Michael Jordan and his legacy in the NBA.

Essay by DKSteelHigh School, 11th gradeA+, February 2003

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Michael Jordan is not only a name; he is a legend and an inspiration. If you ask people in the developed world who this man is, it is likely they will know. Most are aware of Jordan's greatness and skill, and may believe he was born great, but he was not. Only through hard work, triumph, and adversity did this man made himself what he is today, a basketball legend.

Mike's parents, James and Deloris Jordan, grew up in Wallace, North Carolina, and met each other at none other than a high school basketball game. On February 17,1963, Deloris gave birth to Michael Jordan. He grew up with three siblings, James Ronald, Larry, and Deloris.

While their children were young, Mike's parents taught them the lessons of life and the philosophy of hard work and determination. They all grew up in a poor, sharecropping community in North Carolina. Mike and his brother Larry had a great love for all sports and competition, as did the rest of their family.

If a baseball or football wasn't being thrown around outside, it was checkers or chess inside.

Because Mike and his brother loved the game of basketball so much, their parents built them a basketball court in their backyard. Mike and Larry spent the most time on the court, battling it out with each other every day. Although Larry was older, he would not let Mike earn easy victory. He made him work for it, as his father did when they played. The way Mike would play defense on his brother earned him the nickname "the rabbit" because of the way he bounded back and forth after Larry.

Mike attended school at D. C. Virgo Junior High School. There he quarterbacked the football team. When he entered high school, he was...