr 2003

Played his final NBA seasons with the Washington Wizards

16 Apr 2003

Played his final NBA game in Philadelphia, ending a 15-season career with 32,292 regular-season points

11 Sept 2009

Was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as an individual

Also in Honors

19 Apr 2020 – 17 May 2020

Participated in the 10-part documentary series 'The Last Dance' about the 1997-98 Bulls and his career

Also in Media · Work

21 Sept 2020 – present

Co-founded and co-owned 23XI Racing with Denny Hamlin, entering NASCAR's Cup Series with Bubba Wallace

Also in Finance · Work

16 Jun 2023

Agreed to sell his controlling stake in the Charlotte Hornets to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall

Also in Finance

2 Oct 2024

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR over the charter system

Also in Finance · Work

15 Feb 2026

Won his first Daytona 500 as a team owner when 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick took the 2026 race

Also in Honors · Work

Oct 1984

Signed a landmark endorsement partnership with Nike that became the foundation of the Air Jordan business

Also in Work

1 Apr 1985

Nike released the first Air Jordan sneaker to the public

Also in Work

9 Sept 1997

Nike launched Jordan Brand as a distinct brand built around his name and Jumpman identity

Also in Work

26 Oct 1984 – 6 Oct 1993

First Chicago Bulls era

19 Mar 1995 – 14 Jun 1998

Chicago Bulls comeback era

17 Mar 2010 – 3 Aug 2023

Charlotte franchise ownership era

1986

Returned to North Carolina and completed a bachelor's degree in geography

1991 – 1991

Fronted Gatorade's 'Be Like Mike' campaign, one of the defining athlete advertising campaigns of the era

Also in Finance · Work

2001 – 2014

Hosted the annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational golf tournament to raise money for charities

Also in Work

5 Jun 2020

Jordan and Jordan Brand pledged $100 million over 10 years to organisations advancing racial equality and social justice

Also in Finance

22 Nov 2016

Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian honour