document_title: Michael Jordan

question_text: when did michael jordan get drafted to the nba

question_tokens: when did michael jordan get drafted 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.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10][11]

text: Motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's junior varsity team, and tallied several 40-point games.[10] The following summer, he grew four inches (10 cm)[11][4] 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.[12][13] As a senior, he was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team[14] after averaging a triple-double: 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists.[15]

text: Jordan was recruited by numerous college basketball programs, including Duke, North Carolina, South Carolina, Syracuse, and Virginia.[16] In 1981, Jordan accepted a basketball scholarship to North Carolina, where he majored in cultural geography.[17]

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).[18] He made the game-winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing.[4] Jordan later described this shot as the major turning point in his basketball career.[19] During his three seasons at North Carolina, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting, and added 5.0 rebounds per game (rpg).[12]  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.[20]  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.[21] 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.[22]  Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986.[23] He graduated the same year with a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography.[24]

text: Professional career

text: Early NBA years (1984–1987)

text: During his rookie season with the Bulls, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting.[18] 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] The fans also voted in Jordan as an All-Star starter during his rookie season.[4] 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.[4] This led to a so-called "freeze-out" on Jordan, where players refused to pass the ball to him throughout the game.[4] 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.[4] 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,[35] and he had one of the most prolific scoring seasons in NBA history. He became the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to score 3,000 points in a season, averaging a league high 37.1 points on 48.2% shooting.[18][36] 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.[37] 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[18] 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.[38] 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.[39] 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".[40]

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).[18] 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.[41] 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.[4]

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[18] 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.[18] 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.[42][43]

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 a 15–2 playoff record along the way.[42] 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.[44] 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.[45] Jordan won his first NBA Finals MVP award,[46] and he cried while holding the NBA Finals trophy.[47]

text: Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance in the 1991–92 season, establishing a 67–15 record, topping their franchise record from 1990–91.[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.[38] 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.[48] In the first game, Jordan scored a Finals-record 35 points in the first half, including a record-setting six three-point field goals.[49] 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."[50] 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[46] and finished the series averaging 35.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 6.5 apg, while shooting 53% from the floor.[46]

text: In the 1992–93 season, despite a 32.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 5.5 apg campaign and finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting,[38][51] 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,[52] and became the first player in NBA history to win three straight Finals MVP awards.[46] 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.[53]

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.[54] In that same year, he admitted that he had to cover $57,000 in gambling losses,[55] and author Richard Esquinas wrote a book claiming he had won $1.25 million from Jordan on the golf course.[55] 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."[56] When Bradley asked him if his gambling ever got to the level where it jeopardized his livelihood or family, Jordan replied, "No."[56]

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

text:
Michael JordanBirmingham 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 ScorpionsLast Southern League appearance
March 10, 1995, for the Birmingham BaronsSouthern League statistics (through 1994)Batting average
.202Home runs
3Runs batted in
51Arizona Fall League statisticsBatting average
.252
Teams
Birmingham Barons (1994–1995)
Scottsdale Scorpions (1994)

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 shaped his decision.[57] 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 his luxury Lexus bearing the license plate "UNC 0023".[58][59] His body was dumped in a South Carolina swamp and was not discovered until August 3.[59] The assailants were traced from calls that they made on James Jordan's cell phone.[60] 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.[4] In 1996, he founded a Chicago area Boys & Girls Club and dedicated it to his father.[61][62]

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.[63] 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.[64]

text: Jordan then further surprised the sports world by signing a minor league baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox on February 7, 1994.[65] He reported to spring training in Sarasota, Florida, and was assigned to the team's minor league system on March 31, 1994.[66] 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.[67] 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.[68]

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.[13] He also appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 1994 Arizona Fall League, batting .252 against the top prospects in baseball.[66] 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.[69][70][71]

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

text: In the 1993–94 season, the Bulls achieved a 55–27 record without Jordan in the lineup,[31] and lost to the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. 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.[72] The team received help, however, when Jordan decided to return to the Bulls.[73]

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.[74] On March 18, 1995, Jordan announced his return to the NBA through a two-word press release: "I'm back."[4] The next day, Jordan took to the court with the Bulls to face the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, scoring 19 points.[75] The game had the highest Nielsen rating of a regular season NBA game since 1975.[76] 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.[75]

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"[77] and that "No. 45 doesn't explode like No. 23 used to."[78]

text: Jordan responded by scoring 38 points in the next game, which Chicago won. Before the game, Jordan decided that he would immediately resume wearing his former number, 23. The Bulls were fined $25,000 for failing to report the impromptu number change to the NBA.[78] Jordan was fined an additional $5,000 for opting to wear white sneakers when the rest of the Bulls wore black.[79] He averaged 31 points per game in the series, but Orlando won the series in 6 games.[12]

text: Second three-peat (1995–1998)

text: Jordan was freshly motivated by the playoff defeat, and he trained aggressively for the 1995–96 season.[80] The Bulls were strengthened by the addition of rebound specialist Dennis Rodman, and the team dominated the league, starting the season at 41–3.[81] The Bulls eventually finished with the then-best regular season record in NBA history, 72–10; this record was later surpassed by the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors.[82] Jordan led the league in scoring with 30.4 ppg[83] and won the league's regular season and All-Star Game MVP awards.[4]

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,[46] 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.[4][47]

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.[84] 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.[85] The Bulls won 90–88 and went on to win the series in six games.[84] For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Jordan received the Finals MVP award.[46] 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.[86]

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,[38] securing his fifth regular-season MVP award, plus honors for All-NBA First Team, First Defensive Team and the All-Star Game MVP.[4] 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.[87][88] After winning, they moved on for a rematch with the Jazz in the Finals.[89]

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.[90] 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.[90] 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.[90] 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,[91][92][93] 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,[46] having led all scorers averaging 33.5 points per game, including 45 in the deciding Game 6.[94] 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.[46] 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.[95][96]

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.[97][98][99] 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.[100] 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.[101][102] He managed to purge the team of several highly paid, unpopular players (such as forward Juwan Howard and point guard Rod Strickland),[103][104] 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.[101][105]

text: Despite his January 1999 claim that he was "99.9% certain" that he would never play another NBA game,[47] in the summer of 2001 Jordan expressed interest in making another comeback,[106][107] this time with his new team. Inspired by the NHL comeback of his friend Mario Lemieux the previous winter,[108] Jordan spent much of the spring and summer of 2001 in training, holding several invitation-only camps for NBA players in Chicago.[109] 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.[106][107]

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.[110][111] 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).[4] 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.[18] 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.[112]

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).[113] 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.[4] He also shot 45% from the field, and 82% from the free throw line.[4] 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.[114] 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.[115] 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.[116][117] 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.[116][117]

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 the United Center in Chicago, which was his old home court, Jordan received a four-minute standing ovation.[118] The Miami Heat retired the number 23 jersey on April 11, 2003, even though Jordan never played for the team.[119] At the 2003 All-Star Game, Jordan was offered a starting spot from Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson,[120] but refused both. In the end, he accepted the spot of Vince Carter, who decided to give it up under great public pressure.[121]

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 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.[122]

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.[123]

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,[124] finishing second on the team in scoring.[125] 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.[123][124]

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.[126] 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).[101] On May 7, 2003, Wizards owner Abe Pollin fired Jordan as the team's president of basketball operations.[101] Jordan later stated that he felt betrayed, and that if he had known he would be fired upon retiring he never would have come back to play for the Wizards.[56]

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.[127] 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.[128][129] In 2006, Jordan and his wife Juanita pledged $5 million to Chicago's Hales Franciscan High School.[130]  The Jordan Brand has made donations to Habitat for Humanity and a Louisiana branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.[131]

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."[132]  Despite Jordan's previous success as an endorser, he has made an effort not to be included in Charlotte's marketing campaigns.[133] 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.[134]

text: In February 2010, it was reported that Jordan was seeking majority ownership of the Bobcats.[135] 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.[136] 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.[137]  It also made him the league's only African-American majority owner of an NBA team.[138]

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."[139] Jason Whitlock of FoxSports.com called Jordan a "sellout" wanting "current players to pay for his incompetence."[140] He cited Jordan's executive decisions to draft disappointing players Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison.[140]

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.[141] "I'm not real happy about the record book scenario last year. It's very, very frustrating", Jordan said later that year.[142]

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.[12] 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.[143] His competitiveness was visible in his prolific trash-talk[144] and well-known work ethic.[145][146] 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.[147] 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.[12][148] He played all 82 games nine times.  Jordan has frequently cited David Thompson, Walter Davis, and Jerry West as influences.[149][150] 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.[151]

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.[152] 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.[153] Despite media criticism as a "selfish" player early in his career, Jordan's 5.3 assists per game[18] 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.[18] 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)).[154] 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.[12] For a guard, Jordan was also a good rebounder (6.2 per game).[18]

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,[155] 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.[156] Jerry West often stated that he was more impressed with Jordan's defensive contributions than his offensive ones.[157]  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 (69 cm) television clearly from about 50 feet (15 m) away.[158]

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 talent was clear from his first NBA season.[25][27] Larry Bird said that he had "never seen anyone like him", that he was "one of a kind", and that Jordan was the best player he had ever seen and comparable to Wayne Gretzky as an athlete.[159] In Jordan's first game in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, he 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, 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.[4] 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).[160] Jordan also holds the top career regular season and playoff scoring averages of 30.1 and 33.4 points per game,[4] 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; he would always ask for the ball at crunch time.[161] Jordan's total of 5,987 points in the playoffs is the second-highest in NBA history.[162] He retired with 32,292 points in regular season play,[163] placing him fourth on the NBA's all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, and Kobe Bryant.[163]

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 Game MVPs, Jordan is the most decorated player in NBA history.[12][164] Jordan finished among the top three in regular-season MVP voting 10 times,[12] 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).[165] Since 1976, the year of the NBA's merger with the American Basketball Association,[166] Jordan and Pippen are the only two players to win six NBA Finals playing for one team.[167] In the All-Star Game fan ballot, Jordan received the most votes nine times, more than any other player.[168]

text:
"There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us."
—Magic Johnson[4]

text: Many of Jordan's contemporaries have said that Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.[157] 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.[169] Jordan placed second to Babe Ruth in the Associated Press' December 1999 list of 20th century athletes.[170] In addition, the Associated Press voted him the greatest basketball player of the 20th century.[171] Jordan has also appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated a record 50 times.[172] 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.[173]

text: Jordan's athletic leaping ability, highlighted in his back-to-back slam dunk contest championships in 1987 and 1988, is credited by many people with having influenced a generation of young players.[174][175] Several current NBA players—including LeBron James and Dwyane Wade—have stated that they considered Jordan their role model while they were growing up.[176][177] In addition, commentators have dubbed a number of next-generation players "the next Michael Jordan" upon their entry to the NBA, including Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Vince Carter, and Dwyane Wade.[178][179][180] 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,[174] 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.[174]

text: During his heyday, Jordan did much to increase the status of the game, but the popularity of the NBA in the U.S. appears to have declined since his last title.[181] Television ratings in particular increased only during his time in the league,[181] and Finals ratings have not returned to the level reached during his last championship-winning season.[182]

text: In August 2009, the Naismith Memorial 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.[183] After Jordan received word of his acceptance into the Hall of Fame, he selected Class of 1996 member David Thompson to present him.[184] As Jordan would later explain during his induction speech in September 2009, when he was 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. In September, he was inducted into the Hall with several former Bulls teammates in attendance, including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, and Toni Kukoč.[185] 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 go viral on social media as the Crying Jordan Internet meme.[186][187] In 2016, President Barack Obama honored Jordan with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[188]

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".[189][190] It is reported that Juanita received a $168 million settlement (equivalent to $204 million in 2017), making it the largest celebrity divorce settlement on public record at the time.[191][192]

text: In 1991, Jordan purchased a lot in Highland Park, Illinois, to build a 56,000 square-foot (5,200 m2) mansion, which was completed four years later.  Jordan listed his Highland Park mansion for sale in 2012.[193] His two sons attended Loyola Academy, a private Roman Catholic high school located in Wilmette, Illinois.[194] 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,[195][196] then received a release to transfer to the University of Central Florida, where Marcus was attending.[197][198] 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,[199] and played three seasons of basketball for the school.[200]

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.[201] Jordan had allegedly paid Knafel $250,000 to keep their relationship a secret.[202][203][204] 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.[201]

text: He proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto, on Christmas 2011,[205] and they were married on April 27, 2013, at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church.[206][207] It was announced on November 30, 2013, that the two were expecting their first child together.[208][209]  On February 11, 2014, Prieto gave birth to identical twin daughters named Victoria and Ysabel.[210]

text: Media figure and business interests

text: Endorsements

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.[211] 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.[211][212]

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".[211] 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.[213][214] The brand has also sponsored college sports programs such as those of North Carolina, Cal, Georgetown, and Marquette.[215]

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.[216] 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.[217] They have subsequently appeared together in several commercials for MCI.[217] Jordan also made an appearance in the music video of Michael Jackson's "Jam" (1992).[218]

text: Jordan's yearly income from the endorsements is estimated to be over forty million dollars.[219][220] 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.[221] Due to this, Jordan set records in player salary by signing annual contracts worth in excess of US $30 million per season.[222] 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.[223]

text: Most of Jordan's endorsement deals, including his first deal with Nike, were engineered by his agent, David Falk.[224] 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.'"[225]

text: Business ventures

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.[226] 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%.[227][228] On January 20, 2015, Jordan was honored with the Charlotte Business Journal's Business Person of the Year for 2014.[229] In 2017, he became a part owner of the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball.[230]

text: Forbes designated Jordan as the athlete with the highest career earnings in 2017.[231] From his Jordan Brand income and endorsements, Jordan's 2015 income was an estimated $110 million, the most of any retired athlete.[232] As of August 2018, his current net worth is estimated at $1.7 billion by Forbes.[233] Jordan is the third-richest African-American as of 2018, behind Robert F. Smith and Oprah Winfrey.[234]

text: Jordan co-owns an automotive group which bears his name. The company has a Nissan dealership in Durham, North Carolina, acquired in 1990,[235] and formerly had a Lincoln–Mercury dealership from 1995 until its closure in June 2009.[236][237] The company also owned a Nissan franchise in Glen Burnie, Maryland.[236] The restaurant industry is another business interest of Jordan's. His restaurants include a steakhouse in New York City's Grand Central Terminal, among others.[238]

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

text: NBA awards and honors

text:
Six-time NBA champion – 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
Six-time NBA Finals MVP – 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
Five-time NBA MVP – 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998
10-time NBA scoring leader (1987–1993, 1996–1998)
14-time NBA All-Star
Three-time NBA All-Star Game MVP – 1988, 1996, 1998
11-time All-NBA Team
Nine-time NBA All-Defensive Team
Two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion – 1987, 1988
NBA Rookie of the Year Award – 1984–85
IBM Award winner – 1985
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award – 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:
United States Olympic Hall of Fame – class of 2009 (as a member of the "Dream Team")
FIBA Hall of Fame – class of 2015[239]
Two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner – 1984, 1992
"Triple Crown of Basketball" winner[165]
Three-time Associated Press Athlete of the Year – 1991, 1992, 1993[240]
Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year – 1991
Section of Madison Street in Chicago renamed Michael Jordan Drive – 1994[241]
Ranked No.1 by SLAM Magazine's Top 50 Players of All-Time[242]
Ranked No.1 by ESPN SportsCentury's Top North American Athletes of the 20th century[169]
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[188]


document_title: BoJack Horseman

question_text: when did bojack horseman season 4 come out

root

text: BoJack Horseman

text: Premise[edit]

text: The series takes place mostly in the Los Angeles area, specifically, in Hollywood (later known as "Hollywoo" after the 'D' in the Hollywood Sign is stolen in a romantic gesture). In an alternate world where humans and tailless anthropomorphic animals live side by side, BoJack Horseman, the washed-up star of the 1990s Horsin' Around, plans his big return to celebrity relevance with a tell-all autobiography that he dictates to his ghostwriter Diane Nguyen. BoJack also has to contend with the demands of his agent and on-again-off-again girlfriend Princess Carolyn, the misguided antics of his freeloading roommate Todd Chavez, and his frenemy Mr. Peanutbutter, who is also Nguyen's boyfriend (and, later, her husband). The series satirizes Hollywood, celebrity culture, drug abuse, anxiety, depression and the effects of the entertainment industry in contemporary culture.

tag: p

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text:
Will Arnett as BoJack Horseman, a self-loathing alcoholic horse currently in his 50s, whose acting career peaked when he starred in a successful '90s family sitcom called Horsin' Around. Though he began as a young bright-eyed actor, he has since grown bitter, deeply depressed, and jaded towards Hollywoo and who he has become post-fame. BoJack has been shown to be caring and insightful, but his insecurities, loneliness, and desperate need for approval often result in self-destructive actions that devastate those around him. Arnett also voices Butterscotch Horseman, BoJack's physically and verbally abusive father.
Alison Brie as Diane Nguyen, a human ghostwriter, a nice, well-reasoned, misunderstood intellectual, and an adopted Vietnamese-American third-wave feminist from Boston who lives with her rich and famous boyfriend (and later husband), former sitcom star Mr. Peanutbutter. She's intelligent and sympathetic. While writing BoJack's memoir, Diane and BoJack initially develop a strong friendship that becomes increasingly awkward and strained after BoJack develops romantic feelings for her. Diane travels to the war-torn Republic of Cordovia to make a difference, but discovers that this life is not for her. Ashamed of returning to her husband, she develops a severe bout of depression, during which she drinks heavily and sleeps disheveled on BoJack's patio furniture. She is able to reconcile her feelings with Mr. Peanutbutter and gets a job at VIM ghostwriting tweets for celebrities. She is subsequently fired from VIM, and is hired to write for a feminist blog.
Amy Sedaris as Princess Carolyn, a pink Persian cat who is BoJack's agent in the first three seasons and former on-and-off girlfriend. Earnest and unflagging, Princess Carolyn was a top agent at Vigor agency through her dogged pursuit of new talent and large network of odd personal connections. Though she struggles to find a balance between work, her troubled personal life, and taking care of BoJack and her friends, she enjoys her fast-paced hectic lifestyle. She left Vigor to start a new agency with her then-boyfriend and coworker Rutabaga Rabitowitz. After recognizing his lack of trustworthiness and confronting her fear of being alone, she ultimately decides to leave him and run the new company named VIM by herself. After several setbacks, Princess Carolyn closes VIM in Season 3, only to reopen it as a management agency.
Aaron Paul as Todd Chavez, an unemployed but well-meaning and friendly 24-year-old human slacker who ended up at BoJack's house for a party five years before the beginning of the series and never left. Although BoJack constantly voices disdain for him, he secretly cares about Todd, continuing to financially support him and sabotage his attempts to gain independence. Todd has been shown to possess a plethora of skills including an understanding of Japanese, entrepreneurial know-how, having allied with Mr. Peanutbutter for various business ideas, and writing and composing his own rock opera – Newtopia Rising, Book I: The Search for a New Utopia. His rock opera was eventually sabotaged by BoJack, who took advantage of his former addiction to video games. Todd puts the pieces together of what BoJack did string map style and begins to question his friendship with Bojack. Todd also has an uncanny knack for getting himself in absurd and extremely dangerous situations when his friends aren't around, such as getting into gun fights on several occasions, ending up in prison, and in one case switching places Prince and the Pauper-style with a Cordovian dictator. Todd's friendship with Mr. Peanutbutter landed him various jobs creating seemingly useless products. He sees the best in BoJack, despite his multitude of problems. He's usually happy, even when being insulted by BoJack. He is also almost never seen without wearing his signature yellow beanie. In the 2000s he was an aimless skateboarder, and the object of affection of his schoolmate, Emily. It is revealed in the season 3 finale "That Went Well" that he is asexual.
Paul F. Tompkins as Mr. Peanutbutter, an energetic and cheerful yellow Labrador Retriever who is BoJack's former sitcom rival and Diane's boyfriend (and later husband). Mr. Peanutbutter was the star of Mr. Peanutbutter's House, which, according to BoJack, "borrowed the premise" from Horsin' Around. He had a stint at filming a celebrity reality show called Peanutbutter and Jelly. Despite their rivalry, Mr. Peanutbutter cares a great deal about BoJack's opinion and admires him for his work on Horsin' Around. He has an especially good relationship with Todd, and his positive attitude and financial resources combined with Todd's outlandish schemes and plans often result in the two starting questionable business ventures, such as a Halloween store that is exclusively open in January. In the episode "Let's Find Out", Mr. Peanutbutter starts hosting his own televised game show after his film company enters bankruptcy due to his and Todd's extensive expenditures on useless products. In "Hank After Dark", it is revealed that Mr. Peanutbutter was formerly married to a woman named Katrina who was emotionally abusive. His second wife was famous actress Jessica Biel, who is portrayed as being obsessed with her celebrity status and people recognizing her. He grew up in the Labrador Peninsula, which is depicted as being populated entirely by Labrador Retrievers. "Mr." is his actual first name. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.

tag: ul

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
Season
Episodes
Originally released

1
12
August 22, 2014

Special
December 19, 2014

2
12
July 17, 2015

3
12
July 22, 2016

4
12
September 8, 2017

tag: table

text: Music[edit]

text: The main title theme was composed by Patrick Carney, drummer for the blues-rock duo The Black Keys with his uncle Ralph Carney. The main sound, starting at the beginning, is a Roland Jupiter-4 analog synthesizer triggered with a click track in ProTools. [7]

text: The ending credits theme "Back in the 90s (BoJack's Theme)" was performed by the indie-pop act Grouplove.[8] Jesse Novak composed the incidental music.[9]

text: In addition, the show featured Lyla Foy's song "Impossible" in the end credits of the seventh episode of the first season, the Death Grips song "No Love" in the eleventh episode of the first season, and the Rolling Stones song "Wild Horses" and Tegan and Sara's "Closer" in the season finale. The Courtney Barnett song "Avant Gardener" plays during the second season finale, and Nina Simone's cover of Janis Ian's "Stars" closed out the last episode of the third season. The show also features Oberhofer's song "Sea of Dreams" on the fourth episode of the third season, "Fish out of Water", Magic Sword's "Infinite" on the fifth episode of the fourth season, and Jenny Owen Youngs's Wake Up on the twelfth episode of the fourth season. Princess Carolyn's hold music is the song "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" from the musical Cats.

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
BoJack Horseman (Music From The Netflix Original Series)

Soundtrack album by Various Artists

Released
September 8, 2017 (Digital)
September 29, 2017 (CD)
December 8, 2017 (Vinyl)

Recorded
2013–2017

Genre
Pop, Alt. Rock, Electro hop, Soul, Ambient

Length
42:01

Label
Lakeshore Records

Producer
Jesse Novak & Andrew Gowan

text: The soundtrack for BoJack Horseman was released on Lakeshore Records on September 8, 2017, to coincide with the release of season 4. It includes several songs, amongst them the full version of the main theme, Patrick Carney and Michelle Branch's version of America's "A Horse with No Name", Sextina Aquafina's "Get Dat Fetus, Kill Dat Fetus", the themes from Horsin' Around and Mr. Peanutbutter's House, and the entire score for the episode "Fish Out of Water"[10].

text:
[show]Track listing

No.
Title
Writer(s)
Artist
Length

1.
"BoJack’s Theme"
Patrick Carney, Ralph Carney
Patrick Carney feat. Ralph Carney
0:56

2.
"Horsin’ Around Theme"
Jesse Novak & Raphael Bob-Waksberg
Jesse Novak
0:44

3.
"A Horse with No Name"
Dewey Bunnell
Patrick Carney feat. Michelle Branch
4:35

4.
"Mr. Peanutbutter’s House Theme"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
0:40

5.
"I Will Always Think of You"
Jesse Novak, David Corwin & Rachel Kaplan
Jane Krakowski & Colman Domingo
1:22

6.
"Get Dat Fetus Kill Dat Fetus"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak feat. Daniele Gaither & Manus Dunbar
1:30

7.
"Kyle and the Kids"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak feat. Carrick Moore Gerety
0:36

8.
"Stars" (Live at Montreux)
Janis Ian
Nina Simone
6:37

9.
"Back in the ’90s"
Christian Zucconi
Grouplove
0:43

10.
"BoJack’s Theme" (Full Length)
Patrick Carney, Ralph Carney
Patrick Carney feat. Ralph Carney
4:23

11.
"Seaport"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
1:00

12.
"Hallway"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
1:35

13.
"Kelsey Apology"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
0:57

14.
"Chasing Kelsey"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
1:42

15.
"Seahorse Birth"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
0:47

16.
"Post Birth"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
0:26

17.
"Baby Seahorse and Convenience Store"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
2:29

18.
"Shark Chase"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
0:34

19.
"Darkness and Tunnel"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
0:54

20.
"Fan Section"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
0:39

21.
"Factory"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
1:58

22.
"Flying"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
0:54

23.
"Seahorse Reunion"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
0:49

24.
"Final Kelsey Pursuit"
Jesse Novak
Jesse Novak
0:28

25.
"Sea of Dreams"
Oberhofer
Oberhofer
4:43

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: Season 1[edit]

text:
Season
Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes
Metacritic

1
60% (20 reviews)
59 (13 reviews)

2
100% (17 reviews)
90 (7 reviews)

3
100% (21 reviews)
89 (12 reviews)

4
96% (24 reviews)
87 (5 reviews)

Average
89%
81

text: On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the first season has an approval rating of 60%, based on 20 reviews.[2] On Metacritic, the season received a score of 59 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11] Erik Adams' review of the first six episodes gave the series a C+ grade; in the review, Adams wrote that the show "spoofs the emptiness of celebrity, but does so without any novelty or true insight".[12] At Slate, Willa Paskin was more enthused. "[It] is perhaps a little more clever than it is uproariously funny, but it is often very clever, and, moreover, well-tuned to the ludicrousness of the sort of low-level fame that surrounds BoJack". She likened it to 30 Rock in its ability to "[present] big ideas without having to commit to them".[13] Chris Mitchell from Popzara was equally optimistic about the show's future, saying that "Fans of FX's Archer or Fox's Bob's Burgers will definitely want to check this one out, as its rapid-fire delivery is always consciously spot-on".[14] The New York Times described the show as "hilarious and ribald".[15] Margaret Lyons of Vulture gave a positive review, describing it as "radically sad. I love it."[16]

text: The second half of the season, however, received much more positive reviews. Ben Travers of IndieWire believed one possible reason for mixed reviews of the show was critics reviewing only the first half of the season, with the second half changing drastically in tone and developing a darker and deeper meaning. This change was so drastic it resulted in IndieWire changing its policy to only review entire seasons of shows on Netflix, instead of just the first six episodes, which would have boosted BoJack Horseman's C+ grade.[17]

text: Season 2[edit]

text: The second season of the show received universal acclaim; on Rotten Tomatoes the second season holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 17 critics, [3] whilst on Metacritic, the season has a score of 90 out of 100, based on 7 critics.[18] Vox commented the show had "found its footing beautifully in season two, earning the title of not just the streaming service's best show, but of one of television's best shows".[19] Indiewire gave the series an A-, praising the depth of the show's storyline, the voice cast and the superior comedy in comparison to the first season.[20] The A.V. Club also gave the series an A-, commenting that "for the most part, it’s an entirely unique, funny, and melancholic exploration into the heart and mind of someone struggling to put his life back on track after a series of dark turns".[21] Slant Magazine awarded the series 4-and-a-half stars out of 5, commenting that "BoJack Horseman’s second season is an even more confident blend of the various tones it experimentally donned last year, as it’s simultaneously melancholic, angry, goofy, playful, and often uproariously funny in a distinctively ineffable what-the-fuck fashion".[22] Entertainment Weekly gave the series a B rating, stating it was "one of TV's best meta-skewers of Hollywood".[23]

text: Season 3[edit]

text: The third season of the show received universal acclaim; Rotten Tomatoes gives the third season an approval rating of 100%, based on 23 reviews.[24], whilst on Metacritic, the season received a score of 89 out of 100, based on 12 reviews.[25] The Hollywood Reporter lauded the series, commenting that the show "evolved from frothy talking-animal Hollywood satire to character-rich treatise on depression in its first season, deepened and darkened into one of TV's best shows in its second season and gallops into its third season with a profound confidence."[26] Entertainment Weekly gave the series an A rating, stating the season is "more digressive than the show’s first two years, and much more open-ended, sending core characters in different directions" and that it "builds to one of the funniest, weirdest, and most profound moments ever seen in a television show."[27] The A.V. Club awarded the series an A-, commenting that "Netflix has taken it upon itself to add BoJack to the line of TV’s famous antiheroes" and praising the show for improving with each series.[28] Collider gave the show 4/5 stars, stating "BoJack Horseman ends up becoming a thrilling, rueful study of the psychological games and uniquely vain, notably capitalistic decision-making that powers the entertainment industry". They went on to praise the show's humor; "through its venomous jokes and unrelenting, uproarious gags, the series also recognizes how charming, joyful, and galvanizing entertainment for entertainment sake can be, no matter how stupid or silly it may seem."[29]

text: Season 4[edit]

text: The fourth season of the show has received universal acclaim; Rotten Tomatoes gives the season an approval rating of 96%, based on 24 reviews,[30] while Metacritc awards the show a score of 87, based on 5 reviews.[31] Indiewire gave the series an A grade, commenting that "by the end of the season, we know these characters, and this show, far better than ever before. BoJack’s signature tropes—the background visual jokes, the animal puns, the brutal moments of sadness—remain reliably consistent, but turns the focus largely inward, ensuring that some of the more outlandish plots support and highlight the more emotional storylines".[32] The Washington Post lauded the series, praising the installment as "moving and unexpected" and that "it offers hope but never ignores the sorrows that are inevitable in real life".[33] The New York Times also gave a positive review, commenting that the "material has the snap and the poignancy we’ve grown accustomed to" and that "while nothing matches the adventurousness of Season 3’s underwater awards show episode, Season 4’s ninth episode — narrated from the future by a distant descendant of Princess Carolyn’s — is a devastating example of what “BoJack” can do at its best".[34]

text: Production and influences[edit]

text: Writer Raphael Bob-Waksberg has cited the cynical humor in the Canadian show The Newsroom as a large influence on BoJack Horseman. He also praised The Simpsons as an influence for being able to tell sad stories without sacrificing humor.[35]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text:
Year
Award
Category
Nominee(s)
Result
Ref.

2016
6th Critics' Choice Television Awards
Best Animated Series
BoJack Horseman
Won
[36]

2016 Gold Derby Awards
Best Animated Series
BoJack Horseman
Won
[37]

43rd Annie Awards
Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production
"Brand New Couch"
Nominated
[38]

68th Writers Guild of America Awards
Television: Animation
Kelly Galuska ("Hank After Dark")
Nominated
[39]

7th Critics' Choice Television Awards
Best Animated Series
BoJack Horseman
Won
[40]

31st Artios Awards
Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Animation Adult
Linda Lamontagne
Nominated
[41]

2017
44th Annie Awards
Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production
"Fish Out Of Water"
Nominated
[42]

Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated TV Production
Alison Brie
Nominated
[42]

69th Writers Guild of America Awards
Television: Animation
Elijah Aron & Jordan Young ("Fish Out of Water")
Nominated
[39]

Joe Lawson ("Stop the Presses")
Won
[39]

32nd Artios Awards
Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Animation
Linda Lamontagne
Nominated
[43]

2017 Annecy International Animated Film Festival
Special Distinction for a TV Series
"Fish Out Of Water"
Won
[44]

43rd Saturn Awards
Best Animated Series or Film on Television
BoJack Horseman
Nominated
[45]

69th Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance
Kristen Schaal ("That's Too Much, Man!")
Nominated
[46]

2017 Gold Derby Awards
Best Animated Program
BoJack Horseman
Won
[47]

2017 Hollywood Music in Media Awards
Original Score – TV Show/Limited Series
Jesse Novak
Nominated
[48]

64th Golden Reel Awards
TV Animation – Effects/Foley/Dialogue/ADR
Hunter Curra, Konrad Piñon, Andrew Twite, Joy Elett, Kailand C. Reilly ("Fish Out of Water")
Nominated
[49]

GTA18 Golden Trailer Awards
Best Animation / Family (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)
BoJack Horseman (Season 3 "Trailer")
Nominated
[50]

2018
45th Annie Awards
Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production
"Stupid Piece of Sh*t"
Pending
[51]

Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Wendie Malick ("Time’s Arrow")
Pending
[51]

Outstanding Achievement for Editorial in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Jose Martinez ("Stupid Piece of Sh*t")
Pending
[51]

70th Writers Guild of America Awards
Television: Animation
Joanna Calo ("Ruthie")
Pending
[52]

Kate Purdy ("Time’s Arrow")
Pending
[52]

8th Critics' Choice Television Awards
Best Animated Series
BoJack Horseman
Pending
[53]


document_title: Set It Off (film)

question_text: who dies in the movie set it off

question_tokens: who dies in the movie set it off

text: Set It Off (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: Francesca "Frankie" Sutton is a Los Angeles bank teller who witnesses a robbery. Although she had no prior knowledge of the robbery, the bank fires Frankie after the police uncover a connection between her and one of the three robbers. Frankie goes to work at Luther's Janitorial Services with her three best friends, Lida "Stoney" Newsome, Cleopatra "Cleo" Sims, and Tisean "T.T." Williams. Luther treats them with disrespect and pays them paltry wages. Cleo states they should rob a bank themselves. Frankie agrees, but Stoney and T.T. are reluctant. However, when Stoney's younger brother is gunned down by the police in a case of mistaken identity and T.T.'s son is taken away from her by Child Protective Services because she cannot afford to take care of him, they too now have the motivation to join the robbery.

text: The four women embark on a series of bank robberies, which are investigated by LAPD detective Strode. He suspects that Cleo (because of her prior convictions), Frankie (because of her inadvertent connection to the earlier robbery) and Stoney (because of her brother's death) are involved. But his superior refuses to allow him to bring them in for questioning because he doesn't feel the evidence is sufficient. The four women stash the money in an air vent at one of their work sites. However, Cleo, Frankie, and T.T. show up for work one day and realize that their boss, Luther has discovered the money and fled. While Stoney attends a banking event with her lover Keith, the three women track Luther to a motel where he is sleeping with a prostitute. When Luther pulls a gun on Cleo, T.T. kills him. The next day Detective Strode takes Cleo to the police station to participate in a lineup. A glare from Cleo intimidates the prostitute into silence. Frankie and Cleo persuade T.T. and Stoney that they need to rob another bank and leave town the next day.

text: The women rob the bank where Keith, Stoney's lover, works. Strode and his partner try to prevent the robbery, but a bank security guard shoots T.T. A shootout ensues as Stoney shoots the guard, and an enraged Cleo opens fire on the detectives. T.T. dies in Stoney's arms en route to the hospital. The three remaining women decide to split up and meet up later.

text: The police find Cleo who proceeds to lead them on a high speed chase. After her car is shot up by police, Cleo leaps from her car in one final battle for her dignity, firing her gun, and is shot down by the police. Frankie is found a short time later. Strode tries to get her to surrender, but when she runs away, she is shot in the back and killed. Stoney tearfully watches this from a passing bus. Strode sees her from a distance but lets her go, realizing he was the reason she and her friends did what they did.

text: In Mexico, Stoney calls Keith to assure him that she is all right and thanks him. Keith hangs up the phone and smiles. Stoney is seen driving through the mountains with the stolen money from the robberies on tow.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Jada Pinkett as Lida "Stoney" Newsome
Queen Latifah as Cleopatra "Cleo" Sims
Vivica A. Fox as Francesca "Frankie" Sutton
Kimberly Elise as Tisean "T.T." Williams
John C. McGinley as Detective Strode
Blair Underwood as Keith Weston
Ella Joyce as Detective Waller
Charlie Robinson as Nate Andrews
Dr. Dre as Black Sam
WC as Darnell (Bank robber)
Charles Walker as Captain Fredricks
Mark Thompson as TV Anchor
F. Gary Gray as Guy driving low-rider
Geoff Callan as Nigel
Natalie Desselle as Tanika
Chaz Lamar Shepard as Stevie Newsome
Thomas Jefferson Byrd as Luther
Samuel Monroe Jr. as Lorenz

text: Production[edit]

text: Takashi Bufford said that he wrote the script for Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah in mind even though he had not yet met them. The script was offered to New Line three times before finally being accepted, and the studio filled in more about why the female leads turn to bank robbery in a way that wasn't in the original script.[3]

text: Critical reception and box office[edit]

text: Set It Off received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences.[2] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an overall 63% approval rating based on 24 reviews, with a rating average of 6.1 out of 10. The site's consensus reads: "It may not boast an original plot, but Set It Off is a satisfying, socially conscious heist film thanks largely to fine performances from its leads."[4] Roger Ebert stated that Set It Off is "a lot more" than a thriller about four black women who rob banks. Comparing it to Waiting to Exhale, but "with a strong jolt of reality," he said, "It creates a portrait of the lives of these women that's so observant and informed." He gave the film three and a half stars, and added, "The movie surprised and moved me: I expected a routine action picture and was amazed how much I started to care about the characters."[5]

text: Stephen Holden of The New York Times compared Set It Off to Thelma & Louise, stating, "In formulaic Hollywood terms, Set It Off might be described as Thelma and Louise Ride Shotgun in the Hood While Waiting to Exhale. A pop psychologist might translate the story into a fable called Women Who Rob Banks and the Society That Hates Them." He added that among "the long list of Hollywood heist movies that make you root for its criminals to steal a million dollars and live happily ever after, F. Gary Gray's film Set It Off is one of the most poignantly impassioned," and that "[i]f this messy roller coaster of a film often seems to be going in several directions at once, it never for a second loses empathy" for the female robbers.[6]

text: James Berardinelli said that if Set It Off owes any debt to films, those films are Thelma & Louise and Dead Presidents, rather than Waiting to Exhale. He stated that "[t]here's a freshness and energy in the way director F. Gary Gray attacks this familiar material that keeps Set It Off entertaining, even during its weakest moments" and that "[t]he concept of four black action heroines makes for a welcome change in a genre that is dominated by: (a) rugged white males with a perpetual five o'clock shadow, (b) rugged white males who speak English with an accent, and (c) rugged white males with the acting ability of a fence post." Berardinelli added that although "[t]he film doesn't get off to a promising start" and "[t]he first half-hour, which details the various characters' motives for becoming involved in a bank robbery, is unevenly scripted," and that some aspects of the plot are contrived, "[o]nce the setup is complete, however, things shift into high gear. The remainder of the film, which includes several high-adrenaline action sequences and some slower, more dramatic moments, is smoothly-crafted. There are occasional missteps, such as an out-of-place Godfather parody, but, in general, Set It Off manages to rise above these."[7]

text: On a budget of $9 million and R-rated, Set It Off grossed $36,461,139 in the U.S. and Canada, $5,129,747 internationally, and $41,590,886 worldwide.[1] Tribute magazine stated that it is New Line Cinema's highest-grossing film of 1996, and that it won Gray a Black Film Award for Best Director, and the Special Jury Prize at the Cognac Film Festival.[2]

text: Music[edit]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
Set It Off: Music From the New Line Cinema Motion Picture

Soundtrack album by Various artists

Released
September 24, 1996

Recorded
1995–1996

Genre
Hip hop
R&B

Length
61:23

Label
East West Records

Producer
Various artists

Various artists chronology

Friday (soundtrack)
(1995)Friday (soundtrack)1995
Set It Off (soundtrack)
(1996)
Next Friday (soundtrack)
(1999)Next Friday (soundtrack)1999

Singles from Set It Off: Music From the New Line Cinema Motion Picture

"Missing You"
Released: August 6, 1996
"Don't Let Go (Love)"
Released: October 22, 1996
"Days of Our Livez"
Released: September 24, 1996
"Let It Go"
Released: January 7, 1997

text:
Professional ratings

Review scores

Source
Rating

Allmusic
 link

text: The soundtrack was released on September 24, 1996 by East West Records and featured production from several of hip hop and R&B's top producers such as Organized Noize, DJ U-Neek and DJ Rectangle. The soundtrack was a huge success making it to number four on the Billboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and featured seven charting singles "Set It Off", "Don't Let Go (Love)", "Days of Our Livez", "Angel", "Come On", "Let It Go" and "Missing You". All of the singles had music videos made for them. The track "The Heist" by Da 5 Footaz also had a music video made, even though it was not released as a single. On November 12, 1996 the album was certified platinum by the RIAA.

text: Track listing[edit]

text:
No.
Title
Writer(s)
Artist/Performer
Length

1.
"Set It Off"
Ivan Martias / Andrea Martin / Organized Noize /Dana Owens / Steve Standard
Organized Noize featuring Queen Latifah
5:02

2.
"Missing You"
Gordon Chambers / Barry J. Eastmond
Brandy, Tamia, Gladys Knight & Chaka Khan
4:23

3.
"Don't Let Go (Love)"
Ivan Martias / Andrea Martin / Organized Noize
En Vogue
4:51

4.
"Days of Our Livez"
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
5:49

5.
"Sex Is on My Mind"
S. Brown
Blulight
4:40

6.
"Live to Regret"
Trevor Smith / George Spivey
Busta Rhymes
4:18

7.
"Angel"
Carolyn Franklin / Sonny Saunders
Simply Red
3:39

8.
"Name Callin' (Foxy Brown Diss)"
Dana Owens / Nichelle Strong
Queen Latifah
3:50

9.
"Angelic Wars"
Robert Barnett / Fred Bell / Willie Knighton / Organized Noize / Jamahr Williams
Goodie Mob
3:21

10.
"Come On"
Darrell "Delite" Allamby / Billy Lawrence
Billy Lawrence featuring MC Lyte
4:09

11.
"Let It Go"
Keith Crouch / Glenn McKinney / Roy Dog Pennon
Ray J
4:53

12.
"Hey Joe" (Live)
Billy Roberts
Seal
4:20

13.
"The Heist"
Jamali Cathorn / Ericka Martin / Kim Savage
Da 5 Footaz
4:04

14.
"From Yo Blind Side"

X-Man featuring H Squad
4:04

Total length:
61:23

text: "Up Against the Wind" (runtime – 4:28), sung by Lori Perri and produced by Christopher Young, is not included in the soundtrack.[8]

text:
Year
Album
Peak chart positions
Certifications

U.S.
U.S. R&B

1996
Set It Off

Released: September 24, 1996
Label: East West Records

4
3

US: Platinum

text: Score[edit]

text:
Set It Off (Original Motion Picture Score)

Film score by Christopher Young

Released
November 19, 1996

Genre
Film score

Length
10:25

Label
Varese Sarabande

Producer
Christopher Young

Christopher Young film scores chronology

Unforgettable
(1996)Unforgettable1996
Set It Off
(1996)
Head Above Water
(1996)Head Above Water1996

text: Varese Sarabande issued an album of Christopher Young's score for the film, including Lori Perri's "Up Against The Wind" on November 19, 1996.

text: Track listing[edit]

text:
No.
Title
Artist/Performer
Length

1.
"Up Against The Wind"
Lori Perri
3:29

2.
"Set It Off"

4:08

3.
"Hell Blowin Hard"

2:19

4.
"Buttercrunch"

2:20

5.
"Rota Rooter"

4:03

6.
"Four-One"

1:57

7.
"Squeezebox"

1:38

8.
"Balboa Blood"

2:32

9.
"Toupee Souffle"

2:23

10.
"Q. For A Day"

2:58

11.
"Flame On Fire"

2:10

12.
"Up Against The Wind (Reprise)"
Lori Perri
4:28

Total length:
10:25

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: 1997 Acapulco Black Film Festival

text: Best Director: F. Gary Gray (won)

text: 1996 Independent Spirit Awards

text: Best Supporting Female: Queen Latifah (nominated)

text: 1997 NAACP Image Awards

text:
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture: Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith (nominated)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Blair Underwood (nominated)