Feb. 17, 1963: Michael Jeffrey Jordan is born in Brooklyn, N.Y., the third son of James and Deloris Jordan. The family moves to Wilmington, N.C., before his second birthday.
1977: Jordan wins outstanding athlete award at Trask Middle School.
Fall 1978: As a 5-foot-9-inch sophomore at Emsley A. Laney High School, Jordan is deemed too short and cut from the varsity team. Coach Clifton “Pop” Herring selects 6-8 sophomore Leroy Smith instead.
Summer 1979: A motivated Jordan, who has grown five inches, makes the varsity as a junior. As a senior, he averages 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game.
April 11, 1981: Jordan stars in the McDonald’s All-American game with Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin, setting a record with 30 points.
March 29, 1982: As a freshman at North Carolina, Jordan nails the game-winning shot against Georgetown for a 63-62 victory and the national title.
March 27, 1983: Despite 26 points from Jordan, the No. 2 Tar Heels are upset in the Elite Eight by Georgia. Jordan is named the Sporting News college player of the year.
March 3, 1984: In a double-overtime game against Duke, Jordan scores 25 points. The victory marks the first time in 10 seasons an ACC team has gone undefeated in conference.
March 22, 1984: Jordan scores just 13 points and the Tar Heels are upset by Indiana in the Sweet 16.
May 5, 1984: After winning the Naismith and Wooden college player of the year awards, Jordan turns pro after his junior season at North Carolina. He finishes his college career with an average of 17.7 points per game and 54 percent shooting.
June 19, 1984: The day Sam Bowie became a trivia answer. In perhaps the most infamous of NBA drafts and the most celebrated day in Bulls history, Jordan is selected third overall behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Bowie.
Summer 1984: During the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Jordan combines with Ewing and Mullin to lead the U.S. team to a gold medal. Jordan averages 17.1 points per game for the team coached by Bob Knight.
Oct. 26, 1984: Wearing a No. 23 Bulls jersey for the first time, Jordan scores 16 points in his NBA debut, a 109-93 victory against the Washington Bullets in Chicago Stadium. After the game the rookie said, “While fans expect me to score a lot, I am quite satisfied to be a decoy.”
Nov. 17, 1984: Footwear will never be the same again. Jordan debuts the first of his signature line of sneakers in a game against the 76ers. The red-black-and-white shoes violate league policy, and Nike pays the fine for Jordan. The Air Jordan I becomes available to the public in 1985.
Dec. 10, 1984: Jordan appears on Sports Illustrated’s cover, elevating under the hoop in his red Bulls uniform, under the headline “A Star is Born.”
Feb. 10, 1985: Jordan makes his All-Star Game debut. Controversy arises with talk of a “freeze-out” supposedly led by Pistons star Isiah Thomas to keep the ball away from the popular rookie. Thomas later denies this was intentional. Jordan shoots 2-for-9, scoring seven points in 22 minutes of play.
April 24, 1985: Jordan scores 35 points in his first playoff victory, a 109-107 win in Game 3 of the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks.
April 26, 1985: The Bulls are eliminated by the Bucks three games to one. Jordan averages 29.3 points.
May 1985: Jordan is named NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 28.2 points and playing all 82 games. “I feel like I know I did the right thing coming out of school early,” he said at the end of the season.
Oct. 29, 1985: Jordan breaks a bone in his left foot in the third game of his second season and misses 64 games. The Bulls win 30 games despite his absence and snag a playoff berth.
March 15, 1986: Jordan returns to action, scoring 12 points in 13 minutes during a 125-116 loss to the Bucks. His minutes slowly increase through the remainder of the season.
April 20, 1986: In Game 2 of the first round, Jordan torches the Celtics for a postseason-record 63 points in a 135-131 double-overtime loss at Boston Garden. “I think it’s just God disguised as Michael Jordan,” Celtics great Larry Bird said.
April 22, 1986: The Bulls are eliminated from the playoffs in three games by the Celtics.
Summer 1986: Jordan, who was nine credits shy of graduating when he left for the NBA, returns to North Carolina to earn his degree in geography.
Nov. 1, 1986: Setting the tone for the season, Jordan scores 50 points in the Bulls’ opener — a 108-103 victory against the New York Knicks.
Feb. 7, 1987: At the All-Star Game in Seattle, Jordan soars to his first of back-to-back dunk contest victories.
April 16, 1987: After dropping 61 points in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Jordan becomes the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to score more than 3,000 points in a season. He also sets a league record by scoring 23 straight points in the game and becomes the second player (after Chamberlain) to score 50 or more points in three consecutive games.
April 28, 1987: For the second straight season, the Bulls are swept in three games by the Boston Celtics.
May 1987: Jordan wins the first of his 10 NBA scoring titles (37.1 points per game). He would go on to win the award the next six seasons–a feat that matched Chamberlain’s record.
Feb. 6, 1988: With hometown fans cheering in Chicago Stadium, Jordan and Dominique Wilkins go toe-to-toe in the dunk contest. Jordan wins, recording a perfect score with a slam that lifted off at the free throw line.
Feb. 7, 1988: In his fourth All-Star Game, he earns his first MVP honors, scoring 40 points in the East victory.
May 8, 1988: With Jordan scoring 39 points, the Bulls beat the Cavs 107-101 to claim a first-round series victory. It marks the first time Jordan advances to the conference semifinals.
May 18, 1988: Jordan scores 25 points, but the Bulls’ season ends with a 102-95 loss in Game 5 to the Detroit Pistons, who take the series 4-1 and become a roadblock for Jordan over the next few years.
May 1988: After averaging 35 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 3.2 steals per game, Jordan becomes the first player to be named league MVP and defensive player of the year in the same season.
Jan. 25, 1989: With 33 points in a 120-108 loss to the 76ers, Jordan surpasses 10,000 career points. He’ll go on to win his third straight scoring title, averaging 32.5 points per game.
May 7, 1989: Jordan nails what becomes known as The Shot for a 101-100 victory over Cleveland in the playoffs, a bucket that has since haunted Cavs fans. The hanging foul-line jumper over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer in Game 5 clinches the first-round series for the Bulls.
May 19, 1989: With a 113-111 Game 6 victory against the Knicks, Jordan scores 40 points and advances to the conference finals for the first time in his five-year career.
June 2, 1989: The Bulls lose grasp of their 2-1 series lead and fall 4-2 to the Pistons in the finals.
July 11, 1989: Phil Jackson is elevated from assistant to head coach of the Bulls to replace Doug Collins. Jordan thrives under Jackson’s system. Sept. 2,
1989: At 3:30 a.m. in the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, Jordan marries Juanita Vanoy in front of four guests.
March 28, 1990: Jordan scores a career-high 69 points against the Cavs in a 117-113 victory. He hits 23 of 37 field goals, goes 21-for-23 on free throws and grabs 18 rebounds. June 3,
1990: The Bulls fall to the Pistons in the playoffs for a third straight season. The Pistons, who double- and triple-team Jordan, eliminate the Bulls in Game 7 in Detroit 93-74.
April 21, 1991: Jordan scores 18 points in the regular-season finish against the Pistons, having led the Bulls to a 61-21 season and earning another scoring title by averaging 31.5 points per game.
May 1991: Jordan is named league MVP for the second time.
May 27, 1991: Jordan scores 29 points in a deciding Game 4 victory against the Pistons, a sweep of the team that had given the Bulls so much trouble in previous playoffs.
June 12, 1991: In winning his first championship, Jordan scores 30 points with 10 assists and five steals as the Bulls defeat the Lakers 108-101 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Jordan cries during the locker-room celebration and receives the first of six Finals MVP awards.
June 3, 1992: Jordan torches the Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Finals with 35 first-half points.
June 14, 1992: Jordan scores 33 points and wins his second championship with a 97-93 win in Game 6 against the Blazers.
Aug. 8, 1992: With 22 points from Jordan, the U.S. Dream Team wins a gold medal with a 117-85 victory against Croatia at the Barcelona Olympics.
October 1992: Jordan’s name surfaces in drug and money-laundering trial of convicted cocaine dealer James “Slim” Bouler. Jordan initially says a check to Bouler for $57,000 was a business loan. Under oath, Jordan acknowledges the check was payment for gambling losses.
Jan. 8, 1993: Jordan reaches 20,000 career points, becoming the second-fastest to do so, behind Chamberlain.
May 24, 1993: Jordan sparks controversy by gambling in Atlantic City casinos the night before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks. He’s criticized the next night for shooting 12-for-32 in a 96-91 loss.
June 20, 1993: The Bulls win their third championship. Jordan has 33 points, eight rebounds and seven assists against the Phoenix Suns in the clinching 99-98 Game 6 victory.
June 22, 1993: The Bulls celebrate a third NBA title in Grant Park.
1st retirement
July 12, 1993: On the eve of baseball’s All-Star Game, Jordan competes in a celebrity home-run derby.
Aug. 3, 1993: A decomposed body is found in Gum Swamp Creek, about 60 miles southwest of Fayetteville, N.C. Two days later, a Lexus is found near Fayetteville with the vanity license plate UNC0023 missing.
Aug. 13, 1993: Officials identify the body as that of James Jordan, Michael’s father.
Sept. 7, 1993: Daniel Andre Green and Larry Martin Demery are charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery as suspects in the slaying of Jordan’s father.
Oct. 5, 1993: Jordan throws out the first pitch at a White Sox game.
Oct. 6, 1993: Jordan announces his retirement from basketball: “I just don’t have anything else to prove.”
Nov. 6, 1993: In his first appearance at Chicago Stadium since his retirement, Jordan receives his championship ring.
Baseball
Jan. 13, 1994: A Bob Greene column runs on Page 1 of the Tribune in which Jordan makes his intentions clear regarding the White Sox: “I want to go to spring training for one reason, and that’s to make the team. … This is no fantasy.”
Feb. 7, 1994: Jordan agrees to a minor-league contract with the White Sox.
March 4, 1994: In his first exhibition game, Jordan taps out in his one at-bat.
March 14, 1994: After an 0-for-14 start to spring training, Jordan notches his first hit, a grounder off the third-baseman’s glove. It’s also the date on a Sports Illustrated cover with the headline “Bag It, Michael: Jordan and The White Sox Are Embarrassing Baseball.”
April 8, 1994: Jordan debuts with the Birmingham Barons and goes hitless in three at-bats.
April 10, 1994: Jordan gets his first hits as a baseball pro, singling twice.
July 1, 1994: The Bulls announce that they will retire Jordan’s number in November–and unveil a bronze statue of him outside the United Center.
July 30, 1994: Jordan hits the first home run of his pro career, then points to the sky as he crosses home plate, in tribute to his father.
Sept. 9, 1994: Jordan plays in the Scottie Pippen All-Star Classic–the final game at Chicago Stadium–and scores 52 points. He kisses the Bulls logo on the floor at game’s end.
Nov. 1, 1994: Jordan’s No. 23 jersey ascends to the rafters in the United Center–though it gets momentarily stuck halfway up.
Feb. 18, 1995: Day 1 of White Sox workouts during the players’ strike. “I’m not here to break down what the players are trying to achieve,” Jordan says.
March 2, 1995: Jordan stuffs his stuff into a Bulls duffel bag and leaves Sox training camp, after management said players would be moved to a minor-league clubhouse.
March 10, 1995: Jordan quits baseball, citing the sport’s labor dispute’s effect on his development.
The return
March 18, 1995: “I’m back.”
March 19, 1995: Starting at guard … No. 45? Jordan plays 43 minutes and scores 19 points in his first game back, a 103-96 overtime loss at Indiana. “I really, truly missed the game,” he says.
March 28, 1995: The Double Nickel. Jordan scores 55 points and dishes the game-winning assist in a 113-111 win at Madison Square Garden.
May 10, 1995: For Game 2 of a playoff series against Orlando, Jordan puts No. 23 back on. He scores 38 points in a 104-94 win.
May 18, 1995: Jordan shoots 8-for-19, scores 24 points and the Bulls’ season ends with a Game 6 loss to Orlando.
July 1, 1995: The NBA locks out its players.
Oct. 6, 1995: Jordan’s first day of training camp since 1992. “I feel I can do basically the same things, but I’m more knowledgeable about myself and about the game,” he says.
Oct. 23, 1995: Jordan and new teammate Dennis Rodman appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. It is Jordan’s 34th appearance, surpassing Muhammad Ali for most ever.
Nov. 3, 1995: Jordan scores 42 in the season opener.
Jan. 24, 1996: The Bulls, at 36-3, set a club record with a 27th straight win at home.
Jan. 28, 1996: Jordan scores 31 and the Bulls set a franchise record with a 15th straight win.
Feb. 11, 1996: In his first All-Star Game since 1993, Jordan scores 22 points in 20 minutes and earns game MVP honors.
March 7, 1996: Jordan hits 21 of 28 shots for an NBA season-high 53 points in a win over the Pistons.
April 12, 1996: The Bulls win their 68th game, surpassing the franchise record set in 1992.
April 16, 1996: Jordan shoots just 9 of 27 for 22 points, but the Bulls win an NBA-record 70th game anyway.
April 21, 1996: Jordan scores 26 as the Bulls end the regular season with 72 wins. Jordan (30.4 ppg) leads the NBA in scoring for a record eighth time.
May 20, 1996: Jordan wins his fourth MVP award, getting 96.5 percent of the first-place votes, the highest percentage since media began voting in 1980-81.
May 27, 1996: Jordan scores 45 to exact revenge on Orlando for the previous year’s playoff ouster, sweeping the Magic and gaining the NBA Finals.
June 16, 1996: On Father’s Day, Jordan wins his fourth NBA title with the Bulls. Afterward, he brings the trophy to the dressing room, embraces it and weeps.
July 12, 1996: Jordan agrees to a one-year contract with the Bulls worth $30 million.
Jan. 21, 1997: Jordan once again torments the Knicks, this time scoring 51 points.
Feb. 9, 1997: Jordan posts the only triple-double in All-Star Game history–14 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists–but Glen Rice is named MVP after scoring 26 points.
April 14, 1997: Jordan scores 30 and the Bulls reach win No. 69–but then lose their last two to miss back-to-back 70-win seasons.
April 27, 1997: Jordan explodes for 55 points in Game 2 of a first-round playoff series against Washington.
May 18, 1997: Karl Malone edges Jordan 986-957–no one else got a first-place vote–for Malone’s first MVP award. It was the second-closest voting since 1980-81.
June 11, 1997: In what would become known as the “Flu Game,” a vomiting, dehydrated Jordan scores 38 points, grabs seven rebounds, dishes out five assists and hits the go-ahead three-pointer late in a series-shifting Game 5 win in Utah.
June 13, 1997: Jordan scores 39, grabs 11 boards, dishes to Steve Kerr for the game-winning jumper and then dances on the scorer’s table after the Bulls win their fifth NBA title.
Aug. 28, 1997: After coach Phil Jackson signs a one-year contract, Jordan inks a one-year, $36 million deal.
Feb. 8, 1998: Jordan once again earns All-Star Game MVP honors.
April 18, 1998: Jordan drops 44 on the Knicks to seal his 10th NBA scoring title with 28.7 points per game.
May 18, 1998: Jordan wins his fifth regular-season MVP award, tying Bill Russell for second-most in history.
June 14, 1998: In one of the most clutch performances in NBA history, Jordan scores 45 points in Game 6 against the Jazz for a sixth title. With the Bulls down three, he records a steal and two scores in the final 37.1 seconds, including “The Pose” after the shot over Bryon Russell–a 17-footer (with a bit of a push-off) with 5.2 seconds to go.
June 27, 1998: At his celebrity golf tournament in North Carolina, Jordan says he’s “leaning” toward retirement.
2nd retirement
July 23, 1998: Tim Floyd is announced as Bulls coach. Jordan previously was emphatic that he had no desire to play for anyone not named Phil Jackson or Dean Smith.
Oct. 13, 1998: NBA cancels first two weeks of the regular season.
Jan. 13, 1999: Jordan announces his second retirement and says there’s a “99.9 percent” chance it will stick.
The Wizards
Jan. 19, 2000: Jordan joins the Washington Wizards as part owner and president of basketball operations.
April 19, 2001: Jordan hires Doug Collins, his former coach with the Bulls, to coach the Wizards.
Sept. 10, 2001: Jordan says he will make a decision about his future within 10 days.
Sept. 25, 2001: At 38, Jordan unretires again and joins the Wizards as a player, signing a two-year contract and donating his salary to relief efforts after the 9/11 attacks.
Oct. 30, 2001: In his first game as a Wizard, Jordan scores 19 points on 7- of-21 shooting in a loss to the Knicks.
Jan. 4, 2002: Juanita Jordan files for divorce. One month later, the Jordans jointly withdraw the divorce case.
April 2, 2002: Jordan scores two points in 12 minutes in a loss to the Lakers. The next day he’s placed on the injured list, ending his season.
Oct. 30, 2002: Jordan comes off the bench for the Wizards, scores just eight points in 25 minutes and botches a late breakaway dunk attempt.
Nov. 28, 2002: Jordan announces that he will retire for a third time after the 2002-03 season, saying there is “zero” chance of another return.
Jan. 24, 2003: In his final professional game in Chicago, Jordan receives a four-minute standing ovation during player introductions. “I love you all very much,” he tells the crowd before scoring 11 points for the Wizards in a 104-97 loss to the Bulls.
Feb. 9, 2003: Jordan scores 20 points in his final All-Star Game, becoming the all-time leading All-Star scorer. He takes Vince Carter’s starting spot after Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady offered theirs.
April 11, 2003: The Miami Heat retire Jordan’s No. 23 even though he never played for the team.
April 16, 2003: In the final NBA game of his career, Jordan scores 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting in a 107-87 loss to Philadelphia. He leaves the floor with 1:45 left after a fourth-quarter curtain call. “I’m a guy who loved the game,” Jordan says afterward.
Last retirement
May 7, 2003: The Wizards fire Jordan as president of basketball operations.
June 15, 2006: Jordan becomes part-owner of Charlotte Bobcats and becomes, according to the team, “Managing Member of Basketball Operations.”
Dec. 29, 2006: Jordan and wife, Juanita, divorce after 17 years of marriage. Juanita reportedly receives a $168 million settlement.
May 2, 2007: In a pro-am round at the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte, Jordan plays with Tiger Woods. “This is great, no one knows I’m here,” Woods says on the 10th tee.
January 2008: Nike rolls out the 23rd edition of the Air Jordan basketball shoe.
April 6, 2009: Jordan is elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2009.
April 28, 2008: Jordan hires Larry Brown to coach the Bobcats.
Friday: Michael Jordan will be officially inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
SOURCES: Chicago Tribune files, Associated Press, NBA.com, University of North Carolina athletics web site archives
