Michael Jordan is 60. Yes, you read that right. Michael Jordan, the once larger than life athlete who defied gravity en route to becoming one of the world's most recognizable figures has now taken 60 trips around the sun. 

Time slows down for no one, but it has not dimmed Jordan's shine or star power. Jordan received the loudest ovation of any legend during the celebration of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team during the 2022 All-Star Game. Go to any gym, playground or school across the country, and you will find one of Jordan's signatures shoes on more feet than any other player's shoes, past or present.

 

Jordan's impact on basketball and society are intertwined. Along with starring on the hardwood, Jordan starred has been a fixture on screens for decades. His commercials are some of television's most iconic. He's been the subject of several documentaries including the Emmy-winning docuseries, "The Last Dance," that provided much-needed entertainment during the early days of the pandemic. And lest you forget, there's also .

 recently taking over the scoring title from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar saw the emergence of a new round of GOAT conversations.

But there's no doubt that Jordan's presence on and off the floor lifted the NBA game into a global business and revolutionized how athletes would go on to create their own brands and followings. So in celebration of his birthday, here are 60 unique facts on MJ. 

1. The  did what? Despite never playing for them, Jordan's jersey has been retired by the Miami Heat. Now  respect. 

2. Jordan actually had his jersey un-retired. Following Jordan's 1993 retirement from the NBA, the  retired Jordan's 23 jersey and gave him a statue following his first retirement.

But the jersey was un-retired when Jordan returned to the NBA in 1995. The statue, however, remained outside the United Center during the entirely of his second run with the Bulls. The bottom of the statue reads "The best there ever was. The best there ever will be." 

3 Jordan was fined (several times) for showing up for work as a rookie. Perhaps hard to believe now, but Jordan's first signature shoe that he wore as a rookie was in violation of the NBA's uniform policy, resulting in a $5,000 fine every time he wore them during a game. Nike wisely used this to market the shoes, thus making the upstart kicks even more popular.

 

4. Captain Marvel? Before being known worldwide as Air Jordan, Jordan was briefly referred to as Captain Marvel at the beginning of his Bulls career. The nickname obviously didn't stick. 

5. Not ready for prime time. The story about Jordan being cut from his high school varsity basketball team is only part of the story. Yes, Jordan did not make the varsity squad as a sophomore at Laney High School, but he did star on the team during his junior and senior years after spending his sophomore year on the junior varsity.

His play as a senior -- and during a camp held by North Carolina -- convinced legendary coach Dean Smith to offer him a scholarship. 

6. The day Mike became Michael. Jordan's rise to stardom began at the 1982 NCAA Championship Game. Trailing powerful Georgetown late in the game, Jordan, a freshman at the time, hit what would be the game-winning jump shot. The shot gave Smith and the Tar Heels their first national championship. In a 2016 interview with the late Craig Sager MJ said, "That was the birth of Michael Jordan. Before then I was Mike Jordan. All of a sudden, I make that shot and I'm Michael Jordan.

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7. "Off the floor, off the scoreboard ..." Jordan was part of several iconic commercials -- Nike, Gatorade and Hanes, just to name a few -- but one of the best may have been his McDonald's spot that aired during the Super Bowl in 1993. In it, Jordan is about to eat a Big Mac, when Larry Bird offered a challenge and the craziest game of HORSE ever played ensued. 

8. Rare Air. Jordan retired as the NBA's third all-time leading scorer, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. He has since been passed on the list by Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

Jordan's 1,072 career games is the second-fewest played of any of the NBA's top-10 career scoring leaders, with Wilt Chamberlain's 1,045 games being the fewest.

9. Thirty points a night, every night. MJ's 30.12 career points per game average is the highest in league history. Right behind him are Wilt Chamberlain (30.07), Elgin Baylor (27.36),  (27.28) and LeBron James (27.23). 

10. Man of the decade. Jordan won five league MVPs (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998) during his 12 full seasons with the Bulls.

11. A star among stars. He won three All-Star Game MVP trophies (1988, 1996, 1998), but his '98 All-Star performance may have been his most memorable. Despite being under the weather, Jordan's led the East squad to a 135-114 win with a stat line of 23 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals while often being matched up against Kobe Bryant, who scored 18 points in his All-Star debut. 

12. Remembering Kobe. Jordan retired as the All-Star Game career scoring leader with 262 points. He has since been passed by Kobe Bryant (290) and LeBron James' 413. In 2020, NBA re-named the All-Star MVP trophy in honor of Bryant, who won the award a record four times.

 

13. Cleared for takeoff. Air Jordan lived up to his nickname when he won back-to-back Slam Dunk titles in 1987 and 1988. Jordan's second win, which came against 1985 winner Dominique Wilkins, was punctuated by Jordan's 50-point dunk (the highest total a dunk can receive) with a leap from the free throw line in front of the Chicago home crowd. 

14. The one. And only. The NBA first recognized its first Defensive Player of the Year in the 1982-83 season, and in the 40 years since only one player has won that award while also leading the league in scoring .

.. That player, of course, would be Jordan who averaged an even 35 points a game while also winning the DPOY award in the 1987-88 season.

15. Two six packs ... When it comes to the NBA Finals, Jordan quite simply dominated. His Bulls won all six NBA Finals series in which they appeared (1991-93 and 1996-98) and MJ was named series MVP every time. 

16. ... and never a lucky seven. Jordan never faced a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Of his six Finals wins, only his first appearance versus the  went five games. The other five series were decided in six games.