document_title: Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

question_text: who received rajiv gandhi khel ratna award 2017

text: Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

text: Nominations[edit]

text: The nominations for the award are received from all government recognised National Sports Federations, the Indian Olympic Association, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the Sports Promotion and Control Boards, and the state and the union territory governments with not more than two eligible sportspersons nominated for each sports discipline. In case of cricket, the nominations are received from the Board of Control for Cricket in India and SAI is authorised to submit the nominations on behalf of all the de-recognised or under suspension National Sports Federations.[b] The previous award recipients can also nominate one sportsperson for the discipline for which they themselves were awarded. The Government can nominate up to two sportspersons in deserving cases where no such nominations have been received from the nominating authorities. The nominations for a given year are accepted till 30 April or last working day of April.[1]

text: Selection process[edit]

text: All the received nominations are sent to SAI and National Anti-Doping Agency for the verification against the claimed achievements and doping clearance respectively. Any sportsperson who is either penalised or being enquired for usage of drugs or substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency is not eligible for the award. A committee consisting of the Joint Secretary and the Director/Deputy Secretary of Department of Sports, the Secretary and the Executive Director/Director (TEAMS) of SAI verify and validate the nominations.[1]

text: The valid nominations are placed before the selection committee constituted by the Government. This twelve member committee consists of a Chairperson nominated by the Ministry, four Olympians or previous recipients of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna or Arjuna Award, three sports journalists/experts/commentators, one sportsperson/expert/administrator associated with parasports, one sports administrator, the Director General of SAI, and the Joint Secretary of Department of Sports, with not more than one sportsperson from a particular discipline included in the committee.[1] When instituted in 1991–92, the award was given for the performance by a sportsperson in a year.[4][9] Based on the suggestions provided by 2014 award selection committee headed by Kapil Dev,[10][11] the Ministry revised the criteria in February 2015 to consider the performance over a period of four years.[12]

text: The medals won in various International championships and events of the disciplines which include Summer and Winter Olympic and Paralympics Games, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games are given 80% weightage. The remaining 20% weightage is given to the profile and standard of the events. For any other games not included in Olympic, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games like cricket and indigenous games, the individuals performance of a sportsperson is taken into consideration. The sportsperson with maximum points is given 80 marks. Rest of the sportspersons are given marks in proportion to the maximum points. For team events, marks are given as per the strength of the team.[1] Following are the points defined for medals at the given events:

text:
Points for winning medals for the performance during the last four years

Event

Medal

 Gold

 Silver

 Bronze

Olympic Games/Paralympic Games

80
70
55

World Championship/World Cup[c]

40
30
20

Asian Games

30
25
20

Commonwealth Games

25
20
15

text: For a given discipline, not more than two sportspersons, one male and one female, are given highest marks. The committee may not recommend the award to the sportsperson with the highest marks across disciplines but can only recommend the recipient of the highest aggregate marks in a particular sports discipline. The recommendations of the selection committee are submitted to the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports for further approval.[1]

text: List of recipients[edit]

text:
Key

†

Indicates a joint award for the given year

text:
List of award recipients, showing the year, and discipline(s)

Year

Recipient(s)

Discipline(s)

Refs.

1991–92

Viswanathan Anand

Chess

[14]

1992–93

Geet Sethi

Billiards

[14]

1993–94 †

Homi Motivala

Yachting (Team Event)

[15]

1993–94 †

Garg Pushpendra Kumar

Yachting (Team Event)

[15]

1994–95

Karnam Malleswari

Weightlifting

[14]

1995–96

Nameirakpam Kunjarani

Weightlifting

[14]

1996–97

Leander Paes

Tennis

[14]

1997–98

Sachin Tendulkar

Cricket

[14]

1998–99

Jyotirmoyee Sikdar

Athletics

[4]

1999–2000

Dhanraj Pillay

Hockey (Men)

[5][14]

2000–01

Pullela Gopichand

Badminton

[16]

2001

Abhinav Bindra

Shooting

[6]

2002 †

K. M. Beenamol

Athletics

[17]

2002 †

Anjali Bhagwat

Shooting

[17]

2003

Anju Bobby George

Athletics

[18]

2004

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

Shooting

[19]

2005

Pankaj Advani

Billiards and Snooker

[20]

2006

Manavjit Singh Sandhu

Shooting

[21]

2007

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Cricket

[22]

2008

No award[d]

[14]

2009 †

Mary Kom

Boxing (Women)

[7]

2009 †

Vijender Singh

Boxing

[7]

2009 †

Sushil Kumar

Wrestling

[7]

2010

Saina Nehwal

Badminton

[23]

2011

Gagan Narang

Shooting

[24]

2012 †

Vijay Kumar

Shooting

[25]

2012 †

Yogeshwar Dutt

Wrestling

[25]

2013

Ronjan Sodhi

Shooting

[26]

2014

No award

[10]

2015

Sania Mirza

Tennis

[27]

2016 †

P. V. Sindhu

Badminton

[28]

2016 †

Dipa Karmakar

Gymnastics

[28]

2016 †

Jitu Rai

Shooting

[28]

2016 †

Sakshi Malik

Wrestling

[28]

2017 †

Devendra   Jhajharia

Para Athlete

[29]

2017 †

Sardara Singh

Hockey

[29]

text: Controversies[edit]

text: The 2002 selection committee headed by former football player Pradip Kumar Banerjee made twenty one recommendations for the Arjuna Award and two recommendations for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, athlete K. M. Beenamol and shooter Anjali Bhagwat. The government rejected the recommendations and asked the committee to cut down the list to comply with the award guidelines, where only one sportsperson for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and fifteen sportspersons along with one disabled athlete for the Arjuna Awards could be recommended each year.[30] The committee revised the list to recommend Beenamol for the award over Bhagwat but also put a request "to consider everyone".[31] The decision spurred criticism for ignoring the achievements of the shooter and Bhagwat and the National Rifle Association of India expressed their "disappointment" with the decision.[32] Later, the government accepted all the recommendations "as an exception" and jointly awarded Beenamol and Bhagwat for the year 2002.[33]

text: In August 2013, the selection committee headed by Michael Ferreira recommended sport shooter Ronjan Sodhi for the award, with some committee members questioning the process of selection.[34] A committee member noted that discus thrower Krishna Poonia, and Paralympic athlete H. N. Girisha were shortlisted and Sodhi was not the initial choice. However, Girisha's name was removed, and the final voting was done between Sodhi and Poonia.[35] Poonia was accused of lobbying for the award by one of the committee member Anjali Bhagwat,[36] but the accused met the then Union Sports Minister Jitendra Singh to promote her case and also rubbished the lobbying allegations.[37][38] The Ministry conducted a separate enquiry by Secretary of Department of Sports and decided not to increase the number of awards "to maintain the stature of the awards".[37]

text: Following an announcement, in August 2015, that tennis player Sania Mirza was to be awarded, a Public-Interest Litigation was filed in the Karnataka High Court. The petitioner, Paralympic athlete H. N. Girisha, mentioned that his performance was ignored by the committee.[39] Girisha claimed to be a top contender for the award with 90 points, owing to his silver medal winning act at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in the Men's High Jump F42 event.[40] The petition mentioned that the points for Mirza's Grand Slam titles from 2011 until 2015 should not be counted as the events were not a part of the list of sports events to be considered for the performance evaluation.[e] The court withheld the conferment and sought replies from the Ministry about the selection process. The Ministry nevertheless presented the award to Mirza on 29 August 2015 amidst the case processing.[2]

text: Explanatory notes[edit]

text:
Jump up ^ The cash prize was revised from ₹1 lakh (US$1,500) to ₹3 lakh (US$4,400) in 2000,[4][5] to ₹5 lakh (US$7,300) in 2002,[6] and to ₹7.5 lakh (US$11,000) in 2009.[7]

Jump up ^ For cricket, there is no National Sports Federation recognised by the Government.[1]

Jump up ^ A World Championship/World Cup is generally organised every four years. For different cyclicities, proportionate marks are given.

Jump up ^ The award for the performance in 2008 is being referred to as award for 2009.[14]

Jump up ^ Mirza has won 2012 French Open – Mixed Doubles with Mahesh Bhupathi, 2014 US Open – Mixed Doubles with Bruno Soares, and 2015 US Open – Women's Doubles and 2015 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Doubles with Martina Hingis.[41]


document_title: Cotton picker

question_text: when was the first mechanical cotton picker invented

root

text: Cotton picker

text: History[edit]

text: Cotton picking was originally done by hand. In many societies, like America, slave and serf labor was utilized to pick the cotton, increasing the plantation owner's profit margins (See Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade). The first practical cotton picker was invented over a period of years beginning in the late 1920s by John Daniel Rust (1892–1954) with the later help of his brother Mack Rust. Other inventors had tried designs with a barbed spindle to twist cotton fibers onto the spindle and then pull the cotton from the boll, but these early designs were impractical because the spindle became clogged with cotton. Rust determined that a smooth, moist spindle could be used to strip the fibers from the boll without trapping them in the machinery. In 1933 John Rust received his first patent, and eventually, he and his brother owned forty-seven patents on cotton picking machinery. However, during the Great Depression it was difficult to obtain financing to develop their inventions.[1]

tag: p

text: In 1935 the Rust brothers founded the Rust Cotton Picker Company in Memphis, Tennessee, and on August 31, 1936 demonstrated the Rust picker at the Delta Experiment Station in Stoneville, Mississippi. Although the first Rust picker was not without serious deficiencies, it did pick cotton and the demonstration attracted considerable national press coverage. Nevertheless, the Rust's company did not have the capability of manufacturing cotton pickers in significant quantities. With the success of the Rust picker, other companies redoubled their efforts to produce practical pickers not based on the Rust patents. Then, widespread adoption was delayed by the manufacturing demands of World War II. The International Harvester produced a commercially-successful commercial cotton picker in 1944. After World War II, the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company manufactured cotton pickers using an improved Rust design. In the following years mechanical pickers were gradually improved and were increasingly adopted by farmers.[1]

text: Conventional picker[edit]

text: The first pickers were only capable of harvesting one row of cotton at a time, but were still able to replace up to forty hand laborers. The current cotton picker is a self-propelled machine that removes cotton lint and seed (seed-cotton) from the plant at up to six rows at a time.

text: There are two types of pickers in use today. One is the "stripper" picker, primarily found in use in Texas. They are also found in Arkansas. It removes not only the lint from the plant, but a fair deal of the plant matter as well (such as unopened bolls). Later, the plant matter is separated from the lint through a process dropping heavier matter before the lint makes it to the basket at the rear of the picker. The other type of picker is the "spindle" picker. It uses rows of barbed spindles that rotate at high speed and remove the seed-cotton from the plant. The seed-cotton is then removed from the spindles by a counter-rotating doffer and is then blown up into the basket. Once the basket is full the picker dumps the seed-cotton into a "module builder". The module builder creates a compact "brick" of seed-cotton, weighing in at approximately 21,000 lb (16 un-ginned bales), which can be stored in the field or in the "gin yard" until it is ginned. Each ginned bale weighs roughly 480 lb (218.2 kg).

text: In c.2008 the Case IH Module Express 625 was designed in collaboration with ginners and growers to provide a cotton picker with the ability to build modules while harvesting the crop.[2] An industry-exclusive on-board round module builder was offered by John Deere in 2007.[3]


document_title: Michael Jordan

question_text: when did michael jordan come to the nba

question_tokens: when did michael jordan come to the nba

text: Michael Jordan

text: Early years

text: Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Deloris (née Peoples), who worked in banking, and James R. Jordan Sr., an equipment supervisor. His family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was a toddler.[9]

text: Jordan is the fourth of five children. He has two older brothers, Larry Jordan and James R. Jordan, Jr., one older sister, Deloris, and one younger sister, Roslyn. Jordan's brother James retired in 2006 as the Command Sergeant Major of the 35th Signal Brigade of the XVIII Airborne Corps in the U.S. Army.[10]

text: High school career

text: Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, where he highlighted his athletic career by playing basketball, baseball, and football. He tried out for the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year, but at 5'11" (1.80 m), he was deemed too short to play at that level. His taller friend, Harvest Leroy Smith, was the only sophomore to make the team.[11][12]

text: Motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's junior varsity squad, and tallied several 40-point games.[11] The following summer, he grew four inches (10 cm)[12][5] and trained rigorously. Upon earning a spot on the varsity roster, Jordan averaged about 20 points per game over his final two seasons of high school play.[13][14] As a senior, he was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team[15] after averaging a triple-double: 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists.[16]

text: Jordan was recruited by numerous college basketball programs, including Duke, North Carolina, South Carolina, Syracuse, and Virginia.[17] In 1981, Jordan accepted a basketball scholarship to North Carolina, where he majored in cultural geography.[18]

text: College career

text: As a freshman in coach Dean Smith's team-oriented system, he was named ACC Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.4 points per game (ppg) on 53.4% shooting (field goal percentage).[19] He made the game-winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing.[5] Jordan later described this shot as the major turning point in his basketball career.[20] During his three seasons at North Carolina, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting, and added 5.0 rebounds per game (rpg).[13] He was selected by consensus to the NCAA All-American First Team in both his sophomore (1983) and junior (1984) seasons. After winning the Naismith and the Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984, Jordan left North Carolina one year before his scheduled graduation to enter the 1984 NBA draft. The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick, after Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers). One of the primary reasons why Jordan was not drafted sooner was because the first two teams were in need of a center.[21] However, Trail Blazers general manager Stu Inman contended that it was not a matter of drafting a center, but more a matter of taking Sam Bowie over Jordan, in part because Portland already had Clyde Drexler, who was a guard with similar skills to Jordan.[22] ESPN, citing Bowie's injury-laden college career, named the Blazers' choice of Bowie as the worst draft pick in North American professional sports history.[23] Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986.[24]

text: Professional career

text: Early NBA years (1984–1987)

text: During his rookie season in the NBA, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting.[19] He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas,[25][26][27] and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the heading "A Star Is Born" just over a month into his professional career.[28][29] Jordan was also voted in as an All-Star starter by the fans in his rookie season.[5] Controversy arose before the All-Star game when word surfaced that several veteran players—led by Isiah Thomas—were upset by the amount of attention Jordan was receiving.[5] This led to a so-called "freeze-out" on Jordan, where players refused to pass the ball to him throughout the game.[5] The controversy left Jordan relatively unaffected when he returned to regular season play, and he would go on to be voted Rookie of the Year.[30] The Bulls finished the season 38–44[31] and lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in four games in the first round of the playoffs.[30]

text: Jordan's second season was cut short when he broke his foot in the third game of the year, causing him to miss 64 games.[5] Despite Jordan's injury and a 30–52 record (at the time it was fifth worst record of any team to qualify for the playoffs in NBA history),[31][32] the Bulls made the playoffs. Jordan recovered in time to participate in the playoffs and performed well upon his return. Against a 1985–86 Boston Celtics team that is often considered one of the greatest in NBA history,[33] Jordan set the still-unbroken record for points in a playoff game with 63 in Game 2.[34] The Celtics, however, managed to sweep the series.[30]

text: Jordan had completely recovered in time for the 1986–87 season, and he had one of the most prolific scoring seasons in NBA history. He joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only two players to score 3,000 points in a season, averaging a league high 37.1 points on 48.2% shooting.[19] In addition, Jordan demonstrated his defensive prowess, as he became the first player in NBA history to record 200 steals and 100 blocked shots in a season.[35] Despite Jordan's success, Magic Johnson won the league's Most Valuable Player Award. The Bulls reached 40 wins,[31] and advanced to the playoffs for the third consecutive year. However, they were again swept by the Celtics.[30]

text: Pistons roadblock (1987–1990)

text: Jordan again led the league in scoring during the 1987–88 season, averaging 35.0 ppg on 53.5% shooting[19] and won his first league MVP Award. He was also named the Defensive Player of the Year, as he had averaged 1.6 blocks and a league high 3.16 steals per game.[36] The Bulls finished 50–32,[31] and made it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in Jordan's career, as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games.[37] However, the Bulls then lost in five games to the more experienced Detroit Pistons,[30] who were led by Isiah Thomas and a group of physical players known as the "Bad Boys".[38]

text: In the 1988–89 season, Jordan again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg on 53.8% shooting from the field, along with 8 rpg and 8 assists per game (apg).[19] The Bulls finished with a 47–35 record,[31] and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the Cavaliers and New York Knicks along the way. The Cavaliers series included a career highlight for Jordan when he hit The Shot over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer in the fifth and final game of the series.[39] However, the Pistons again defeated the Bulls, this time in six games,[30] by utilizing their "Jordan Rules" method of guarding Jordan, which consisted of double and triple teaming him every time he touched the ball.[5]

text: The Bulls entered the 1989–90 season as a team on the rise, with their core group of Jordan and young improving players like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, and under the guidance of new coach Phil Jackson. Jordan averaged a league leading 33.6 ppg on 52.6% shooting, to go with 6.9 rpg and 6.3 apg[19] in leading the Bulls to a 55–27 record.[31] They again advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals after beating the Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. However, despite pushing the series to seven games, the Bulls lost to the Pistons for the third consecutive season.[30]

text: First three-peat (1991–1993)

text: In the 1990–91 season, Jordan won his second MVP award after averaging 31.5 ppg on 53.9% shooting, 6.0 rpg, and 5.5 apg for the regular season.[19] The Bulls finished in first place in their division for the first time in 16 years and set a franchise record with 61 wins in the regular season.[31] With Scottie Pippen developing into an All-Star, the Bulls had elevated their play. The Bulls defeated the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening two rounds of the playoffs. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals where their rival, the Detroit Pistons, awaited them. However, this time the Bulls beat the Pistons in a four-game sweep.[40][41]

text: The Bulls advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history to face the Los Angeles Lakers, who had Magic Johnson and James Worthy, two formidable opponents. The Bulls won the series four games to one, and compiled an outstanding 15–2 playoff record along the way.[40] Perhaps the best known moment of the series came in Game 2 when, attempting a dunk, Jordan avoided a potential Sam Perkins block by switching the ball from his right hand to his left in mid-air to lay the shot into the basket.[42] In his first Finals appearance, Jordan posted per game averages of 31.2 points on 56% shooting from the field, 11.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks.[43] Jordan won his first NBA Finals MVP award,[44] and he cried while holding the NBA Finals trophy.[45]

text: Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance in the 1991–92 season, establishing a 67–15 record, topping their franchise record from 1990 to 1991.[31] Jordan won his second consecutive MVP award with averages of 30.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game on 52% shooting.[36] After winning a physical 7-game series over the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs and finishing off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals in 6 games, the Bulls met Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals. The media, hoping to recreate a Magic–Bird rivalry, highlighted the similarities between "Air" Jordan and Clyde "The Glide" during the pre-Finals hype.[46] In the first game, Jordan scored a Finals-record 35 points in the first half, including a record-setting six three-point field goals.[47] After the sixth three-pointer, he jogged down the court shrugging as he looked courtside. Marv Albert, who broadcast the game, later stated that it was as if Jordan was saying, "I can't believe I'm doing this."[48] The Bulls went on to win Game 1, and defeat the Blazers in six games. Jordan was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row[44] and finished the series averaging 35.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 6.5 apg, while shooting 53% from the floor.[44]

text: In the 1992–93 season, despite a 32.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 5.5 apg campaign,[36] Jordan's streak of consecutive MVP seasons ended as he lost the award to his friend Charles Barkley. Coincidentally, Jordan and the Bulls met Barkley and his Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals. The Bulls won their third NBA championship on a game-winning shot by John Paxson and a last-second block by Horace Grant, but Jordan was once again Chicago's leader. He averaged a Finals-record 41.0 ppg during the six-game series,[49] and became the first player in NBA history to win three straight Finals MVP awards.[44] He scored more than 30 points in every game of the series, including 40 or more points in 4 consecutive games. With his third Finals triumph, Jordan capped off a seven-year run where he attained seven scoring titles and three championships, but there were signs that Jordan was tiring of his massive celebrity and all of the non-basketball hassles in his life.[50]

text: Gambling controversy

text: During the Bulls' playoff run in 1993, controversy arose when Jordan was seen gambling in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the night before a game against the New York Knicks.[51] In that same year, he admitted that he had to cover $57,000 in gambling losses,[52] and author Richard Esquinas wrote a book claiming he had won $1.25 million from Jordan on the golf course.[52] In 2005, Jordan talked to Ed Bradley of the CBS evening show 60 Minutes about his gambling and admitted that he made some reckless decisions. Jordan stated, "Yeah, I've gotten myself into situations where I would not walk away and I've pushed the envelope. Is that compulsive? Yeah, it depends on how you look at it. If you're willing to jeopardize your livelihood and your family, then yeah."[53] When Bradley asked him if his gambling ever got to the level where it jeopardized his livelihood or family, Jordan replied, "No."[53]

text: First retirement and stint in minor league baseball (1993–1994)

text:
Michael Jordan

Birmingham Barons – No. 45 & No. 35

Outfielder

Batted: Right
Threw: Right

Professional debut

Southern League: April 8, 1994, for the Birmingham Barons

Arizona Fall League: 1994, for the Scottsdale Scorpions

Last Southern League appearance

March 10, 1995, for the Birmingham Barons

Southern League statistics
(through 1994)

Batting average
.202

Home runs
3

Runs batted in
51

Arizona Fall League statistics

Batting average
.252

Teams

Birmingham Barons (1994–1995)
Scottsdale Scorpions (1994)

tag: table

text: On October 6, 1993, Jordan announced his retirement, citing a loss of desire to play the game. Jordan later stated that the death of his father three months earlier also made his decision.[54] Jordan's father was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a highway rest area in Lumberton, North Carolina, by two teenagers, Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery, who carjacked the luxury vehicle. The assailants were traced from calls that they made on James Jordan's cell phone.[55][56] The two criminals were caught, convicted at trial, and sentenced to life in prison. Jordan was close to his father; as a child he had imitated his father's proclivity to stick out his tongue while absorbed in work. He later adopted it as his own signature, displaying it each time he drove to the basket.[5] In 1996, he founded a Chicago area Boys & Girls Club and dedicated it to his father.[57][58]

text: In his 1998 autobiography For the Love of the Game, Jordan wrote that he had been preparing for retirement as early as the summer of 1992.[59] The added exhaustion due to the Dream Team run in the 1992 Olympics solidified Jordan's feelings about the game and his ever-growing celebrity status. Jordan's announcement sent shock waves throughout the NBA and appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world.[60]

text: Jordan then further surprised the sports world by signing a minor league baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox on February 7, 1994.[61] He reported to spring training in Sarasota, Florida, and was assigned to the team's minor league system on March 31, 1994.[62] Jordan has stated this decision was made to pursue the dream of his late father, who had always envisioned his son as a Major League Baseball player.[63] The White Sox were another team owned by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who continued to honor Jordan's basketball contract during the years he played baseball.[64]

text: In 1994, Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, batting .202 with three home runs, 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, 114 strikeouts, 51 base on balls, and 11 errors.[14] He also appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 1994 Arizona Fall League, batting .252 against the top prospects in baseball.[62] On November 1, 1994, his number 23 was retired by the Bulls in a ceremony that included the erection of a permanent sculpture known as The Spirit outside the new United Center.[65][66][67]

text: "I'm back": Return to the NBA (1995)

text: In the 1993–94 season, the Bulls, without Jordan, achieved a 55–27 record,[31] and lost to the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. But the 1994–95 Bulls were a shell of the championship team of just two years earlier. Struggling at mid-season to ensure a spot in the playoffs, Chicago was 31–31 at one point in mid-March.[68] The team received help, however, when Jordan decided to return to the NBA for the Bulls.[69]

text: In March 1995, Jordan decided to quit baseball due to the ongoing Major League Baseball strike, as he wanted to avoid becoming a potential replacement player.[70] On March 18, 1995, Jordan announced his return to the NBA through a two-word press release: "I'm back."[5] The next day, Jordan took to the court with the Bulls to face the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, scoring 19 points.[71] The game had the highest Nielsen rating of a regular season NBA game since 1975.[72] Although he could have opted to wear his normal number in spite of the Bulls having retired it, Jordan instead wore number 45, as he had while playing baseball.[71]

text: Although he had not played an NBA game in a year and a half, Jordan played well upon his return, making a game-winning jump shot against Atlanta in his fourth game back. He then scored 55 points in the next game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1995.[30] Boosted by Jordan's comeback, the Bulls went 13–4 to make the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic. At the end of Game 1, Orlando's Nick Anderson stripped Jordan from behind, leading to the game-winning basket for the Magic; he would later comment that Jordan "didn't look like the old Michael Jordan"[73] and that "No. 45 doesn't explode like No. 23 used to."[74]

text: Jordan responded by scoring 38 points in the next game, which Chicago won. Before the game, Jordan decided that he would resume wearing his former number, 23, immediately. The Bulls were fined $25,000 for failing to report the impromptu number change to the NBA.[74] Jordan was fined an additional $5,000 for opting to wear white shoes as the rest of the Bulls wore black.[75] He averaged 31 points per game in the series, but Orlando won the series in 6 games.[13]

text: Second three-peat (1995–1998)

text: Freshly motivated by the playoff defeat, Jordan trained aggressively for the 1995–96 season.[76] Strengthened by the addition of rebound specialist Dennis Rodman, the Bulls dominated the league, starting the season 41–3,[77] and eventually finishing with the then-best regular season record in NBA history (later surpassed by the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors): 72–10.[78] Jordan led the league in scoring with 30.4 ppg,[79] and won the league's regular season and All-Star Game MVP awards.[5]

text: In the playoffs, the Bulls lost only three games in four series (Miami Heat 3–0, New York Knicks 4–1, Orlando Magic 4–0). They defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 4–2 in the NBA Finals to win their fourth championship. Jordan was named Finals MVP for a record fourth time,[44] surpassing Magic Johnson's three Finals MVP awards. He also achieved only the second sweep of the MVP Awards in the All-Star Game, regular season and NBA Finals, Willis Reed having achieved the first, during the 1969–70 season.[30] Because this was Jordan's first championship since his father's murder, and it was won on Father's Day, Jordan reacted very emotionally upon winning the title, including a memorable scene of him crying on the locker room floor with the game ball.[5][45]

text: In the 1996–97 season, the Bulls started out 69–11, but missed out on a second consecutive 70-win season by losing their final two games to finish 69–13.[80] However, this year Jordan was beaten for the NBA MVP Award by Karl Malone. The Bulls again advanced to the Finals, where they faced Malone and the Utah Jazz. The series against the Jazz featured two of the more memorable clutch moments of Jordan's career. He won Game 1 for the Bulls with a buzzer-beating jump shot. In Game 5, with the series tied at 2, Jordan played despite being feverish and dehydrated from a stomach virus. In what is known as the "Flu Game", Jordan scored 38 points, including the game-deciding 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining.[81] The Bulls won 90–88 and went on to win the series in six games.[80] For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Jordan received the Finals MVP award.[44] During the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, Jordan posted the first triple double in All-Star Game history in a victorious effort; however, he did not receive the MVP award.[82]

text: Jordan and the Bulls compiled a 62–20 record in the 1997–98 season.[31] Jordan led the league with 28.7 points per game,[36] securing his fifth regular-season MVP award, plus honors for All-NBA First Team, First Defensive Team and the All-Star Game MVP.[5] The Bulls won the Eastern Conference Championship for a third straight season, including surviving a seven-game series with the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals; it was the first time Jordan had played in a Game 7 since the 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals with the Knicks.[83][84] After winning, they moved on for a rematch with the Jazz in the Finals.[85]

text: The Bulls returned to the Delta Center for Game 6 on June 14, 1998, leading the series 3–2. Jordan executed a series of plays, considered to be one of the greatest clutch performances in NBA Finals history.[86] With the Bulls trailing 86–83 with 41.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Phil Jackson called a timeout. When play resumed, Jordan received the inbound pass, drove to the basket, and hit a shot over several Jazz defenders, cutting the Utah lead to 86–85.[86] The Jazz brought the ball upcourt and passed the ball to forward Karl Malone, who was set up in the low post and was being guarded by Rodman. Malone jostled with Rodman and caught the pass, but Jordan cut behind him and took the ball out of his hands for a steal.[86] Jordan then dribbled down the court and paused, eyeing his defender, Jazz guard Bryon Russell. With 10 seconds remaining, Jordan started to dribble right, then crossed over to his left, possibly pushing off Russell,[87][88][89] although the officials did not call a foul. With 5.2 seconds left, Jordan gave Chicago an 87–86 lead with a game-winning jumper, the climactic shot of his Bulls career. Afterwards, John Stockton missed a game-winning three-pointer. Jordan and the Bulls won their sixth NBA championship and second three-peat. Once again, Jordan was voted the Finals MVP,[44] having led all scorers averaging 33.5 points per game, including 45 in the deciding Game 6.[90] Jordan's six Finals MVPs is a record; Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, LeBron James and Tim Duncan are tied for second place with three apiece.[44] The 1998 Finals holds the highest television rating of any Finals series in history. Game 6 also holds the highest television rating of any game in NBA history.[91][92]

text: Second retirement (1999–2001)

text: With Phil Jackson's contract expiring, the pending departures of Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman looming, and being in the latter stages of an owner-induced lockout of NBA players, Jordan retired for the second time on January 13, 1999.[93][94][95] On January 19, 2000, Jordan returned to the NBA not as a player, but as part owner and President of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards.[96] Jordan's responsibilities with the Wizards were comprehensive. He controlled all aspects of the Wizards' basketball operations, and had the final say in all personnel matters. Opinions of Jordan as a basketball executive were mixed.[97][98] He managed to purge the team of several highly paid, unpopular players (such as forward Juwan Howard and point guard Rod Strickland),[99][100] but used the first pick in the 2001 NBA draft to select high schooler Kwame Brown, who did not live up to expectations and was traded away after four seasons.[97][101]

text: Despite his January 1999 claim that he was "99.9% certain" that he would never play another NBA game,[45] in the summer of 2001 Jordan expressed interest in making another comeback,[102][103] this time with his new team. Inspired by the NHL comeback of his friend Mario Lemieux the previous winter,[104] Jordan spent much of the spring and summer of 2001 in training, holding several invitation-only camps for NBA players in Chicago.[105] In addition, Jordan hired his old Chicago Bulls head coach, Doug Collins, as Washington's coach for the upcoming season, a decision that many saw as foreshadowing another Jordan return.[102][103]

text: Washington Wizards comeback (2001–2003)

text: On September 25, 2001, Jordan announced his return to the NBA to play for the Washington Wizards, indicating his intention to donate his salary as a player to a relief effort for the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks.[106][107] In an injury-plagued 2001–02 season, he led the team in scoring (22.9 ppg), assists (5.2 apg), and steals (1.42 spg).[5] However, torn cartilage in his right knee ended Jordan's season after only 60 games, the fewest he had played in a regular season since playing 17 games after returning from his first retirement during the 1994–95 season.[19] Jordan started 53 of his 60 games for the season, averaging 24.3 points, 5.4 assists, and 6.0 rebounds, and shooting 41.9% from the field in his 53 starts. His last seven appearances were in a reserve role, in which he averaged just over 20 minutes per game.[108]

text: Playing in his 14th and final NBA All-Star Game in 2003, Jordan passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in All-Star Game history (a record since broken by Kobe Bryant).[109] That year, Jordan was the only Washington player to play in all 82 games, starting in 67 of them. He averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.[5] He also shot 45% from the field, and 82% from the free throw line.[5] Even though he turned 40 during the season, he scored 20 or more points 42 times, 30 or more points nine times, and 40 or more points three times.[30] On February 21, 2003, Jordan became the first 40-year-old to tally 43 points in an NBA game.[110] During his stint with the Wizards, all of Jordan's home games at the MCI Center were sold out, and the Wizards were the second most-watched team in the NBA, averaging 20,172 fans a game at home and 19,311 on the road.[111] However, neither of Jordan's final two seasons resulted in a playoff appearance for the Wizards, and Jordan was often unsatisfied with the play of those around him.[112][113] At several points he openly criticized his teammates to the media, citing their lack of focus and intensity, notably that of the number one draft pick in the 2001 NBA draft, Kwame Brown.[112][113]

text: With the recognition that 2002–03 would be Jordan's final season, tributes were paid to him throughout the NBA. In his final game at his old home court, the United Center in Chicago, Jordan received a four-minute standing ovation.[114] The Miami Heat retired the number 23 jersey on April 11, 2003, even though Jordan never played for the team.[115] At the 2003 All-Star Game, Jordan was offered a starting spot from Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson,[116] but refused both. In the end, he accepted the spot of Vince Carter, who decided to give it up under great public pressure.[117]

text: Jordan played in his final NBA game on April 16, 2003 in Philadelphia. After scoring only 13 points in the game, Jordan went to the bench with 4 minutes and 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter and with his team trailing the Philadelphia 76ers, 75–56. Just after the start of the fourth quarter, the First Union Center crowd began chanting "We want Mike!" After much encouragement from coach Doug Collins, Jordan finally rose from the bench and re-entered the game, replacing Larry Hughes with 2:35 remaining. At 1:45, Jordan was intentionally fouled by the 76ers' Eric Snow, and stepped to the line to make both free throws. After the second foul shot, the 76ers in-bounded the ball to rookie John Salmons, who in turn was intentionally fouled by Bobby Simmons one second later, stopping time so that Jordan could return to the bench. Jordan received a three-minute standing ovation from his teammates, his opponents, the officials and the crowd of 21,257 fans.[118]

text: Olympic career

text: Jordan played on two Olympic gold medal-winning American basketball teams. He won a gold medal as a college player in the 1984 Summer Olympics. The team was coached by Bob Knight and featured players such as Patrick Ewing, Sam Perkins, Chris Mullin, Steve Alford, and Wayman Tisdale. Jordan led the team in scoring, averaging 17.1 ppg for the tournament.[119]

text: In the 1992 Summer Olympics, he was a member of the star-studded squad that included Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and David Robinson and was dubbed the "Dream Team". Jordan was the only player to start all 8 games in the Olympics. Playing limited minutes due to the frequent blowouts, Jordan averaged 14.9 ppg,[120] finishing second on the team in scoring.[121] Jordan and fellow Dream Team members Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin are the only American men's basketball players to win Olympic gold medals as amateurs and professionals.[119][120]

text: Post-retirement

text: After his third retirement, Jordan assumed that he would be able to return to his front office position as Director of Basketball Operations with the Wizards.[122] However, his previous tenure in the Wizards' front office had produced the aforementioned mixed results and may have also influenced the trade of Richard "Rip" Hamilton for Jerry Stackhouse (although Jordan was not technically Director of Basketball Operations in 2002).[97] On May 7, 2003, Wizards owner Abe Pollin fired Jordan as Washington's President of Basketball Operations.[97] Jordan later stated that he felt betrayed, and that if he knew he would be fired upon retiring he never would have come back to play for the Wizards.[53]

text: Jordan kept busy over the next few years. He stayed in shape, played golf in celebrity charity tournaments, and spent time with his family in Chicago. He also promoted his Jordan Brand clothing line and rode motorcycles.[123] Since 2004, Jordan has owned Michael Jordan Motorsports, a professional closed-course motorcycle road racing team that competed with two Suzukis in the premier Superbike championship sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) until the end of the 2013 season.[124][125] In 2006, Jordan and his wife Juanita pledged $5 million to Chicago's Hales Franciscan High School.[126] The Jordan Brand has made donations to Habitat for Humanity and a Louisiana branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.[127]

text: Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets

text: On June 15, 2006, Jordan bought a minority stake in the Charlotte Bobcats, becoming the team's second-largest shareholder behind majority owner Robert L. Johnson. As part of the deal, Jordan took full control over the basketball side of the operation, with the title "Managing Member of Basketball Operations."[128] Despite Jordan's previous success as an endorser, he has made an effort not to be included in Charlotte's marketing campaigns.[129] A decade earlier, Jordan had made a bid to become part-owner of Charlotte's original NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets, but talks collapsed when owner George Shinn refused to give Jordan complete control of basketball operations.[130]

text: In February 2010, it was reported that Jordan was seeking majority ownership of the Bobcats.[131] As February wore on, it became apparent that Jordan and former Houston Rockets president George Postolos were the leading contenders for ownership of the team. On February 27, the Bobcats announced that Johnson had reached an agreement with Jordan and his group, MJ Basketball Holdings, to buy the team pending NBA approval.[132] On March 17, the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved Jordan's purchase, making him the first former player to become the majority owner of an NBA team.[133] It also made him the league's only African-American majority owner of an NBA team.[134]

text: During the 2011 NBA lockout, The New York Times wrote that Jordan led a group of 10 to 14 hardline owners who wanted to cap the players' share of basketball-related income at 50 percent and as low as 47. Journalists observed that, during the labor dispute in 1998, Jordan had told Washington Wizards then-owner Abe Pollin, "If you can't make a profit, you should sell your team."[135] Jason Whitlock of FoxSports.com called Jordan a "sellout" wanting "current players to pay for his incompetence."[136] He cited Jordan's executive decisions to draft disappointing players Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison.[136]

text: During the 2011–12 NBA season that was shortened to 66 games by the lockout, the Bobcats posted a 7–59 record. Their .106 winning percentage was the worst in NBA history.[137] "I'm not real happy about the record book scenario last year. It's very, very frustrating", Jordan said later that year.[138]

text: Player profile

text: Jordan was a shooting guard who was also capable of playing as a small forward (the position he would primarily play during his second return to professional basketball with the Washington Wizards), and as a point guard.[13] Jordan was known throughout his career for being a strong clutch performer. With the Bulls, he decided 25 games with field goals or free throws in the last 30 seconds, including two NBA Finals games and five other playoff contests.[139] His competitiveness was visible in his prolific trash-talk[140] and well-known work ethic.[141][142] As the Bulls organization built the franchise around Jordan, management had to trade away players who were not "tough enough" to compete with him in practice. To help improve his defense, he spent extra hours studying film of opponents. On offense, he relied more upon instinct and improvisation at game time.[143] Noted as a durable player, Jordan did not miss four or more games while active for a full season from 1986–87 to 2001–02, when he injured his right knee.[13][144] He played all 82 games nine times. Jordan has frequently cited David Thompson, Walter Davis, and Jerry West as influences.[145][146] Confirmed at the start of his career, and possibly later on, Jordan had a special "Love of the Game Clause" written into his contract (unusual at the time) which allowed him to play basketball against anyone at any time, anywhere.[147]

text: Jordan had a versatile offensive game. He was capable of aggressively driving to the basket, as well as drawing fouls from his opponents at a high rate; his 8,772 free throw attempts are the ninth-highest total of all time.[148] As his career progressed, Jordan also developed the ability to post up his opponents and score with his trademark fadeaway jump shot, using his leaping ability to "fade away" from block attempts. According to Hubie Brown, this move alone made him nearly unstoppable.[149] Despite media criticism as a "selfish" player early in his career, Jordan's 5.3 assists per game[19] also indicate his willingness to defer to his teammates. After shooting under 30% from three-point range in his first five seasons in the NBA, including a career-low 13% in the 1987–88 season, Jordan improved to a career-high 50% in the 1994–95 season.[19] The three-point shot became more of a focus of his game from 1994–95 to 1996–97, when the NBA shortened its three-point line to 22 ft (6.7 m) (from 23 ft 9 in (7.24 m)).[150] His three-point field-goal percentages ranged from 35% to 43% in seasons in which he attempted at least 230 three-pointers between 1989–90 and 1996–97.[13] For a guard, Jordan was also a good rebounder (6.2 per game).[19]

text: In 1988, Jordan was honored with the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award and became the first NBA player to win both the Defensive Player of the Year and MVP awards in a career (since equaled by Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, and Kevin Garnett; Olajuwon is the only player other than Jordan to win both during the same season). In addition, he set both seasonal and career records for blocked shots by a guard,[151] and combined this with his ball-thieving ability to become a standout defensive player. He ranks third in NBA history in total steals with 2,514, trailing John Stockton and Jason Kidd.[152] Jerry West often stated that he was more impressed with Jordan's defensive contributions than his offensive ones.[153] He was also known to have strong eyesight; broadcaster Al Michaels said that he was able to read baseball box scores on a 27-inch television clearly from about 50 feet away.[154]

text: NBA career statistics

text:
Legend

  GP
Games played
  GS
Games started
 MPG
Minutes per game

 FG%
Field goal percentage
 3P%
3-point field goal percentage
 FT%
Free throw percentage

 RPG
Rebounds per game
 APG
Assists per game
 SPG
Steals per game

 BPG
Blocks per game
 PPG
Points per game
 Bold
Career high

text:
†
Denotes seasons in which Jordan won an NBA championship

*
Led the league

NBA record

text: Regular season

text:
Year
Team
GP
GS
MPG
FG%
3P%
FT%
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
PPG

1984–85
Chicago
82*
82*
38.3
.515
.173
.845
6.5
5.9
2.4
.8
28.2

1985–86
Chicago
18
7
25.1
.457
.167
.840
3.6
2.9
2.1
1.2
22.7

1986–87
Chicago
82*
82*
40.0
.482
.182
.857
5.2
4.6
2.9
1.5
37.1*

1987–88
Chicago
82
82*
40.4*
.535
.132
.841
5.5
5.9
3.2*
1.6
35.0*

1988–89
Chicago
81
81
40.2*
.538
.276
.850
8.0
8.0
2.9
.8
32.5*

1989–90
Chicago
82*
82*
39.0
.526
.376
.848
6.9
6.3
2.8*
.7
33.6*

1990–91†
Chicago
82*
82*
37.0
.539
.312
.851
6.0
5.5
2.7
1.0
31.5*

1991–92†
Chicago
80
80
38.8
.519
.270
.832
6.4
6.1
2.3
.9
30.1*

1992–93†
Chicago
78
78
39.3
.495
.352
.837
6.7
5.5
2.8*
.8
32.6*

1994–95
Chicago
17
17
39.3
.411
.500
.801
6.9
5.3
1.8
.8
26.9

1995–96†
Chicago
82
82
37.7
.495
.427
.834
6.6
4.3
2.2
.5
30.4*

1996–97†
Chicago
82
82*
37.9
.486
.374
.833
5.9
4.3
1.7
.5
29.6*

1997–98†
Chicago
82*
82*
38.8
.465
.238
.784
5.8
3.5
1.7
.5
28.7*

2001–02
Washington
60
53
34.9
.416
.189
.790
5.7
5.2
1.4
.4
22.9

2002–03
Washington
82
67
37.0
.445
.291
.821
6.1
3.8
1.5
.5
20.0

Career
1,072
1,039
38.3
.497
.327
.835
6.2
5.3
2.3
.8
30.1

All-Star
13
13
29.4
.472
.273
.750
4.7
4.2
2.8
.5
20.2

text: Playoffs

text:
Year
Team
GP
GS
MPG
FG%
3P%
FT%
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
PPG

1985
Chicago
4
4
42.8
.436
.125
.828
5.8
8.5
2.8
1.0
29.3

1986
Chicago
3
3
45.0
.505
1.000
.872
6.3
5.7
2.3
1.3
43.7

1987
Chicago
3
3
42.7
.417
.400
.897
7.0
6.0
2.0
2.3
35.7

1988
Chicago
10
10
42.7
.531
.333
.869
7.1
4.7
2.4
1.1
36.3

1989
Chicago
17
17
42.2
.510
.286
.799
7.0
7.6
2.5
.8
34.8

1990
Chicago
16
16
42.1
.514
.320
.836
7.2
6.8
2.8
.9
36.7

1991†
Chicago
17
17
40.5
.524
.385
.845
6.4
8.4
2.4
1.4
31.1

1992†
Chicago
22
22
41.8
.499
.386
.857
6.2
5.8
2.0
.7
34.5

1993†
Chicago
19
19
41.2
.475
.389
.805
6.7
6.0
2.1
.9
35.1

1995
Chicago
10
10
42.0
.484
.367
.810
6.5
4.5
2.3
1.4
31.5

1996†
Chicago
18
18
40.7
.459
.403
.818
4.9
4.1
1.8
.3
30.7

1997†
Chicago
19
19
42.3
.456
.194
.831
7.9
4.8
1.6
.9
31.1

1998†
Chicago
21
21
41.5
.462
.302
.812
5.1
3.5
1.5
.6
32.4

Career
179
179
41.8
.487
.332
.828
6.4
5.7
2.1
.8
33.4

text: Legacy

text: Jordan's marked talent was clear from his rookie season.[25][27] In his first game in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, Jordan received a prolonged standing ovation,[27] a rarity for an opposing player. After Jordan scored a playoff record 63 points against the Boston Celtics on April 20, 1986, Celtics star Larry Bird described him as "God disguised as Michael Jordan."[34]

text: Jordan led the NBA in scoring in 10 seasons (NBA record) and tied Wilt Chamberlain's record of seven consecutive scoring titles.[5] He was also a fixture on the NBA All-Defensive First Team, making the roster nine times (NBA record shared with Gary Payton, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant).[155] Jordan also holds the top career regular season and playoff scoring averages of 30.1 and 33.4 points per game,[5] respectively. By 1998, the season of his Finals-winning shot against the Jazz, he was well known throughout the league as a clutch performer. In the regular season, Jordan was the Bulls' primary threat in the final seconds of a close game and in the playoffs, Jordan would always demand the ball at crunch time.[156] Jordan's total of 5,987 points in the playoffs is the second-highest in NBA history.[157] He retired with 32,292 points in regular season play,[158] placing him fourth on the NBA's all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, and Kobe Bryant.[158]

text: With five regular-season MVPs (tied for second place with Bill Russell—only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has won more, with six), six Finals MVPs (NBA record), and three All-Star MVPs, Jordan is the most decorated NBA player. Jordan finished among the top three in regular-season MVP voting a record 10 times, and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. He is one of only seven players in history to win an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal (doing so twice with the 1984 and 1992 U.S. men's basketball teams).[159] Since 1976, the year of the NBA's merger with the American Basketball Association,[160] Jordan and Pippen are the only two players to win six NBA Finals playing for one team.[161] In the All-Star Game fan ballot, Jordan received the most votes nine times, more than any other player.[162]

text:
"There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us."

—Magic Johnson[5]

tag: div

text: Many of Jordan's contemporaries say that Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.[153] In 1999, an ESPN survey of journalists, athletes and other sports figures ranked Jordan the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century, above such luminaries as Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali.[163] Jordan placed second to Babe Ruth in the Associated Press's December 1999 list of 20th century athletes.[164] In addition, the Associated Press voted him as the greatest basketball player of the 20th century.[165] Jordan has also appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated a record 50 times.[166] In the September 1996 issue of Sport, which was the publication's 50th anniversary issue, Jordan was named the greatest athlete of the past 50 years.[167]

text: Jordan's athletic leaping ability, highlighted in his back-to-back slam dunk contest championships in 1987 and 1988, is credited by many with having influenced a generation of young players.[168][169] Several current NBA All-Stars have stated that they considered Jordan their role model while growing up, including LeBron James[170] and Dwyane Wade.[171] In addition, commentators have dubbed a number of next-generation players "the next Michael Jordan" upon their entry to the NBA, including Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, Grant Hill, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Vince Carter, and Dwyane Wade.[172][173][174] Although Jordan was a well-rounded player, his "Air Jordan" image is also often credited with inadvertently decreasing the jump shooting skills, defense, and fundamentals of young players,[168] a fact Jordan himself has lamented.

text: I think it was the exposure of Michael Jordan; the marketing of Michael Jordan. Everything was marketed towards the things that people wanted to see, which was scoring and dunking. That Michael Jordan still played defense and an all-around game, but it was never really publicized.[168]

text: Although Jordan has done much to increase the status of the game, some of his impact on the game's popularity in America appears to be fleeting.[175] Television ratings in particular increased only during his time in the league,[175] and Finals ratings have not returned to the level reached during his last championship-winning season.[176]

text: In August 2009, the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, opened a Michael Jordan exhibit that contained items from his college and NBA careers, as well as from the 1992 "Dream Team". The exhibit also has a batting glove to signify Jordan's short career in minor league baseball.[177] After Jordan received word of his acceptance into the Hall of Fame, he selected Class of 1996 member David Thompson to present him.[178] As Jordan would later explain during his induction speech in September 2009, growing up in North Carolina, he was not a fan of the Tar Heels, and greatly admired Thompson, who played at rival North Carolina State. He was inducted into the Hall in September, with several former Bulls teammates in attendance, including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, and Toni Kukoč.[179] Two of Jordan's former coaches, Dean Smith and Doug Collins, were also among those present. His emotional reaction during his speech—when he began to cry—was captured by Associated Press photographer Stephan Savoia and would later become widely shared on social media as the Crying Jordan Internet meme.[180][181] In 2016, President Barack Obama honored Jordan with a Presidential Medal of Freedom.[182]

text: Personal life

text: Jordan married Juanita Vanoy in September 1989, and they had two sons, Jeffrey Michael and Marcus James, and a daughter, Jasmine. Jordan and Vanoy filed for divorce on January 4, 2002, citing irreconcilable differences, but reconciled shortly thereafter. They again filed for divorce and were granted a final decree of dissolution of marriage on December 29, 2006, commenting that the decision was made "mutually and amicably".[183][184] It is reported that Juanita received a $168 million settlement (equivalent to $200 million in 2016), making it the largest celebrity divorce settlement on public record at the time.[185][186]

text: In 1991, Jordan purchased a lot in Highland Park, Illinois, to build a 56,000 square foot mansion, which was completed four years later. Jordan listed his Highland Park mansion for sale in 2012.[187] Both of his sons attended Loyola Academy, a private Roman Catholic high school located in Wilmette, Illinois.[188] Jeffrey graduated as a member of the 2007 graduating class and played his first collegiate basketball game on November 11, 2007, for the University of Illinois. After two seasons, Jeffrey left the Illinois basketball team in 2009. He later rejoined the team for a third season,[189][190] then received a release to transfer to the University of Central Florida, where Marcus was attending.[191][192] Marcus transferred to Whitney Young High School after his sophomore year at Loyola Academy and graduated in 2009. He began attending UCF in the fall of 2009,[193] and played three seasons of basketball for the school.[194]

text: On July 21, 2006, a judge in Cook County, Illinois, determined that Jordan did not owe his alleged former lover Karla Knafel $5 million in a breach of contract claim.[195] Jordan had allegedly paid Knafel $250,000 to keep their relationship a secret.[196][197][198] Knafel claimed Jordan promised her $5 million for remaining silent and agreeing not to file a paternity suit after Knafel learned she was pregnant in 1991. A DNA test showed Jordan was not the father of the child.[195]

text: He proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto, on Christmas 2011,[199] and they were married on April 27, 2013, at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church.[200][201] It was announced on November 30, 2013, that the two were expecting their first child together.[202][203] On February 11, 2014, Prieto gave birth to identical twin daughters named Victoria and Ysabel.[204]

text: Media figure and business interests

text: Jordan is one of the most marketed sports figures in history. He has been a major spokesman for such brands as Nike, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, Gatorade, McDonald's, Ball Park Franks, Rayovac, Wheaties, Hanes, and MCI.[205] Jordan has had a long relationship with Gatorade, appearing in over 20 commercials for the company since 1991, including the "Be Like Mike" commercials in which a song was sung by children wishing to be like Jordan.[205][206]

text: Nike created a signature shoe for him, called the Air Jordan. One of Jordan's more popular commercials for the shoe involved Spike Lee playing the part of Mars Blackmon. In the commercials Lee, as Blackmon, attempted to find the source of Jordan's abilities and became convinced that "it's gotta be the shoes".[205] The hype and demand for the shoes even brought on a spate of "shoe-jackings" where people were robbed of their sneakers at gunpoint. Subsequently, Nike spun off the Jordan line into its own division named the "Jordan Brand". The company features an impressive list of athletes and celebrities as endorsers.[207][208] The brand has also sponsored college sports programs such as those of North Carolina, Cal, Georgetown, and Marquette.[209]

text: Jordan also has been associated with the Looney Tunes cartoon characters. A Nike commercial shown during 1992's Super Bowl XXVI featured Jordan and Bugs Bunny playing basketball.[210] The Super Bowl commercial inspired the 1996 live action/animated film Space Jam, which starred Jordan and Bugs in a fictional story set during the former's first retirement from basketball.[211] They have subsequently appeared together in several commercials for MCI.[211] Jordan also made an appearance in the music video of Michael Jackson's "Jam" (1992).[212]

text: Jordan's yearly income from the endorsements is estimated to be over forty million dollars.[213][214] In addition, when Jordan's power at the ticket gates was at its highest point, the Bulls regularly sold out both their home and road games.[215] Due to this, Jordan set records in player salary by signing annual contracts worth in excess of US $30 million per season.[216] An academic study found that Jordan's first NBA comeback resulted in an increase in the market capitalization of his client firms of more than $1 billion.[217]

text: Most of Jordan's endorsement deals, including his first deal with Nike, were engineered by his agent, David Falk.[218] Jordan has described Falk as "the best at what he does" and that "marketing-wise, he's great. He's the one who came up with the concept of 'Air Jordan.'"[219]

text: In June 2010, Jordan was ranked by Forbes magazine as the 20th-most powerful celebrity in the world with $55 million earned between June 2009 and June 2010. According to the Forbes article, Jordan Brand generates $1 billion in sales for Nike.[220] In June 2014, Jordan was named the first NBA player to become a billionaire, after he increased his stake in the Charlotte Hornets from 80% to 89.5%.[221][222] On January 20, 2015, Jordan was honored with the Charlotte Business Journal's Business Person of the Year for 2014.[223] As of April 2017, his current net worth is estimated at $1.31 billion by Forbes.[224] Jordan is the third-richest African-American as of 2017, behind Oprah Winfrey and Robert F. Smith.[225]

text: Awards and honors

text: College awards and honors

text:
Two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

class of 2009 – individual
class of 2010 – as a member of the "Dream Team"

NCAA national championship – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: 1981–82
ACC Freshman of the Year – 1981–82
Two-time Consensus NCAA All-American First Team – 1982–83, 1983–84
ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year – 1983–84
USBWA College Player of the Year – 1983–84
Naismith College Player of the Year – 1983–84
Adolph Rupp Trophy – 1983–84
John R. Wooden Award – 1983–84
Number 23 retired by the North Carolina Tar Heels

tag: ul

text: NBA awards and honors

text:
Six-time NBA champion
Six-time NBA Finals MVP
Five-time NBA MVP
10-time NBA scoring leader (1987–1993, 1996–1998)
14-time NBA All-Star
Three-time NBA All-Star Game MVP
11-time All-NBA
Nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team
Two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion – 1987, 1988
NBA Rookie of the Year – 1984–85
IBM Award winner – 1985
NBA Defensive Player of the Year – 1987–88
Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996
Number 23 retired by the Chicago Bulls
Number 23 retired by the Miami Heat

text: Other awards and honors

text:
U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame – class of 2009 (as a member of the "Dream Team")
FIBA Hall of Fame – class of 2015[226]
Two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner – 1984, 1992
"Triple Crown of Basketball" winner[159]
Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year – 1991
Section of Madison Street in Chicago renamed Michael Jordan Drive – 1994[227]
Ranked No.1 by SLAM Magazine's Top 50 Players of All-Time[228]
Ranked No.1 by ESPN SportsCentury's Top North American Athletes of the 20th century[163]
North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
1997 Marca Leyenda winner
Seven-time ESPY Award winner (in various categories)
Statue in front of the United Center
2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom[182]


document_title: Return to Oz

question_text: who played the gnome king in return to oz

text: Return to Oz

text: Plot[edit]

text: In October 1899, six months after returning home from the Land of Oz, Dorothy Gale is melancholic. Her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry take her to Dr. Worley, known for his electrotherapy treatments, and leave her under the care of Nurse Wilson. During a thunderstorm, the lab suffers a blackout and Dorothy is saved by a mysterious girl, who reveals to Dorothy that Dr. Worley is using his machines to brain damage the patients. They escape with Nurse Wilson in pursuit, and fall into a river. Dorothy clambers aboard a chicken coop, but the other girl appears to have vanished underwater.

text: Upon awakening, Dorothy finds herself back in Oz in the Deadly Desert with her chicken Billina, who can now talk. They find the Emerald City in ruins and its citizens (including the Tin Woodman and Cowardly Lion) turned to stone. Pursued by Wheelers (humans who have wheels instead of hands and feet), Dorothy and Billina hide in a room accessed by a glyph key Billina earlier had found. They meet a mechanical man, Tik-Tok, who explains that King Scarecrow has been captured by the Nome King, a rock dwelling evil spirit who is responsible for the Emerald City's destruction. The three visit princess Mombi in hopes of getting more information, but she is working with the Nome King and imprisons them.

text: Dorothy, Billina, and Tik-Tok meet Jack Pumpkinhead, who explains he was brought to life via Mombi's Powder of Life. Dorothy uses the powder to vivify the Gump, the head of a green moose-like animal whose body they put together using two sofas, palm leaves, a broom, and rope. Using the Gump as transport, the group escapes and flies across the Deadly Desert to reach the Nome King's mountain. Mombi sends the Wheelers after them, but half the pack are killed via being turned to sand in the Deadly Desert. In his underground domain, the Nome King tells Dorothy that the Scarecrow stole the emeralds from him to build the Emerald City, and should be punished. He does not listen when Dorothy protests that the emeralds preceded the Scarecrow at the city. The Scarecrow has been turned into an ornament, and the group has three guesses each to identify which one he is, or they will be turned into ornaments themselves. The Gump, Jack and Tik-Tok each fail and are turned into ornaments. The Nome King gives Dorothy the chance to go home unscathed since he has her discarded ruby slippers, but Dorothy refuses to use them to leave her companions.

text: Meanwhile, the surviving half of the Wheelers return to Mombi's castle, and then Mombi makes them take her to the Nome King's mountain via a tunnel underneath the deadly desert. Mombi arrives minutes after Dorothy goes into the ornament room to make her guesses. On her last guess, she locates the Scarecrow, having deduced that people from Oz turn into green ornaments. The hunt for green ornaments yields Jack and Gump, but the enraged Nome King, angry at Mombi for allowing Dorothy to escape, traps Mombi in a cage, and confronts Dorothy and company and transforms in a monstrous form where he eats the Gump's couch body. He tries to eat Jack, but Billina, hiding in Jack's head, lays an egg in fright and it falls into the Nome King's mouth. Due to eggs being toxic to Nomes, the Nome King and his subterranean kingdom crumble to pieces all around Dorothy and her friends. Dorothy finds the ruby slippers and wishes she and her friends be returned to a restored Emerald City. There, they mourn the loss of Tik-Tok until Billina notices a green medal stuck to one of the Gump's antlers; Dorothy uses one more "guess" and Tik-Tok materializes.

text: At a celebration, Dorothy is asked to be Queen of Oz but refuses, realizing she must return to Kansas eventually. She learns that the girl who helped her escape the hospital is Princess Ozma, Jack's long-lost creator, and the rightful ruler of Oz, who had been enchanted by Mombi at the Nome King's request. Ozma forgives the no-longer-magical Mombi. She takes her place on the throne and Dorothy hands over the ruby slippers. Billina opts to stay in Oz. Ozma sends Dorothy home, promising that Dorothy is welcome to return.

text: Back in Kansas, Dorothy's family finds her on a riverbank. Aunt Em reveals that Worley's hospital was struck by lightning and burned down, and Worley died trying to save his machines. They see Nurse Wilson, arrested and locked in a cage on a horse buggy. Upon returning to the farmhouse, Dorothy sees Billina and Ozma peering at her through her bedroom mirror. When Dorothy entreats Aunt Em to come to her room to see Ozma, Ozma silently instructs her to keep her and Oz a secret.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Gale (a composite of both herself and Tip from the books)
Nicol Williamson as Dr. Worley/Nome King
Jean Marsh as Nurse Wilson/Princess Mombi (a composite of the characters Princess Langwidere and the wicked witch Mombi from the books)
Piper Laurie as Aunt Em
Matt Clark as Uncle Henry
Michael Sundin & Tim Rose as Tik-Tok (puppeteers)
Sean Barrett as Tik-Tok (voice)
Mak Wilson as Billina (puppeteer)
Denise Bryer as Billina (voice)
Brian Henson & Stewart Larange as Jack Pumpkinhead (puppeteers)
Brian Henson as Jack Pumpkinhead (voice)
Lyle Conway & Steve Norrington as The Gump (puppeteer)
Lyle Conway as the Gump (voice)
Justin Case as the Scarecrow
John Alexander as the Cowardly Lion, Wheeler
Deep Roy as the Tin Woodman
Emma Ridley as the Girl at the hospital/Princess Ozma
Pons Maar as Lead Wheeler, Nome Messenger, and one of Nurse Wilson's assistants
Sophie Ward as Mombi II
Fiona Victory as Mombi III
Bruce Boa as Policeman
Tansy as Toto

text: Production[edit]

text: Walter Murch began development on the film in 1980, during a brainstorming session with Walt Disney Productions production chief Tom Wilhite. "It was just a fishing expedition on both of our parts," Murch remembered. "But one of the questions he asked was, 'What are you interested in that you think we might also be interested in?', and I said, 'Another Oz story.'... And Tom sort of straightened up in his chair because it turned out, unbeknownst to me, that Disney owned the rights to all of the Oz stories. And they were particularly interested in doing something with them because the copyright was going to run out in the next five years."[4]

text: The film is based on the second and third Oz books, The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) and Ozma of Oz (1907). The element about Tik-Tok being "The Royal Army of Oz" derives from Tik-Tok of Oz (1914), in which he is made the Royal Army of Oogaboo, and also makes frequent cries of "Pick me up!" That book was itself based on a dramatic production, The Tik-Tok Man of Oz (1913). Murch also used the book Wisconsin Death Trip as a historical source for the film.[5]

text: Murch took a decidedly darker take on Baum's source material than the 1939 adaptation, which he knew starting out would be a gamble. Between the development period and actual shooting, there was a change of leadership at the Walt Disney studios (with Wilhite being replaced by Richard Berger), and the movie's budget increased.[6] Once shooting began, Murch began to fall behind schedule, and there was further pressure from the studio, leading to Murch being fired as director for a short period.[6] George Lucas and other high-profile filmmakers including Francis Ford Coppola supported Murch in discussions with the studio, and Murch was reinstated and finished the film.[4][6]

text: The film was developed and produced without the involvement of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the studio behind the 1939 film. No approval was necessary, because by 1985, the Oz books on which it was based were in the public domain, and the subsequent Oz books had been optioned to Disney many years earlier. A large fee was paid, however, to use the ruby slippers, which were still the intellectual property of MGM at the time (as they had been created specifically for the 1939 film to replace the Silver Shoes of the original stories).

text: The production company Family Films Productions is producing an independent film documentary, about the history of "RETURN TO OZ". This is the first time all the main actors and most crew have been on a film to speak about the movie in over 30 years. The film is titled, Remembering Return to Oz[7][8], and is being produced by Aaron Pacentine, and director Aaron Schultz.

text: Reception[edit]

text: The film received mixed reviews upon its release. The film-critics aggregator Rotten Tomatoes records 55% positive reviews based on 22 reviews. Those who were familiar with the Oz books praised its faithfulness to the source material of L. Frank Baum. However, many critics described its tone and overall content as slightly too dark and intense for young children. "Children are sure to be startled by its bleakness," said The New York Times' Janet Maslin.[9] Canadian film critic Jay Scott felt the protagonists were too creepy and weird for viewers to relate or sympathize with: "Dorothy's friends are as weird as her enemies, which is faithful to the original Oz books but turns out not to be a virtue on film, where the eerie has a tendency to remain eerie no matter how often we're told it's not."[10] "It's bleak, creepy, and occasionally terrifying," added Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader.[11] It earned $2,844,895 in its opening weekend, finishing in seventh place.[12] It ultimately grossed $11,137,801 in North America.[13]

text: The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects, but lost to Cocoon. Fairuza Balk and Emma Ridley were nominated for Young Artist Awards. It received two Saturn Award nominations for Best Fantasy Film (lost to Ladyhawke) and Best Younger Actor for Fairuza Balk (who lost to Barret Oliver for D.A.R.Y.L.).

text: The film's interpretation of Oz is featured in the Storybook Land Canal Boats attraction at Disneyland Paris. Amelie Gillette of The A.V. Club frequently refers to its dark nature as unsuitable for its intended audience of young children[14] despite it being one of her favorite movies growing up.

text: Release[edit]

text: The film has been released to VHS, beta, laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-Ray over the years. The initial release, to VHS, laserdisc, and Beta, occurred in December 1985 shortly after the theatrical release, with the VHS initially priced with a list price of $79.95. Disney reissued it in 1992 with alternate cover art. In 1999, Anchor Bay Entertainment, who had obtained the home video rights to several titles from Disney's live-action catalogue, issued the film on full-screen and letterbox VHS, as well as a DVD release featuring both versions. All three releases featured an intro by Fairuza Balk before the film and an interview featurette with her after it. All three versions went out of print shortly after their release.

text: In 2004, Disney released their own DVD, which dropped the Anchor Bay disc's fullscreen version and added anamorphic enhancement for 16:9 TVs for the widescreen version, upgraded the audio to 5.1 surround, retained the Anchor Bay disc's extras, and added four TV spots and a theatrical trailer. In 2015, Disney released a 30th Anniversary Edition of the film on Blu-Ray exclusively through the Disney Movie Club, featuring a newly remastered and cleaned up transfer and DTS Master Audio 5.1 sound, but none of the bonus features from the 2004 DVD.