Michael Jordan played a non-contact sport.
Basketball is a non-contact sport played on a rectangular court . Michael Jordan . His biography on the NBA website states : `` By acclamation , Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time . '' His leaping ability , demonstrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests , earned him the nicknames Air Jordan and His Airness . He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball .