6’6 Michael Jordan was drafted behind Sam Bowie because he lied about the pain he felt

Michael Jordan was drafted 2 spots below what he should’ve been because Sam Bowie fibbed about how much pain he was in. 

Looking back at how their careers panned out, having a top 12 player all-time in Hakeem Olajuwon drafted before Michael Jordan is still something that irks NBA fans. That speaks to how great of a player MJ was as he’s widely considered to be the greatest player who ever stepped foot on NBA hardwood. 

At the time of the 1984 Draft however, it would’ve been ludicrous to Jordan ahead of a player who was not only a big-man but also the best college player in the US. Getting drafted behind Hakeem ‘The Dream’ should bear no embarrassment but getting drafted after Sam Bowie was quite the shocking selection. 

Again, at the time, the Portland Trailblazers made a ‘fit-based’ pick, not a ‘who’s the most talented player on the board’ pick. Sam Bowie was a 7-footer who fit the mold of a player who could perhaps replicate what Bill Walton had done for them 7 years ago. Besides, the Blazers had both Jim Paxson and a sophomore Clyde Drexler.

Also read: 6’6″ Michael Jordan and 7’1″ Shaquille O’Neal are the only two NBA players to have ever achieved this historic feat

Sam Bowie on the pain he felt before getting drafted ahead of Michael Jordan. 

Sam Bowie missed the entirety of his 1982 and 1983 seasons at Kentucky due to an extensive list of leg injuries. While he did show incredible promise during the two years prior, he had a slight decline in productivity in his senior season, having 7 point drop off from 17.4 ppg to 10.5 ppg. 

Despite this, the Blazers went ahead with their selection and drafted him second overall in the same draft that featured the likes of Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, and John Stockton. 

Bowie opened up about what he was going through during this draft process to Yahoo Sports many years back and said this about his draft process back in 1984. 

“I can still remember them taking a little mallet and when they would hit me on my left tibia and ‘I don’t feel anything,’ I would tell them. But, deep down inside, it was hurting. If what I did was lying and what I did was wrong, at the end of the day, when you have loved ones that have some needs; I did what any of us would have done.” 

Bowie would play 5 seasons for the Portland Trailblazers where in his 4th season saw him rehabbing a leg injury that saw him miss the entirety of that season. For his career, he averaged 10.9 points a game on 45.2% shooting from the field.

Also read: Michael Jordan protected his ‘future’ $150 million a year by using the US Flag at the Olympics