Michael Jordan

Depiction in Video Games

NBA Games During the 1990s

Michael Jordan maintains the complete right and trademark to his name and the use of his likeness in video games as he opted out of the Player's Association. As a result he is not available with the purchase of the NBA license for video game developers and publishers. While he was still playing basketball for the Chicago Bulls during the 1990s the price of having Michael Jordan was so prohibitively high that many game publishers elected to not pay for the license to include him in their games. Exceptions include Michael Jordan in Flight (1993), Bulls vs. Lakers and the NBA Playoffs (1991), Team USA Basketball (1992), Tecmo NBA Basketball (1992), NBA All-Star Challenge (1992), Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs (1992), Tecmo Super NBA (1992), and NBA Showdown (1993). This in turn means that from 1994 until the release of NBA Live 2000 in 1999 there were no basketball games, disregarding Space Jam and Chaos in the Windy City, that contained Michael Jordan in them.

NBA 2K11

Michael Jordan is the cover athlete of NBA 2K11. In NBA 2K11 Jordan is fully playable and has two of his own modes titled the "Jordan Challenge," and "MJ: Creating a Legend." In the "Jordan Challenge" players can re-enact ten of Jordan's greatest career moments and games ranging from "The Shot" to "The Flu Game." In "MJ: Creating a Legend," players are tasked with guiding Jordan from his rookie season to the end of his career and ensuring that he accomplishes all of the highlights of his career. As the story progresses the player is awarded various Air Jordan footwear if they succeed in accomplishing specific challenges.

NBA 2K12

Michael Jordan once again appears as a cover athlete for the 2K basketball franchise, but shares this distinction with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Jordan is also a playable character in the "NBA's Greatest" mode as well as a playable character in four of the game's special "Classic Teams," all for the Chicago Bulls.

Michael Jordan Chaos in the Windy City

In Michael Jordan Chaos in the Windy City Jordan sets out in an adventure to locate all of the players of the All Star charity team that have been kidnapped by the evil Dr. Maximus Cranium. In this side scrolling adventure game Jordan attacks enemies by throwing basketballs, which he can swap to utilize different attributes, at them and collecting power-ups. The slam dunk is Jordan's secondary attack.

Space Jam

In the video game adaptation of the film of the same name Michael Jordan is a reluctant hero to try and prevent a criminal alien race known as the Nerdlucks from enslaving the Looney Tunes to work at their amusement park, Moron Mountain. Despite showing this reluctance in assisting the Looney Tunes, Michael Jordan becomes the star player on the Looney Tunes' "TuneSquad" basketball team and defeats the Nerdlucks with the Looney Tunes, and the sudden assistance of Bill Murray.

Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden

In Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden Michael Jordan is depicted as a traitor antagonistic to the protagonist, Charles Barkley and his son Hoopz. Following Charles Barkley's performance of the Chaos Dunk which resulted in the deaths of millions of people and destruction of Neo New York in 2041 Michael Jordan joins the B-Ball Removal Department in enforcing the ban against all basketball in the world. Jordan is depicted throughout Shut Up and Jam Gaiden as harassing Barkley and attempting to impede his progress by targeting his son, Hoopz. For example, after Barkley and his friend Balthios (Hellbaneor as he is originally referred to as) Jordan holds Hoopz hostage at gunpoint at Larry Bird's church after having mortally wounding Larry Bird. At another point of the game Jordan shoots Hoopz with a dart gun, thus injecting him with Type II diabetes. This forces Barkley and company to seek out Wilford Brimley who cures Hoopz of his diabetes at the cost of his own life.

It is eventually revealed that Jordan is a member of the terrorist group B.L.O.O.D.M.O.S.E.S. which plans on harnessing the power of the Chaos Dunk to destroy Earth and repopulate it with clones of Charles Barkley. After Barkley comes in possession of the Hell B-Ball from the Spalding factory Jordan faces Barkley and company on the B.L.O.O.D.M.O.S.E.S. headquarters on the slave spaceship Necron 5. There he is finally defeated in combat thus resulting in the reveal of the true villain of Shut Up and Jam Gaiden.