One of the top-rated tourist attractions in all of the Greater Chicago area is that of undoubtedly the best professional basketball player ever, Michael Jordan.
The Michael Jordanstatue is such a honor to behold it makes perfect sense that at the unveiling ceremony MJ actually shed tears and for this man, who some say has an exterior as solid as the brass statue that represents this great man, that meant a lot.
Plenty of Visitors
From morning to nightfall people from all over the world come to visit and have their picture taken in front of one of Chicago’s most famous and recognizable landmarks there at the entrance of the United Center.
It is incredible to bear witness to the amount of fans and non-fans alike that come to touch the statue of the man that put the Chicago Bulls on the global stage as one of the most dominant NBA teams ever to grace the hardwood courts of this very-famous league of professionals.
Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf
The Michael Jordan statue has a great history and one that started with a simple phone call from the Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to the Bull’s Team Vice President Steve Schanwald in 1993. The conversation was brief and instructed the VP of the Bulls Organization to locate a sculptor who could create a statue as tribute to the greatest player in NBA history.
Highland Park, Illinois
A year later the job was set in motion and the husband and wife team of Omri and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany of Highland Park, Illinois, were contracted to design and create a statue of the then retired Bulls superstar which would stand forever at the entrance to the United Center, the Bulls’ new home, which was set to open in August of that same year.
The Bulls sought a design which would be a realistic depiction of Michael Jordan plus correctly illustrate the spectacular nature of his unique skill, and create the illusion of flight. After a few revisions and a few more the finalillustration was approved and the work began on creating the awe-inspiringMichael Jordan statue.
VP of Team Operations for the Chicago Bulls
The statue was unveiled by Michael Jordan and Larry King along with the man that first thought of the great tribute, VP of Team Operations for the Chicago Bulls, Reinsdorf. The date was November 1, 1994 and the ceremony was broadcasts live in front of and to a global audience. The City of Chicago’s favorite son had finally been discovered and all this time he was leaping right there in front of the United Center!
• Michael Jordan Statue Measurements
• 12 Feet Tall (17 feet from top to bottom)
• Weighs 2,000 Pounds
• Made of Bronze with a Black Marble Base
• The MJ statue was cast in bronze using the “lost wax” method at Art Casting of Illinois, a foundry in Oregon, Illinois.
The actual work was created by the same team of husband and wife that drew and completed the illustrations, Omri and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany.
After putting in at times grueling long and hot 16 hour days, the artist’s finished product depicts an outstretched and seemingly in flight Jordan heading towards the basket for one of his trademark spectacular dunks.
A fitting example to say the least of what defenders and opponents of theChicago Bulls certainly saw as Michael Jordan was cruising past them on the way to yet another Bulls victory and another Bulls World Championship!