GUARD, CHICAGO BULLS

Hometown: Wilmington, North Carolina

DOB: February 17, 1963

College: North Carolina

Height: 6’6”

Experience: 15 Seasons

Draft: 1984, Round 1, No. 3 Overall

Before he became Air Jordan, Michael Jordan spent three years at the University of North Carolina, where he made a name for himself after hitting a game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship his freshman year—the first of many iconic buzzer-beaters.

MJ entered the league in 1984 as a lanky teen with clear potential, raw athleticism, and a hunger to become one of the greatest players and athletes the world has ever seen. In his first season in the NBA, he was selected for the All-Star team, earned Rookie of the Year, and averaged an absurd 28.2 points, unheard of for a first-year player. Jordan possesses rare skills that made it easy for him to transition from college to the pros, a transition many players struggle with across all sports.

It didn’t take long for Jordan's greatness to captivate Chicago, the United States, and the globe. In 1987 he defied the laws of gravity and took flight from the free-throw line in the Slam Dunk Contest, taking home the hardware as Slam Dunk champion. The ‘80s were filled with some of his most magical highlights, but what he’d go on to achieve in the ‘90s was a spectacle to behold.

By 1991, Jordan and the Bulls had emerged as a powerhouse team in the Eastern Conference, taking down Patrick Ewing’s New York Knicks and Charles Barkley’s Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Playoffs. Next up: a 4-1 series win over the Magic Johnson-led Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, earning him his first of six championship titles. Jordan was truly a one-of-a-kind talent on the court, receiving five Most Valuable Player awards, 14 All-Star selections, a Defensive Player of the Year in 1988, and a trophy case full of other accolades. NBA 2K23 wouldn’t feel complete without one of the greatest to ever wear No. 23.