The Chicago Bulls could have a different history if they agreed to any of the two offers they received the night of the 1984 NBA draft. They picked Michael Jordan with the #3 overall pick after Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie, respectively, but that third pick could have gone to a different team according to Rod Thorn.
Thorn, former Bulls general manager, joined Kap + Co. on ESPN 1000 to talk about his time with the Bulls. He was the man who drafted Jordan, the player that changed the history of the team. However, things would have been different for His Airness and Chicago, as they received offers to get the shooting guard.
“We had really strong offers for Michael from both Philadelphia + Dallas. Plus other lesser offers. Couldn’t do it,” Thorn told David Kaplan of ESPN 1000.
The man who drafted Michael Jordan, former Bulls GM Rod Thorn just told us on Kap + Co. on @ESPN1000 he had multiple offers on draft day 1984 for Michael Jordan. "We had really strong offers for Michael from both Philadelphia + Dallas. Plus other lesser offers. Couldn't do it."
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) April 21, 2020
During the first episode of Jordan’s ‘The Last Dance’ documentary, Thorn revealed that Kevin Loughery congratulated him for not ‘screwing up’ the draft by picking Jordan. Things would have been different if he actually agreed to any of those offers, but luckily for the Bulls and their fans, MJ went to play with him, becoming the greatest player of all time and giving the franchise their only six titles in history.
