Michael Jordan was humble and nervous when his name was called in the best NBA Draft of all time.
In time, Jordan would become known across the globe as “Air Jordan” or just MJ.
But in 1984, he was a skinny young man out of North Carolina with a slight Southern accent — and he wasn’t even the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
That honor went to Hakeem Olajuwon out of Houston.
The Dream made 12 All-Star teams, was selected to the All-Defensive Team nine times, twice won Defensive Player of the Year, and won two NBA Finals MVPs.
But Jordan is the player who changed the NBA forever and became the GOAT.
His name was first called out by commissioner David Stern on a small stage.
“The Chicago Bulls pick Michael Jordan out of the University of North Carolina,” said Stern, who sported a thick moustache in the early 1980s.
Jordan was in Bloomington, Indiana on draft night, preparing for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
When he appeared on TV, he wore a low-key beige shirt and spoke in a humble style that was the opposite of his highly confident self in the 1990s.
“Hopefully I fit pretty well,” Jordan said.
Before he went 6-0 in the NBA Finals and won 10 scoring titles, even Jordan’s professional position was up for debate.
He could have been a guard or small forward, and he was unsure what was waiting in a league dominated by Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics and Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers.
“It doesn’t matter really,” the new NBA rookie said. “Whatever I can contribute to the team.
“If I have to play small forward or if I have to play guard, whatever the team needs.”
The Bulls went 27-55 the year before Jordan arrived, so they needed a lot.
“Well, Michael, you’ve got a great opportunity to step in there and win for a city that is crying for a winner,” a TV commentator said.
“That is a fabulous sports town in Chicago. And with a little help from a fella named Michael Jordan, perhaps you can turn that Bulls thing around. What do you think?”
Legendary greatness waited on the horizon for the NBA, the city of Chicago and the Bulls.
“Hopefully I can go in and contribute and maybe turn it around,” a young Air Jordan said. “You know, I’m looking forward to it.”
The 2024 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 26-27 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The Atlanta Hawks hold the No. 1 overall pick, while Zaccharie Risacher, Alexandre Sarr and Reed Sheppard are expected to be the first names off the board.
The 1984 draft was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City and broadcast on the USA Network.
Forty years later, five of the picks are Hall of Famers, with four being selected in the top 16 (Olajuwon, Jordan, Charles Barkley, John Stockton).
Oscar Schmidt also made the Hall of Fame from the 1984 class, despite never playing in the NBA.
