In case you didn’t know

Jordan is widely acclaimed as the greatest basketball player of all time. He was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world specially in the 1980s and 1990s era.

Most of the kids today will probably ask who he is as they didn’t get to watch him play live in a basketball court. But thanks to the technology nowadays, they can watch his video highlights from NBA’s official website or from YouTube. They can even get the feel of how he plays if they have either NBA 2K11 or 2K12 games.

 In case you didn’t know, Michael Jordan was honored with his own statue officially known as “The Spirit” located outside of Gate 4 of the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Since being drafted as the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, MJ spent most of his career with the Chicago Bulls. Eventually, he led the Bulls to three straight championships in the 1991, 1992 and 1993 NBA Finals. During these seasons, he became an All-Star, Scoring Champion, All-NBA First Team Selection, All-Defensive First Team selection, Regular Season Most Valuable Player and the Finals MVP.

After his first retirement following the 1992-93 NBA season, Bulls’ owner Jerry Reinsdorf sought a sculptor to honor Jordan and requested that Chicago Bulls Vice President Steve Schanwald seek proposals from artists. Twelve artists made proposals.

Then, in January 1994, Schanwald hired Omri and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany. They then created the 12-foot (3.7 m) bronze sculpture depicting Michael Jordan that stands atop a 5-foot (1.52 m) black granite base that has an inscription reading “The best there ever was. The best there ever will be.” The base also includes a list of his accomplishments. The bronze statue used lost-wax casting.

“The Spirit” staue was unveiled on November 1, 1994 prior to the Bulls taking residence in their new home stadium the following year. Jordan’s jersey number was retired during the ceremony.