3 teams that passed on Michael Jordan during the 1984 NBA Draft

Modified at 19:13 GMT on October 1, 2023

Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. You’d think he’d definitely be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Not removed. All three teams have a chance to draft Jordan. Instead, he was selected by Chicago with the third overall pick in the 1984 draft.

Jordan was cut from his high school varsity team, then returned the following year and proved his coach wrong. He’s already proven the teams that passed on him in the NBA Draft wrong, too.

Jordan was an All-American at the University of North Carolina. In 1982, he led the Tar Heels to the national championship. However, he was passed by the first three teams in the 1984 draft. Let’s take a look at which teams might have the GOAT

Three teams that thumbed their noses at Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan was drafted third overall by the Chicago Bulls. He turned the Bulls into one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. He could have done that with three other teams. Here are the teams that missed Jordan.

Third place – Indiana Pacers

The Pacers had no draft picks during the 1984 draft. However, they have the No. 2 pick that Portland uses.

In the 1981-82 season, they traded the pick to the Portland Trail Blazers in the Tom Owens trade. Owens only played one season for the Pacers. He soon quit the league.

Second place – Portland Trail Blazers

Portland was often ridiculed for its lack of Jordan. They selected the team with the second overall pick in the 1984 draft. They selected big man Sam Bowie.

His career was far removed from Jordan’s. Very few people do this. Bowie averaged 10.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 blocks in his 10-year NBA career. Jordan averaged 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game in his rookie season. Bowie also played for the New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Lakers. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team but did not win a championship. He was a second-team All-American at Kentucky.

No. 1 – Houston Rockets

In the 1984 draft, the Rockets won the No. 1 pick. Now, most people no longer laugh at Houston for missing out on Jordan now that they have a Hall of Famer of their own.

The NBA at that time was a big men’s league, and the Rockets selected Hakeem Olajuwon with the No. 1 pick. He played at nearby University of Houston, that’s for sure. The 7-footer continues his storied NBA career. He led the Rockets to two NBA championships. These championships were won when Jordan first retired and played baseball while out of the league.

It would be interesting to see if Michael Jordan could still win six more championships if he ended up somewhere other than Chicago. He won’t have the same teammates or running mate in Scottie Pippen. Maybe Michael Jordan would win more.