Back in 1985, the Houston Rockets owned the #1 pick in that year’s draft and they were going to take the hometown hero, Hakeem Olajuwon, and as history showed, he worked out pretty well.
The Portland Trail
Blazers had the #2 pick and they called Indiana coach Bob Knight to ask him about Michael Jordan.
Knight told them to take Jordan but Portland felt they needed a big man and were leaning towards Kentucky’s oft-injured Sam Bowie.
Knight told them, well, take Jordan and call him a center. But they would be making a huge mistake if they took Bowie over Jordan.
Great if ignored advice. Frequently injured even in college, Bowie lasted 10 years but only played 544 games, averaging 10.9 points and 7.5 boards for his career.
Jordan, on the other hand…well, you probably already know. He came to be regarded as the greatest talent in the history of the game, winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls.
This clip is from his rookie year when he stunned a lot of people, including the Trail Blazers who had passed on him.
It didn’t take people long to realize he was an extraordinary talent as Jordan immediately showed the league he was on a different level.
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