when did michael jordan win first nba championship
Michael Jordan Jordan played three seasons for coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship team in 1982. Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick. He quickly emerged as a league star and entertained crowds with his prolific scoring. 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.[6] In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat". Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball before the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season and started a new career playing minor league baseball, he returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and led them to three additional championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998, as well as a then-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season. Jordan retired for a second time in January 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Wizards.
List of NBA players with most championships Boston Celtics center Bill Russell holds the record for the most NBA championships won with 11 titles during his 13-year playing career.[7] He won his first championship with the Boston Celtics in his rookie year. Afterwards, he went on to win 10 championships in the next 12 years, including eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966.[8] He won the last two championships in 1968 and 1969 as player-coach.[7] Russell's teammate, Sam Jones, won 10 championships from 1959 to 1969, the second most in NBA history.[9] Four Celtics players, Tom Heinsohn, K. C. Jones, Satch Sanders and John Havlicek, won eight championships each.[10][11][12][13] Two other Celtics, Jim Loscutoff and Frank Ramsey, won seven championships each.[14][15][16] Four players, Bob Cousy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, won six championships each.[17][18] Jordan and Pippen are members of the Chicago Bulls team who won three consecutive championships twice in the 1990s.[19][20] George Mikan won 2 championships in the NBL before it merged with the BAA to form the NBA, and won 5 championships in the NBA.