It's hard to argue against the notion that Michael Jordan is the greatest player to ever play the sport. For some, there are a handful of other players that are more deserving of the GOAT title, but regardless of the same, the Chicago Bulls legend has got to be at the Top 3 of anybody's list.
One indisputable fact is this: great as he may be, Jordan would not have reached the heights he has had it not been for his father, James Jordan Sr. Today we take a look at the life of the man that stood right by his son up and until his life was tragically taken away from him in a murder-robbery in 1993.
James Jordan Sr. was born and raised in Wallace, North Carolina on July 31, 1936. He went to Charity High School in Wallace, and this was where he met his future wife, Deloris Peoples. Jordan joined the U.S. Air Force upon graduating and was stationed in different locations throughout the country over the next few years, including San Antonio, Texas, and Virginia.
James and Deloris had five children. Ronnie was the eldest, followed by Deloris, and Larry. In 1963, the couple decided to leave their first three kids with James' mother, with James and Deloris moving to Brooklyn. James underwent mechanic's training in New York, studying airplane hydraulics. It was at this time that they had their fourth child, Michael Jordan. The family eventually moved to Willmington, North Carolina together with their four children. Their final child, Roslyn, was born in Willmington.
James Jordan was a big sports guy. However, his first love was actually baseball. He went semi-pro at one point in his early years, and James is responsible for ingraining the love of baseball to his son, Michael. As the Basketball Hall of Famer mentioned on several occasions, it was actually his father that inspired him to try his hand at professional baseball when he retired from the NBA in 1993.
It was clear, though, that Michael's calling was in basketball. As a good father, James supported his son in his chosen sport. However, James placed a lot of importance on Michael's academics. At one point, he even threatened Michael, who was having some trouble in school at that time, that he would be banned from playing sports if he did not get his head on right. As Michael Jordan described in the docu-series “The Last Dance,” this was the motivation he needed to imbibe an laser-like focus in pursuing his passion to become an NBA player.
James was by Michael's side in every step of his basketball career — from his days in high school, all the way to the NBA. He was there during Michael's early years, as Jordan established himself as one of the best players in the game, but was unable to achieve ultimate success in the league. MJ took a lot of criticism at that time for not being able to take the Bulls to the next level, and James defended his son passionately throughout. The pair was vindicated when Jordan finally led the Bulls to their first title in franchise history in 1991, followed by two more in 1992 and 1993, en route to their famous first three-peat.
It was in 1993, however, when James' life was so cruelly taken away from him. On his way home from a funeral, James pulled over on the highway to rest. He was driving a brand new Lexus, and it caught the attention of Daniel Andre Green and Larry Martin Demery — the two individuals who were later convicted for the robbery and murder of James. Green and Demery fired multiple shots at James inside the car while he was sleeping, stole the vehicle, and then eventually dumped his body.
These events transpired on July 23, 1993, but it wasn't until August 3 that authorities were able to locate James' body in a swamp in McColl, South Carolina. Virtually the whole world — especially Michael and the rest of the family — were made to wait for a good three weeks before it was finally determined that James was indeed killed.
According to reports, Green and Demery stole a number of items from James' vehicle, including two championship rings Michael had given him earlier. They were traced and eventually captured because of the phone calls they made on James' cellphone. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment.
James Jordan was put to rest on August 15, 1993 in Rockfish AME Church in Teachy, North Carolina.
One of the most iconic moments in Michael's career was his celebration following the 1996 championship. This was after his baseball hiatus, and was the first title he won without his father by his side. Jordan was overcome with emotion, and was filmed lying on the floor hugging the game ball while sobbing uncontrollably.
Rest in peace, James. we thank you for sharing the great Michael Jordan to the rest of the world.
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