The 1984 NBA Draft is a cultural landmark. Jordan went third overall, behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie. Think about that: two teams passed on the greatest player ever. He used that slight like a personal vendetta. On his first day with the Bulls, he called out his veteran teammates for not working hard enough during a scrimmage. He was 21 years old and already shaking up the locker room.
Rookie year stats: 28.2 points per game. He was Rookie of the Year, and the league realized they had unleashed a monster. But even then, Jordan was humble enough to ask Magic Johnson for advice and fearless enough to challenge Larry Bird’s Celtics in the playoffs.
Cultural footnote: 1984 also gave us Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop, and the first Macintosh computer. Jordan was the human equivalent—sleek, fast, and about to revolutionize the game.
