“You got your cocaine lines, your weed, and your women here and there”: Michael Jordan was given a rude awakening into the world of drugs as a Bulls rookie

Michael Jordan described what he saw in a hotel room during preseason in Peoria with regards to his Bulls vets doing a variety of drugs. 

Michael Jordan came into the NBA from a strict program under Dean Smith and Roy Williams from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. While he had enjoyed success on NCAA hardwood with guys like James Worthy and more, he did so with a proper regimen in place from his trainers. 

The case was much different upon being drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1984. The Bulls weren’t exactly the respected franchise that they are today who hold 6 championship banners. The Bulls of today are what Jordan, Pippen, and Phil Jackson built over an 8 year span but prior to that, they were labelled the ‘travelling cocaine circus’.

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Guys like Orlando Woolridge and Ennis Whatley were Jordan’s vets at the time and opened up the ‘scintillating’ world of drugs to the junior out of college. 

Michael Jordan was used to winning and doing things in order to win. Neither of these were happening when he joined the Bulls in 1984. 

Michael Jordan talked about his Bulls vets and what they were doing during time off. 

During the episode of the ‘Last Dance’ docuseries, around the 30 minute mark, Michael Jordan opened up about the various labels that were given to Chicago Bulls players at the time of his arrival.

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“Preseason, I think we were in Peoria. I was in the hotel. So, I’m trying to find my teammates. I started knocking on doors. I get to this one door, and I knock on the door, and I can hear someone says, ‘Shh, shh, shh, someone’s outside.’ And then you hear this deep voice say, ‘Who is it?’ I say, ‘It’s MJ.’ And then they all say, ‘Ah, f**k, he’s just a rookie. Don’t worry about it.’ So, they open up the door. I walk in, and practically the whole team was in there.” 

“It was like, things I’ve never seen in my life, you know, as a young kid. You got your lines over here. You got your weed smokers over here. You got your women over here.” 

“So, the first thing I said, ‘Look, man. I’m out.’ Because all I could think about is, if they come and raid this place right about now, I am just as guilty as everybody else that’s in this room. And from that point on, I was more or less on my own.” 

The NBA had quite the drug problem back in the 80s with teams like the Bulls and the Lakers being notorious for using them during both the offseason and between games at their hotels.