Michael Jeffrey Jordan

Legacy
Jordan's basketball talent was clear from his rookie season. In his first game in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, Jordan received a prolonged standing ovation, a rarity for an opposing player. After Jordan scored a playoff record 63 points against the Boston Celtics in 1986, Celtics star Larry Bird described him as "God disguised as Michael Jordan."
"By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." —Introductory line of Jordan's NBA Encyclopedia biography