Michael Jordan played basketball in the NBA.
The Chicago Express was a professional basketball franchise based in Chicago , Illinois , in 1988 . Michael Jeffrey Jordan ( born February 17 , 1963 ) , also known by his initials , MJ , is an American retired professional basketball player , businessman , and principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets . Jordan played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards . His biography on the NBA website states : `` By acclamation , Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time . '' Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s .