June 20, 1993
"The 30-year-old basketball player, nicknamed Air Jordan because of his gravity-defying leaps, is already the world's highest-paid athlete and is fast becoming the best known. Playboy magazine, borrowing from the late John Lennon, declared last year that he was 'more popular than Jesus'. Autograph hunters have rioted at the sight of him. In China, a survey by a footwear company found he was the second best known personality after Deng Xiao ping. He is a planetary celebrity and an advertiser's dream. In Britain, where American basketball can be seen only on satellite television, Jordan was the first choice of Brighton students when asked by Gallup which of 16 celebrities had most influenced their values."