Michael Jordan (Part 2)

Entering Coach Dean Smith's team-centric system as a freshman, Jordan secured the ACC Freshman of the Year accolade by averaging 13.4 points per game with a 53.4% shooting accuracy. He clinched victory with a pivotal jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship final against Georgetown, led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing. Jordan later described this shot as a significant turning point in his basketball career. Throughout his three seasons with the Tar Heels, he maintained averages of 17.7 points per game with a 54.0% shooting accuracy, alongside 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
Jordan was unanimously selected to the NCAA All-American First Team in both his sophomore (1983) and junior (1984) seasons. After receiving the Naismith and Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984, Jordan departed North Carolina one year before his scheduled graduation to enter the 1984 NBA draft. He returned to North Carolina in 1986 to complete his degree, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in cultural geography. In 2002, Jordan's inclusion in the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team recognized him as one of the 50 greatest players in ACC history.


The Chicago Bulls drafted Jordan as the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft, following Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers). One of the primary reasons for Jordan's delayed selection was the pressing need for centers in the first two teams. The Trail Blazers' general manager, Stu Inman, argued that it wasn't solely about drafting a center but also about choosing Bowie over Jordan, especially considering Portland already had Clyde Drexler, a guard with similar skills to Jordan. ESPN labeled the Blazers' decision to pick Bowie as the worst draft choice in the history of North American professional sports due to Bowie's injury-plagued college career.


Jordan marked his NBA debut at Chicago Stadium on October 26, 1984, tallying 16 points. In 2021, a ticket stub from his debut game fetched $264,000 at auction, setting a record for a collectible ticket stub. Throughout his rookie season (1984–85) with the Bulls, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting, significantly elevating a team that had struggled in the previous seasons. He swiftly became a favorite among fans, even in rival arenas. Roy S. Johnson of The New York Times dubbed him "the phenomenal rookie of the Bulls" in November, and Jordan graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in December under the headline "A Star Is Born." Fans voted Jordan as an All-Star starter in his debut season, but controversy arose before the 1985 NBA All-Star Game when some veteran players, led by Isiah Thomas, expressed displeasure at the attention Jordan received. This led to a "freeze-out" on Jordan during the game, but it had little impact on him as he went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award. The Bulls ended the season 38–44 and were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.


A noteworthy moment occurred on August 26, 1985, when Jordan shattered the backboard glass with a dunk during a Nike exhibition game in Trieste, Italy, creating a sensation. This event is often cited as a significant milestone in Jordan's career ascent. The sneakers Jordan wore during this game were auctioned in August 2020 for $615,000, setting a record for a pair of sneakers. Unfortunately, Jordan's 1985–86 season was cut short due to a foot injury, causing him to miss 64 games. Despite this setback, the Bulls made it to the playoffs, and Jordan made a remarkable return, setting a playoff scoring record with 63 points in a game against the Boston Celtics. However, the Celtics, considered one of the greatest teams in NBA history, swept the series.
Fully recovered for the 1986–87 season, Jordan delivered one of the most prolific scoring performances in NBA history, becoming only the second player after Wilt Chamberlain to score 3,000 points in a season, averaging a league-leading 37.1 ppg on 48.2% shooting. Additionally, he showcased his defensive abilities by becoming the first player to record 200 steals and 100 blocked shots in a single season. Despite his outstanding performance, Magic Johnson won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. The Bulls secured 40 wins and made it to the playoffs for the third consecutive year but were once again eliminated by the Celtics.


During the 1987–88 season, Jordan showcased his scoring prowess by leading the league with an average of 35.0 points per game, shooting an impressive 53.5% from the field. His stellar performance earned him his first league MVP Award. Not only did he excel offensively, but he also displayed his defensive prowess, earning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year title. Jordan averaged 1.6 blocks per game and a league-high 3.1 steals per game, leading the Bulls defense to become the stingiest in the league. With Jordan leading the charge, the Bulls finished the season with a 50–32 record, marking the first time in his career they made it past the first round of the playoffs. They defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games but fell to the more experienced Detroit Pistons, led by Isiah Thomas and their tough defensive lineup known as the "Bad Boys," in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.


In the 1988–89 season, Jordan once again led the league in scoring with an average of 32.5 points per game, shooting 53.8% from the field. Additionally, he demonstrated his versatility by averaging 8 rebounds and 8 assists per game. Midway through the season, Jordan's frustration with the team's point guard situation led to him taking over the role himself. During this period, he recorded an astonishing 10 triple-doubles in 11 games, showcasing his ability to dominate in multiple facets of the game. Despite Jordan's brilliance, the Bulls finished with a 47–35 record and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals by defeating the Cavaliers and the New York Knicks. A standout moment came when Jordan hit "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer in Game 5 of the Cavaliers series. However, the Pistons once again proved to be a formidable obstacle in the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the Bulls in six games with their aggressive defensive strategy known as the "Jordan Rules."


Entering the 1989–90 season, the Bulls were viewed as a team on the rise, boasting a core group of Jordan, along with emerging talents like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, under the guidance of new coach Phil Jackson. Jordan continued his remarkable performances, highlighted by a career-high 69-point game against the Cavaliers on March 28, 1990. He led the league in scoring once again, averaging 33.6 points per game on 52.6% shooting. Despite their regular-season success with a 55–27 record, the Bulls faced playoff disappointment once more, losing to the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third consecutive season, despite pushing the series to seven games.

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