Michael Jordan's childhood: Family, school and other details explored

Much has been documented about the legendary basketball player Michael Jordan. He inspired a billion-dollar apparel brand. Many books have been written about His Airness. The Last Dance documented his run with the Chicago Bulls and was an international success. Other movies have been made around his legend.

What about how Jordan grew up? What was his life like before he ever donned a Bulls jersey? Let’s take a brief look at the early days of the G.O.A.T.

Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1963. He and his family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina in 19668. His father James R. Jordan Sr. was an equipment supervisor and his mother Deloris was a bank employee.

Jordan has four siblings, two brothers and two sisters. Three are older and one sister is younger. His older brother Larry was also a basketball player and played college ball at North Carolina A&T.

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Where did Michael Jordan play in high school?

Michael Jordan attended Laney High School in Wilmington. The school wore royal blue and yellow colors.

Jordan famously did not make his varsity basketball team his sophomore season. He was cut in a tryout and was told he was too short at 5’11”. He also played football and baseball at Laney.

He starred on the junior varsity team and grew four inches before his junior season and trained hard to make varsity. He made varsity for his final two seasons of high school and averaged 25 points per game.

He was named a McDonald’s All-American and was recruited heavily by the college basketball world. He had offers from North Carolina, Duke, Syracuse, South Carolina and Virginia.

Jordan accepted coach Dean Smith and assistant coach Roy Williams’ offer to play at North Carolina. He played at UNC from 1981-84.

Michael Jordan was a two-time first team All-American during his college career. He led the Tar Heels to a national title in 1982. He was the national player of the year in 1984.

Jordan has three children with his first wife Juanita Vanoy. They divorced in 2006, and Vanoy reportedly received a $168 million settlement.

Jordan then married his longtime girlfriend and model Yvette Prieto in 2013. They two welcomed twin daughters in 2014.