Michael Jordan entered the NBA with high expectations, and even though he wasn’t considered the consensus No. 1 overall pick, he became the greatest No. 3 pick of all time, as well as the best player to set foot on an NBA court.
During the 1984 NBA Draft, he was considered a good pick for the Portland Trail Blazers, but they went with Sam Bowie as they didn’t want to pair Jordan with Clyde Drexler. During a 1992 interview with Playboy (via Ballislife), Jordan admitted that wouldn’t have been a good option for him.
Playboy: The Portland Trail Blazers had a shot at drafting you. How would that have changed your life?
Michael Jordan: I wouldn’t have had all this opportunity from a business and financial standpoint.
Playboy: Would your life have been any easier?
Michael Jordan: No, this has gone exactly the way I wanted it to. Portland already had Clyde Drexler, so it would have been dumb for me to go there.
Even though this looked like the best option, not everybody agreed with it. For instance, legendary coach Bob Knight urged the Trail Blazers to land Jordan, and if they needed to play him at center, so be it.
They still didn’t listen and went with Bowie, who lied about his knee to be drafted with the No. 2 overall pick. Bowie couldn’t fulfill the expectations, averaging 10.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.78 blocks per game during his career. He was only named to the 1985 All-Rookie First Team, which became his biggest accolade in the NBA.
As for Jordan, he took the league by storm as soon as he landed in Chicago. Everybody doubted him upon his arrival on the team, and the shooting guard made sure to prove them wrong.
Jordan finished his career as a six-time NBA champion, five-time NBA MVP, one-time Defensive Player of the Year, six-time Finals MVP, and 10-time scoring champion. He went on to become the greatest player of all time, marking an era in the NBA.
Even though Scottie Pippen wants to bring him down, Jordan’s numbers were simply incredible from the beginning and nobody can deny that.
Jordan Would Beat The Blazers And Clyde Drexler In The Finals Many Years Later
The Trail Blazers would find themselves in a complex position several years later, as Jordan beat them in the 1992 NBA Finals to win his second of six NBA championships. He took it personally when compared to Clyde Drexler, and His Airness went off against Portland.
We’ll never know how this situation would have gone, but seeing how great Jordan and Drexler were, they could have found a way to make it work.
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