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Michael Jordan, one of the living legends of the NBA, celebrates 50 years of triumphs, glory and controversy. For that, and on his birthday, Terra presents the most important details of his life off the court.
Photo: Especial Terra
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Jordan was born in New York, Feb. 17 1963, to James and Deloris Jordan, as the fourth of five children (his siblings are Larry, James R. Jr., Deloris, and Roslyn).
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Although his mother still lives, his father was shot and killed while taking a nap in his car July 23, 1993. They were very close, and many speculate this was why Jordan decided to retire later that summer.
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In September 1989 Jordan married Juanita Jordan (Vanoy was her maiden name), and they had two sons, Jeffrey Michael and Marcus James, and a daughter, Jasmine.
Photo: AP
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Michael and Juanita announced their divorce Jan. 4, 2002 due to irreconcilible differences, although they later reconciled. Finally, Dec. 29, 2006, they made their divorce official.
Photo: AP
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Jeffrey and Marcus (photo), followed their father's path, playing basketball for the University of Central Florida.
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But controversy is also part of Jordan's life. On July 21, 2006, a judge in Cook County, Illinois, determined that Jordan didn't have to pay Karla Knafel, a girlfriend, $5 million. Knafel demanded that to stay quiet forever and to not take a paternity test for a child she had in 1991, which did not turn out to be Jordan's.
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After his divorce, Jordan startded a relationship with Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto, and they announced their engagement in 2011.
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His life outside the NBA has been just as eventful, such as when he was the star of the movie Space Jam, in which, together with Bugs Bunny, he recounted a fictitious history of his first retirement from basketball.
Photo: AP
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And it was during that retirement that Jordan surprised everyone by signing a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. Jordan said the motivation to play baseball was an old promise he had made to his father.
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Although he retired he missed the competition. On July 15, 2006 he became co-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats and was named president of operations. He later bought controlling interest to become the first former player to own an NBA franchise.
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One of Jordan's great passions is golf, and he frequents many golf courses either to pla as an amateur or to watch the professionals.
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He also is a celebrated pitchman with several endorsements. For example, Nike created a pair of shoes for him, Air Jordan. Later, NIKE let Jordan create is own clothing line called 'Jordan Brand.'
Photo: Getty Images
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As far as his career goes, Jordan won six NBA titles with the Bulls and averaged a league-record 30.1 points per game in his career. He also won 10 scoring titles, five regular season MVPs and six NBA Finals MVP awards. He was also on the All-NBA Defensive Team nine times.
Photo: Getty Images
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Jordan was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame Sept. 11, 2009 as one of six players. Going in with him were David Robinson and John Stockton and two coaches, Jerry Sloan and C. Vivian Stringer, in a cermony in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Photo: Getty Images
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Michael Jordan, one of the living legends of the NBA, celebrates 50 years of triumphs, glory and controversy. For that, and on his birthday, Terra presents the most important details of his life off the court.
Photo: Especial Terra
