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Michael Jordan (1963)close

Michael Jordan may have been born in Brooklyn, but the Jordan family moved to North Carolina when Michael Jordan was very small and he grew up in Wilmington. He played at the University of North Carolina and was twice College Player of the Year.

After being picked by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 NBA Draft, Jordan was named NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season. He broke many of the league records in scoring and steals, and in the meantime, added two Olympic Gold Medals from the 1984 and 1992 Games. After his retirement in 1998, he became part owner of the Washington Wizards basketball team. In 2001, he resigned his position as head of basketball operations in order to become an active player again.

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