Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Era imposible que un talento como el suyo se malograse en un país como los Estados
Unidos, la primera potencia incontestada en el segundo deporte más popular del
mundo después del fútbol. Parte de tal hegemonía procede de la óptima organización
del baloncesto universitario y profesional. La Asociación Nacional de Baloncesto,
conocida universalmente por las siglas NBA, nació en 1949 de la fusión de otras dos
ligas profesionales ya existentes: la Asociación de Baloncesto Americana (BAA) y la
Liga Nacional de Baloncesto (NBL).
Como tantos otros jugadores de la NBA, Michael Jordan dio sus primeros pasos en la
liga universitaria. En 1981 ingresó en el equipo de la Universidad de Carolina del
Norte, y dos años después era ya elegido mejor jugador de la temporada universitaria,
distinción que recibió de nuevo en 1984. En el verano de 1984, cuando Michael Jordan
ya era conocido en Estados Unidos con el apodo de «he can do it all» («puede hacerlo
todo»), formó parte de una de las mejores selecciones norteamericanas de baloncesto
que, bajo la dirección del rígido Bobby Knight (entrenador de la Universidad de
Indiana), se alzó con la medalla de oro en los Juegos Olímpicos de Los Ángeles (1984),
tras batir en la final a la selección de España. El quinteto estadounidense (Leon Wood,
Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, Wayman Tisdale y Patrick Ewing) arrolló a todos sus
rivales, con lo que el talento de Jordan comenzó a brillar en todo el mundo.
El mismo año de su triunfo en los Juegos Olímpicos de Los Ángeles inició su carrera en
el baloncesto profesional: fue elegido en el draft de la NBA por los Chicago Bulls, equipo
en el que permanecería a lo largo de casi toda su carrera deportiva y con el que ganó
seis campeonatos de la NBA (1991-1993 y 1996-1998). Máximo encestador en diez
temporadas, obtuvo un promedio de 32 puntos por partido, récord absoluto de la NBA,
y fue elegido mejor jugador en 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996 y 1998.
Michael Jordan acudió a su segunda cita olímpica en Barcelona 92, los primeros juegos
en los que, por un cambio en la normativa, se permitió participar a los profesionales.
La selección de Estados Unidos, que sería llamada el «Dream Team» («equipo de
ensueño»), contó con los mejores jugadores del momento: Magic Johnson, Larry
Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon o Charles Barkley, además de Michael Jordan. El resultado fue el
previsible: el «Dream Team» se adjudicó el oro con aplastante superioridad y se
convirtió además en una de las máximas atracciones de los Juegos.
Su segunda etapa fue tan triunfante como la primera: Michael Jordan logró para su
equipo tres nuevos campeonatos de la NBA (1996-1998), y su imagen acabó por
desbordar las pistas. En 1997 protagonizó la película mezcla de animación e imágenes
reales Space Jam (con Bugs Bunny como compañero de reparto), que se convirtió en un
gran éxito de taquilla, y anunció la creación de una empresa de prendas deportivas
que lleva su nombre. Si dentro de la cancha destacó por su espectacularidad, elegancia
e inteligencia, fuera de ella fue siempre admirado por su sencillez y honestidad. A
principios de 1999 anunció su retiro del deporte activo, pero todavía volvió a la
máxima competición con los Washington Wizards, y siguió añadiendo récords a sus
impresionantes estadísticas entre octubre de 2001 y abril de 2003, fecha de su
definitiva retirada.
Michael Jordan
(Michael Jeffrey Jordan, New York, 1963) American
basketball player considered the best in the history of the
sport. Certainly, since a professor of American gymnastics
invented basketball at the end of the 19th century until the
1980s, he never saw a prodigy comparable to that of this legendary basketball player.
At 1.98 meters tall, Michael Jordan was a tenacious defender, an excellent scorer and a
fast and imaginative passer; but much more striking was still his extraordinary ability
to jump and the acrobatic maneuvers he used to dodge the rival defense and reach the
basket. He seemed capable of remaining suspended for a moment in the air; such
faculty or "gift of heaven" -never better said-earned him the nickname of AirJordan.
Although born in the New York borough of Brooklyn, Michael Jordan's childhood was
spent in the town of Wilmington, in the state of North Carolina, which had moved with
his family. Amateur from small to basketball, began to emerge while still a teenager;
At the age of thirteen, his father had a basketball court built in the backyard of his
house, where he began to be the admiration of the neighborhood and neighbors who
gathered on the evenings of the weekend to play basketball and barbecues.
It was impossible for a talent like yours to fail in a country like the United States, the
first uncontested power in the second most popular sport in the world after football.
Part of such hegemony comes from the optimal organization of university and
professional basketball. The National Basketball Association, universally known by the
acronym NBA, was born in 1949 from the merger of two other existing professional
leagues: the American Basketball Association (BAA) and the National Basketball
League (NBL).
The league of the NBA is disputed in two areas or conferences, East and West, divided,
in turn, into four divisions: Atlantic and Central for the first and Midwest and Pacific for
the second. Each team constitutes a franchise linked to a city, although the franchise
may change its location. However, to promote equality of competition, the NBA
introduced the drafts system, through which the lowest ranked teams in each division
had the power to choose first the most promising players from the powerful university
league, the NCAA . In a short time, the level reached by the American professional
teams became so high that the superiority of the NBA over any other national league
would be overwhelming.
Like so many other NBA players, Michael Jordan took his first steps in the college
league. In 1981 he joined the team of the University of North Carolina, and two years
later was already elected best player of the university season, a distinction he received
again in 1984. In the summer of 1984, when Michael Jordan was already known in the
United States United with the nickname of "he can do it all" ("he can do everything"),
he was part of one of the best North American basketball teams that, under the
direction of the rigid Bobby Knight (coach of the University of Indiana), He won the
gold medal at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles (1984), after beating the national
team in the final. The American quintet (Leon Wood, Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins,
Wayman Tisdale and Patrick Ewing) overwhelmed all their rivals, bringing Jordan's
talent to shine around the world.
The same year of his triumph at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, he began his
career in professional basketball: he was chosen in the NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls,
a team that he would remain with throughout his career and with the one that won six
NBA championships (1991-1993 and 1996-1998). Maximum encestador in ten
seasons, obtained an average of 32 points by party, absolute record of the NBA, and
was chosen better player in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996 and 1998.
Michael Jordan attended his second Olympic date in Barcelona 92, the first games in
which, due to a change in regulations, professionals were allowed to participate. The
United States team, which would be called the "Dream Team", had the best players of
the moment: Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon or Charles Barkley, in
addition to Michael Jordan. The result was predictable: the "Dream Team" won gold
with overwhelming superiority and also became one of the top attractions of the
Games.
In October of 1993, after the murder of his father, he left the competition, but
returned to the NBA in March of 1995 and became again the star of the Chicago Bulls.
When he returned, the NBA did not allow him to use number 23, which had been
removed from the Chicago Bulls. But shortly after the superstitious Jordan requested it
as a special favor, and those responsible for the tournament allowed him to play with
the legendary number. Another of the many hobbies of this extraordinary basketball
player was to wear, under the clothing of the Bulls, some clothes from the University of
North Carolina, for having achieved their first success there.
His second stage was as triumphant as the first: Michael Jordan managed three new
NBA championships for his team (1996-1998), and his image ended up overflowing the
tracks. In 1997, he starred in the animated film Mix and Real Images Space Jam (with
Bugs Bunny as a casting partner), which became a huge box-office success, and
announced the creation of a sportswear company that bears his name. If on the court
he stood out for his spectacularity, elegance and intelligence, outside of it he was
always admired for his simplicity and honesty. At the beginning of 1999 he announced
his retirement from active sports, but he still returned to the top competition with the
Washington Wizards, and continued to add records to his impressive statistics between
October 2001 and April 2003, the date of his definitive withdrawal.