The shoulder width of Michael Jordan may be the reason behind his career success as a professional basketball player. Speculative right? But come to think of it, there really are not many sports that require the height and shoulder-width span, except perhaps the basketball. And having these two qualities in abundance is sure the real deal for Michael Jordan.
The man who became basketball star of the ‘80s and ’90s, Michael Jordan remains a legend to date. Unbeatable, impressive, a hulk, Michael Jordan has made the American Basketball what it is today. From his trademark Nike’s Air Jordan to Jersey number 23, almost every kid at some point has idolized this living legend.
Favorably called Air Jordan, His Airiness, Michael Jordan, had an older brother who played basketball before him. His name is Larry but this post is not about Larry. It is about the Great Michael Jordan and his shoulder width.
Fast Facts About the Basketball Legend
In a glance, here are quick facts that you should know about Michael Jordan:
Brief Bio of Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is born in February 1963 to James and Dolores Jordan in Brooklyn. He was raised in Wilmington, North Carolina. His father was a Maintenance Supervisor with General Electric and His mother is a Bank Teller and a notable author.
He attended High School at Emsley A. Laney, Wilmington, NC, and obtained a college admission into the University of North Carolina to study Cultural Geography. He graduated from college in 1986 but his basketball career began in high school where he played for Laney’s junior varsity team.
Michael Jordan’s Career
Michael Jordan is the fourth of five children. As is the way of younger siblings, Michael idolized his older brother, Larry, and worshipped his father, James Jordan. James Jordan first taught his boys baseball, and possibly to take them off the streets, built a basketball court.
Ball in hand, the court set, the boys were good to go and at their free times, the court was utilized. MJ (as he is so nicknamed), was a part of that team, bonding with family. Michael joined the Emsley Laney High School team and qualified for an athletic scholarship in Duke, Syracuse, South, and North Carolina. Being on a basketball scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Michael chose to play for the University of North Carolina.
Disqualified from making the basketball team, Michael who was then still a teen became qualified at the resumption of the school year. By 1984, Jordan was drafted into the Chicago Bulls being the third pick after Hakeem Olajuwon.
Michael Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls from 1884 to 1993 before his first retirement to play baseball. This decision was a result of his father’s death. Michael’s father, who was a building block to Michael’s basketball career, initially wanted Michael to play baseball.
Michael returned to the basketball court in 1995, to his old team – Chicago Bulls, and played till 1999, when he took his second retirement. Still burning with the fire of the game, Michael returned to NBA in 2001 and this time, not to Chicago Bulls but to Washington Wizards. He played with the Wizards till 2003.
Michael Jordan’s Shoulder Width
Shoulder width provides support to basketballers and fans like to think Michael Jordan has the broadest shoulders. That is not accurately so. MJ’s shoulder measurement is 20 inches and his chest is 44 inches wide.
Currently, Michael Jordan holds the record for 6.6 feet, weighs 97kg, has a waist measurement of 36, and hip body measurement of 36. His large frame fits into a cloth size of 13 (USA), 46 (EU), and 12.5 (UK), and a shoe size of 13. Michael’s hand length is 75 inches.
Marriage and Relationships
Michael Jordan may have dated one or two ladies back in college or even high school, but his earliest relationship that we know of is that with Juanita Vanoy, his first wife.
Jordan met the model, Juanita Vanoy, during his second season with the Bulls in a Chicago restaurant in 1985 through their mutual friends.
Born in 1959, Juanita is four years older than Michael but this did nothing to taint their love which lasted for seventeen (17) years before the couples began to have their problems.
The couple got a divorce stating that they had irreconcilable differences and Juanita received a humongous $168 million from Michael’s net worth as divorce settlement.
Before the divorce, however, Juanita and Michael had three children together – two sons and a daughter. You would think that the sons would take after their father but that wasn’t the case. Jeffrey and Marcus, Michael’s sons from Juanita didn’t get impressive enough in the basketball court to make it to the NBA.
In 2008, two years after Michael’s divorce with Juanita, Michael got attracted to the Cuban-American, Yvette Prieto, at a nightclub. They dated for five years, then Michael Jordan slid the ring in Yvette Prieto’s finger in 2013. Yvette, who was born in 1979, is 16 years younger than Michael. Yvette gave Michael Jordan his last two children (identical twin daughters) – Ysabel and Victoria in 2014, totaling Michael Jordan’s offspring to five (5).
Michael Jordan and Yvette Prieto are still happily married and we pray it doesn’t end in a couple of years like the marriage with Juanita.
His Airiness Businesses and Net Worth
Michael Jordan owns seven restaurants, a car dealership, and a motorcycle racing team sometime in 2004. MJ also has an 80% stake in the Charlotte Hornets (formerly Bobcats) which is now valued at $1.05 billion.
In addition, he has two brand endorsements with Coca-Cola, Deck, Gatorade, Chevrolet, and the Nike royalties from his sneakers and jersey line.
Michael Jordan has also held the Wheaties and McDonald’s Brand endorsements. Subsequently, he is actually the first player to receive multi-million dollar endorsements. His net worth is $2.1 billion.
MJ’s Awards and Achievements
The legend, Michael Jordan has a lot of medals to show for his performance. Here below is a timeline of Michael Jordan’s Achievement:
Although retired for seven years now, Michael Jordan still holds the highest scoring average of 30.1 PPG.
Saddened by the death of George Floyd, a black-American who was unjustly killed, here’s Michael Jordan on his Instagram:
Conclusion
The world thought it had seen enough of the American Basketball drama until Michael Jordan showed up. Known for his competitive spirit, the Aquarius born basketball player knows just how to convert a ‘No’ into a winning streak. Being rejected once made luck to shine on him as he would be accepted because of his newly acquired height. In fact, the shoulder width of Michael Jordan gives him an edge over his peers hence his remarkable success.
If Michael Jordan is the GOAT of Basketball, so is Lionel Messi the GOAT of football. See the Timeline of Lionel Messi Injuries.
