By Domonic Bell

1. Michael Jordan Michael Jordan Domonic Bell

2. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line at Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames " Air Jordan " and " His Airness ".

3. After a stand-out career at the University of North Carolina , Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984 .

4. Six-time NBA champion, NBA MVP, 10-time All-NBA First Team, All-NBA Second Team, Defensive Player of the Year, Nine-time All-Defensive First Team, Rookie of the Year, 14-time All-Star; All-Star MVP, One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, Two-time Olympic gold medalist.

5. "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time."

6. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan shoes, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today.

7. During his first season in the NBA, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting. He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas.

8. Michael Jordan retired in 1993 shortly after his father was murdered. And went to Baseball It meant a lot to him for his father to have seen his last game. He then played baseball for the Birmingham Barons, where he wore number 45 .

9. He returned to the NBA in March 1995. He used his baseball number 45 at first, but during the playoffs he switched back to his number 23.

10. "Now I guess it hits me that I'm not going to be in a uniform anymore and that's not a terrible feeling," Jordan said after the 76ers and Wizards game. "It's something that I've come to grips with, and it's time. This is the final retirement."