“Sam Bowie, are you coming or not?”: Billionaire Michael Jordan called the player drafted ahead of him and asserted his dominance

Michael Jordan once called Sam Bowie, who was picked ahead of him, and told him that the Bulls would win with or without him. Dominance. 

The 1984 NBA draft is among the most bizarre. Apart from the fact that the class produced two all-time greats in the form of Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon, the order of the draft was a notable oddity.

You would think that a player like Jordan would be drafted 1st. You’d be wrong. The scouts thought he was too skinny and he went no.3. Hakeem was the first pick and over time, he has proven his mettle.

However, the no.2 pick, Sam Bowie has been thrown into obscurity. For most of his life, Sam will be known as the guy drafted before Jordan.

While his career path might lead us to believe that he was not that good, sources have revealed that the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan once tried to recruit him.

Also read: “Is there a number 1 player ever? There is no real answer to it”: When Kobe Bryant eloquently stated that the best player is not Michael Jordan or LeBron James, but is something else

MJ to Sam Bowie:

“Sam, you coming or not? We’re winning with or without you.”

(via @FadeawayWorld)https://t.co/K0pShgx7zH

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 27, 2022

“Sam Bowie, are you coming or not?”: Michael Jordan’s open call was one of dominance and authority

When you would pitch a free agent to come to join your team, you would ideally present the finer points of joining. Jerry Krause and Phil Jackson did exactly that.

But Michael Jordan did something different. Instead of asking or pleading with Sam, he simply said “Sam, you coming or not? We’re winning with or without you.”

Talk about confidence. Instead of asking him or telling him the merits, the assertion was simple: You may have been picked before me but right now, you’re nothing.

Jordan’s self-belief is nothing short of spectacular. To tell a free agent you can win without him, isn’t even a bluff. This just goes to show much Jordan believed in his abilities. Sam Bowie would go on to join the Lakers and would exit the league in two years.

Michael Jordan went on to complete his threepeat. Mind the gap.

Also read: “Michael Jordan had more games with 45 points scored than games with less than 15 points!”: Bizarre stat reveals just how prolific a scorer the Bulls GOAT was