After a three-season performance at the University of North Carolina, where he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship team in 1982, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984.
Jordan je bil eden najučinkoviteje trženih športnikov svoje generacije in ključni dejavnik pri popularizaciji lige NBA po svetu v osemdesetih in devetdesetih letih dvajsetega stoletja.