It’s been nearly two decades since Michael Jordan hung his boots, but there is yet to be a player who could match his popularity and charisma. A once-in-a-lifetime attraction, His Airness captured the imagination of millions with his one-of-a-kind talent, skill set, and competitive zeal.
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Drafted as the 3rd pick in the 1984 draft, Jordan already knew the path that would catapult him to the top of the heap. At an inexperienced 21 years of age, the Bulls rookie feared no one, willing to challenge the best of the best despite having any backing.
At the time, the league had the likes of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird headlining, given the iconic Showtime Lakers and Celtics rivalry. Not to forget arch-rival Isiah Thomas, who had already achieved an All-Star status with the Bad Boy Pistons.
Nevertheless, a 21-year-old MJ had already calculated and pre-decided his path, which mainly entailed going after the leaders of each team.
Michael Jordan’s bold statement during 1984-85 rookie season.
Jordan’s assassin mentality is no secret, evident from his unmatched work ethic and competitiveness. The six-time champion left everything on the hardwood. Another facet of MJ’s game was his ability to talk trash, something his teammates and peers would second.
His Airness fed on talking smack to others, trying to throw his opponent off his game, something he could always afford to do, given his ability to back it up. Surprisingly, the Bulls legend embodied this characteristic from his rookie season, despite having ‘no status or voice.’
“From the first day in practice, my mentality was whoever is the team leader on that team, I’m going after him. And I’m not going to do it with my voice cause I had no voice. I had no status. I had to do it with the way I play”
~ Jordan’s 1984 Rookie Season#NBA #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/VjeZKmay7k— The Jordan Rules (@Rules23Jordan) December 16, 2022
Staying true to his words, the Bulls guard would begin filling up his trophy cabinet, first winning the ROTY award. Jordan averaged never before seen stats such as 28.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 5.9 APG, and 2.4 SPG, shooting an efficient 51.5% from the field.
“There is a new sheriff in town”: When Michael Jordan took the keys from Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Stories surrounding the 1992 Olympic Dream Team always hold recall value for hoop fans, one of them being the iconic scrimmage, which took place during one of the practices involving all-time greats like MJ, Magic, Bird, Barkley, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, to name a few.
However, the highlight remained Magic challenging MJ that his team would be blown out, something that the Lakers legend would regret later-on, given His Airness going nuclear from there on.
In an earlier report, we mentioned how Magic would regret having talked smack to MJ, leaving the Lakers veteran no option but to pass on the torch.
“It was amazing to see him come out and just dominate and I’m talking about dominating the best in the game,” said Magic.
“That’s when we know that the torch was being passed from myself and Larry onto Michael. But I’m gonna tell you the moment that really got us. So, we got back to the hotel, right. And so, the NBA had built a nice lounge for the players. And so, Michael’s up there and he’s smoking on his cigar. Larry and I just sitting there, having a Coke or whatever.”
The legendary point guard added,
“He (MJ) says, guys, and he put his hand on my shoulder, put his hand on Larry’s shoulder. And said, ‘Guys, there’s a new sheriff in town.’ And so we was like, ‘oh man, what can we say?’ We said, ‘You know what? You’re right, it’s your league now.”‘
If there was one player who could back up all his bold claims, it was Air Jordan.
