Hit the shot that won North Carolina the 1982 national championship as a freshman — the beginning of a legend.
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1963 and attended the University of North Carolina under coach Dean Smith. His defining college moment came in his freshman year — with North Carolina and Georgetown tied at 61 in the 1982 national championship game, the 18-year-old Jordan hit a 16-foot jumper from the left wing with 15 seconds remaining to win the title 63-62. The shot launched one of the most celebrated careers in basketball history. He was the ACC Player of the Year twice (1983, 1984) and won the Naismith Award as national player of the year in 1984. He led North Carolina to three Final Four appearances. He averaged 17.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game across three seasons. He left after his junior year — against the wishes of coach Dean Smith, who felt he should return for his senior season. Chicago Bulls selected him third overall in the 1984 NBA Draft. His North Carolina career is famous both for that championship shot and for what it launched — when the ball fell through the net in New Orleans on March 29, 1982, the greatest basketball career in history officially began.
National Championship (1982)
Career Honours
- National Championship (1982)
- ACC Player of Year 2x
- Naismith Award (1984)
- Final Four 3x