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1- 'The Shot', The start of Michael Jordan's Image.

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1- 'The Shot', The start of Michael Jordan's Image.

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'The Shot', would be the first instance to a national audience in which Jordan would display his basketball excellence and ability to shine in the biggest moments. Despite only being 19, 17.6 million households would witness Jordan winning the national championship with this shot for his college UNC in 1982. Reflecting on this defining moment Jordan would display his confident and charismatic persona.

“I was thinking the game might come down to a last-second shot,”

“I saw myself taking it and hitting it.”

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After 2 more years at UNC, Jordan was selected 3rd overall by the Chicago Bulls in 1984. Despite his talents, the Bulls were not excited to have him. In the articles on the left they detail how the Bulls would be actively looking to trade away their chance to use the 3rd pick. The Bulls were a young team with many exciting prospects, meaning they were looking for a more experienced player to lead the team.

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It is important to understand the landscape of the NBA upon Jordan's arrival in the 1980's.

Big Men- The league was dominated by 'big men' up until the 80's, the leagues most successful players were quite often the tallest and heaviest and the playstyle and team building of the time reflected that. Leading to a slower, lower scoring game.

Unpopular- The NBA was lagging behind the NFL (American Football) and the MLB (Baseball) in popularity in the 80's

Drug Abuse- The NBA faced multiple drug-related controversies in the 80's. Star players like Walter Davis and John Lucas struggles with addiction at the time. This would tarnish the league's image and led to concerns about the the prevalence of drug use among players.

Labour Disputes- The NBA experienced labour disputes, including a player strike which shortened the 1982-1983 season.

Violence- Instances of on-court violence and fights were common place in the NBA in the 80's.

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David Stern Becomes NBA Commissioner (1984)

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David Stern Becomes NBA Commissioner (1984)

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Also in 1984, David Stern would be appointed NBA Commissioner. He would go on to be a major catalyst to change the image of the NBA. ‘When I came into office, the NBA was in a state of decline. We were losing market share to the NFL and college basketball. We were also losing our fans to drugs and violence. I knew we had to make some major changes in order to survive’ (Stern, 1992).

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Shortly before the start of Jordan's rookie season he was approached by multiple sportswear companies including; Adidas, Converse and Nike. By 1984 the dominant shoe brand was Adidas who offered Jordan a lucrative offer to promote already existing shoes. Nike would offer a deal in which Jordan would get his own shoe line and a cut of the profits of their sales. The decision to sign with Nike would allow Jordan to imprint his persona onto the company and what they release in his name. This decision itself would contribute to Jordan's star image as it showed that we was willing to go against the grain and help grow his brand rather than contribute to an already existing corporate giant.

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Jordan's rookie year would see him average 28 points a game. Which is an incredible average which most NBA players would fail to reach in their prime. He would wow the fans with his athletic prowess and his flashy dunks, Jordan would help double the average attendance for the Chicago Bulls that season. For this Jordan was awarded the Rookie Of The Year award. Winning this award would now solidify Jordan as a elite player in his sport, and the new star player and leader of the Chicago Bulls. This would also bring more media attention to his performances and lifestyle.

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Jordan's new signature shoe line would take the world by storm. His debut shoe would go against the NBA rules on player footwear leading to a ban. Meaning Jordan would receive a $5000 fine every time he played for them. The shoes would become a talking point during his games and would make him stand out. This would go hand in hand with Jordan's flashy high-flying playstyle, this new innovative phenomenon of flair and expression would show audiences something the NBA had never seen before. This rebellion against the old ideals of the NBA would resonate with younger fans and make Jordan more recognisable. Nike would run with this concept as well, the attached video being an commercial released by Nike at the time. The shoes were a massive success generating $126 Million in sales in their first year. Nike had originally targeted to make $5 million in sales from the first 3 years.

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Following the burst of popularity from his breakout season and the rise of the Air Jordan. The NBA would now push Jordan as new the face of their sport. He would appear on the cover of sports illustrated, be a part of commercials of major corporations like McDonald's and Gatorade. Jordan even featured in the NBA's marketing campaigns including their 'NBA on NBC' campaign. This would make Jordan a star on a national level. This new image would give the younger fans of the NBA someone to support, a new younger star who could revolutionise the NBA from it's old ideals of the 80's

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8- NBA Success And Adding Success To His Image

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8- NBA Success And Adding Success To His Image

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Jordan would win his first NBA Championship in 1991, he would defeat the LA Lakers. The Lakers were the star team of the 80's with their own star of the former era, Magic Johnson. Jordan's victory would be symbolic of his new era of the NBA flourishing and succeeding. Jordan would continue to win, he would win the 1991, 92 and 93 titles. Jordan's image would now evolve with his success, he was now a winner. He could prove what his marketing campaigns suggest that being like Mike can make you a winner.

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Jordan's Famous 'Be Like Mike' Commercial

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Jordan's Famous 'Be Like Mike' Commercial

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Be Like Mike Gatorade Commercial (ORIGINAL)

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9- 92' Dream Team And Global Superstardom

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9- 92' Dream Team And Global Superstardom

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In the middle of Jordan's first trio of championships, Jordan would compete in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The Olympic Committee in collaboration with the NBA would allow NBA players to play in the Olympics for the first time. This would lead to the USA team bringing a team of their biggest stars. The prospect of a basketball Superteam lead by Jordan created a media frenzy, the teams actions were followed constantly by the media. They became the focus of that summer's games, which subsequently lead to these NBA stars and more importantly Jordan and his image being more accessible to almost everyone in the world. Jordan was now no longer a household name in America he was a household name worldwide. The affect of this would benefit the NBA as Jordan's global reach pulled in more international viewers for the NBA.

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Jordan would suddenly retire in October 1993, stating that he lost his desire to play basketball. Jordan would later say that the murder of his father in July 1993 would help shape his decision. Jordan would decide to play baseball instead. Jordan's time in baseball would be underwhelming, playing in minor leagues Jordan couldn't recreate the success he had in basketball. Many rumours persist around alternative motives of Jordan's retirement, the most noticeable being his gambling issues and that his sudden retirement was the NBA and David Stern's way of suspending Jordan for his gambling without brining negative press to the NBA which he helped globalise.

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In the linked Bleacher Report article the theory around Jordan's retirement being linked to a hidden suspension is analysed.

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Michael Jordan was one of the greatest players to ever play the game and is considered by many to be the best ever. He was a dominant offensive player who could score as well as anyone and as good as a perimeter defender as there has been.

He was also a winner as he led the Bulls to six championships in the '90s in two different sets of threepeats.

In the beginning of his career, Jordan was a dominant individual player, but he was overshadowed by the greatness of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, who were both legends on championships contending teams.

On the other hand, Jordan's Bulls weren't a championship contender until the early '90s (Jordan's 6-7th season) when Scottie Pippen became a great all around player and the majority the great teams in the '80 had declined.

However, once he had a good enough supporting cast, he completely dominated the league for the majority of the decade and cemented himself as a legend of the game and the best player in the decade.

However, he retired after he led the Bulls to their first three peat for over a year and a half before coming back and leading the team to another three peat.

Why would the face of the league on the best team in the league who was known for his enormous competitive drive and his desire to be the best ever suddenly retire in the middle of his prime? Lets look at the facts.

In 1992, after winning his second championship, Jordan was called to testify in the criminal trial of James Bouler to explain why why Bouler, a convicted drug dealer, was in possession of a Jordan-signed personal check for $57,000.

First, Jordan claimed it was a business loan, but under oath he admitted that it was a payment for on gambling losses for a single weekend.

Then, in early 1993, San Diego businessman Richard Equinas revealed in his book Michael and Me: Our Gambling Addiction...My Cry for Help that he had won over $900,000 from Jordan in golf betting.

Around the same time, MJ was spotted in an Atlantic City casino in the early hours on the morning of Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals.

After the Bulls won their third championship, the NBA launched an investigation into Jordan's gambling problems to check whether he had violated any league rules. Then, four months later Jordan stunned the world by suddenly retiring from professional basketball.

At the press conference when he was asked if he would ever return he said, " Five years down the road, if the urge comes back, if the Bulls will have me, if David Stern lets me back in the league, I may come back."

Now why in the world would Jordan ever say if David Stern lets him back, then maybe he would come back when the reporter didn't mention Stern's name at all in his question?

Only days after Jordan announced his retirement, the league dropped its investigation, saying he did nothing wrong (I guess betting numerous amounts on sports isn't wrong then).

Was there a secret agreement between Jordan and Stern where Stern told him to simply retire and create a distraction so that he wouldn't face a suspension and have his huge marketable name stay clean?

The distraction occurred when Jordan then decided to play minor league baseball in the White Sox organization, even though he would've had trouble hitting a beach ball, yet alone a baseball. In 102 games with the Barons, Jordan had a .202 average along with 3 homers, 51 RBI, 30 stolen bases, 114 strikeouts, and a .555 OPS.

Also, in the much respected book Money Players Days and Nights Inside the New NBA by Armen Keteyian, it states that in 1993, the league had an interview with Richard Equinas during their investigation on Jordan's gambling. He said that in March of 1992, he overheard a telephone conversation Jordan was having with an unknown person.

During the conversation, he heard Jordan talking about a betting line, "So you say the line is seven points." The game MJ was talking about isn't known, but the accusations are extremely serious as that means if Jordan was indeed betting on sports, he was breaking a sacred, unwritten rule for all professional athletes, as that is against the integrity of the game.

Personally, my opinion on this subject is that Jordan and David Stern had a secret meeting where Stern told Jordan to leave the game for a brief period to save himself, the league's by far most marketable and popular player, embarrassment and scrutiny from a public suspension.

I also think it was done brilliantly by commissioner Stern as today most people don't really know much of this theory as Jordan's reputation is fantastic, even though he was a huge gambler and a questionable teammate and because Jordan came back less than two years late and won three more championships with the Bulls before retiring for a second time.

The main reason why I believe this theory is because I simply don't believe a player as competitive as Jordan would suddenly retire right at the peak of his career to supposedly play baseball when he knew he wasn't that good and because he said he was too worn out because of the past championship runs and 1992 Olympics.

MJ was the best player on the best team and he wanted to be the best to ever play the game, so I don't believe he would have retired on his own when he knew if he had played, his Bulls would've had undoubtedly extended their streak of championships to four, unless a major injury had occurred.

Overall, I am not certain about my opinion that Jordan was actually suspended secretly, instead of retired on his own, but I do think there was a really good chance that this occurred because it doesn't make sense that he retired when he did.

What do you guys think? Do you think he was suspended or not? Also, would your opinion of MJ change if it came out that he was actually suspended instead of retired on his own?

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Michael Jordan's First Retirement: Was It a Secret Suspension?

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Michael Jordan was one of the greatest players to ever play the game and is considered by many to be the best ever. He was a dominant offensive player who could score as well as anyone and as good as a perimeter defender as there has been...

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Jordan's gambling first became known in 1993, Jordan would be spotted in a casino before a playoff game. Jordan would be interviewed about the sighting shortly afterwards, in this interview above we can see Jordan admitting he was there and give a justification why he was there before a game. I think this interview gave people a first look into Jordan's private sphere, he comes across through his justification that he perhaps isn't interested in how it would effect his image as long as his team won.

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Michael Jordan Talked about His Gambling (1993.06.09)

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In 1995, Jordan would decide to return to basketball in 1995. He would do so in a two word statement, 'I'm back'. This statement is very much what we think of when we think of Jordan's image, bold and confident. The game would generate an immense amount of hype, the game he would return against the Pacers became the highest viewed NBA game since 1975. Jordan would perform well and the hype and adulation of his return would wash away the negative surroundings of his sudden retirement.

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After his return, the following 3 seasons would bring 3 Championships for Jordan and the Bulls. Those titles would come in 96, 97, 98. This would reflect Jordan's initial 3 peat in the early 90's. This would cement Jordan as the greatest ever, adding to his winning image as he won in a manner of awe inspiring ways.

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'The flu game' would be one instance wear Jordan would contract the flu before an NBA finals game, he force himself to play and he would play well and the Bulls would win a vital game. This would add to Jordan's image that he could go above and beyond and push himself to the limit and succeed. In the video linked we see highlights of Jordan's performance.

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Michael Jordan’s ICONIC Flu Game On This Day 25 Years Ago 😳

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Jordan's final shot as a Bull would be a shot that won his team the Championship in 1998. Just like 'The Shot' he would take responsibility to take the most important shot and make it.

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Jordan would retire after the 1998 title. He would stay in retirement before coming back in 2001-2003 as a part of the Washington Wizards, Jordan's motives for doing so were so that he could donate his playing salary to the victims of the 9/11 attacks. The decision to do this would give Jordan lots of positive publicity, rather than just making a sizeable donation he could use his star image to reinstall hope in Americans through watching him play basketball again.

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Now that Jordan has retired I think it is important to look at his legacy and to go over his star image his playing career created. Jordan's legacy will forever be intertwined with the NBA, through David Stern Jordan became the catalyst in the NBA's globalisation and their relationship relied on each other. The NBA and Stern needed Jordan's star image to grow and develop their brand and Jordan needed the NBA's audience as a stage to present his star image. Now at this point I think Jordan's image can be boiled down to a few key attributes:

- Expression, connecting to the youth's urge to express themselves through his shoes

- Winning, Jordan was the best and won in a variety of inspirational ways. Being 'Like Mike' could also bring you success

- Confidence, Jordan would carry himself with confidence through his fashion and the statements he would make like the 'I'm Back' quote.

Now, I will go over the impact of Jordan's image has had an impact on culture, and how post final retirement revelations on Jordan's private persona from those around him during his heights of fame have potentially altered or contradicted his star image.

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Michael Jordan's star image and Air Jordan's influence stretched outside of sportswear but into streetwear, Jordan's would become a cultural symbol of coolness and expression. The shoe would attach itself to the emerging rap scene of the 90's, through rappers like Jay-Z (Seen above) the shoe would become a staple of expression. Since the 90's the shoe is now a staple in streetwear culture, making Air Jordan's more than a piece of sportswear.

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The Jordan brand generates around $1 billion for Nike, in 2014 Jordan became the first NBA player to become a billionaire. In 2023 Forbes would report Jordan's net worth as $3 billion, post retirement Jordan's public appearances would lessen. Most of Jordan's news would revolve around his business ventures rather than his personal life therefore protecting his image and adding to the success aspect of his image as you can attach his wealth to it.

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379 Michael Jordan on the 2023 Forbes 400 - Regarded by many as the NBA's greatest player of all-time, Michael Jordan won six titles with the Chicago

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Following his rise to global superstardom, Jordan would amass a large audience. This would become of interest to film studios looking to capitalise on Jordan's star image. Space Jam would release in 1996 and would be a box office hit. This would lead to a Space Jam media franchise of comics, video games and merchandise. The Space Jam franchise is estimated to have generated $6 billion in revenue, this shows Jordan's star image can evolve out of sport to a transmedia icon.

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Jordan's fashion was very in touch 90’s, he challenged the idea men had to dress formally to be successful. One example being his popularisation of sportswear outside of sporting events, Jordan’s 90’s fashion defied the fashion people in the 80’s had big hair, flashy colours. He would use his confidence to challenge the ideas of masculinity in his fashion by embracing his baldness and wearing earrings and jewelry.

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The Last Dance documentary would be released on Netflix in 2020. The documentary would be a timeline of Jordan's basketball career with the Chicago Bulls, it would delve into specific moments throughout the Bull's success from player interviews to uncover the methods of their success. It would allow a look into the private sphere of Michael Jordan

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The Last Dance would offer a new, more personal look into the actions and personality of Michael Jordan. While the documentary does glorify Jordan's basketball ability, it also offers an insight into the reality of what it takes to be as famous and successful as Jordan. It would show Jordan's competitve nature and his methods of helping the Bulls win. I believe that Jordan's image from this documentary alters his star image, from the marketing campaigns of Air Jordan and Gatorade they present the idea that anyone can be like Jordan and that emulating him can lead to success. However the documentary suggests that Jordan's actions were necessary in order for them to win and that not everyone would be capable of doing the same.

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Here former teammates describe the scrutiny and intimidation Jordan instilled in the team of him. 'He crossed the line multiple times', despite this they described it at part of what they needed to win

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The Last Dance | Michael Jordan, the tough guy

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In this clip from the documentary, we hear Jordan give a justification for his actions:

‘They may say well he wasn’t really a nice guy he may have been a tyrant. Well that’s you, because you never won anything.’- Jordan

This comment I feel alters the idea around Jordan's star image, he is campaigned as someone who is admirable and his success is attainable. However the idea that those who perceive his actions negatively are those who 'never won anything' contradicts things. Jordan's actions and attitude is Machiavellian, to Jordan the ends justified the means. Even though he gets emotional about it perhaps understanding some of his actions were wrong. This leads to the reality of Jordan's star image, yes he is an image of success, expression and confidence. But is it ok to attain and promote such an image given we now know the means in which Jordan attained them? Should we 'Be Like Mike' if we want to be successful too?

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In this clip we can see an example of Jordan's treatment of one of his teammates.

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Michael Jordan BULLYING Scott Burrell in the Last Dance

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Jordan would get into a fight with his teammate Steve Kerr.

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Michael Jordan Talks About The Time He Punched Steve Kerr In The Face!

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In 2023 the film Air would release a film about Nike's effort to sign Jordan to their brand. Proving that Jordan's pull in media can still be affective in 2023.