Where was Michael Jordan born?

Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was born on February 17, 1963, at Cumberland Hospital in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, now part of New York City.

Jordan’s family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was a child, in 1968. Because he grew up and developed as a basketball player in North Carolina, people sometimes mistakenly identify the state as his birthplace. He attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington and later played college basketball for the University of North Carolina.

Jordan entered the NBA in 1984 after North Carolina and was selected third overall by the Chicago Bulls. He became one of basketball’s defining figures, winning six NBA championships with Chicago and five regular-season Most Valuable Player awards.

His birthplace is Brooklyn, but his sporting identity is strongly linked to North Carolina and Chicago. That distinction explains why both locations frequently appear in questions about his early life and career.