‘This boy is really good’: 39 years after Michael Jordan’s career debut that changed sports history

Everyone just needs to be trained to realize chicago They have a very special person on their hands.

““My assistant called me to congratulate me and I asked him why: ‘You didn’t make a mistake in the draft, this kid is really, really good,’ he told me.” then general manager Rod Thorn The director responsible for the election of Position No. 3 is series last dance After nine seasons of hardship and only two playoff appearances, what hope do they have? Of course, they thought he would be a very good, even different player who could help them change the bad reality in Chicago, but they never imagined that the team, the team’s reality, would have such a revolution, impact and change. NBA and world sports.

To be precise, today, It’s been 39 years since the game that changed basketball and the NBA Forever, that professional debut Michael Jordan. That night, he scored 16 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 steals, helping the team defeat the Washington Bullets (now the Wizards) 109-93, but most importantly, it was an attractive And the first step to awakening everyone’s passion.

That evening Jordan mania Everything is different. Of course, in sports, basketball, the NBA, teams and Chicago.

In 1984, the Bulls were the least popular team in town. The NFL’s Bears are the most attractive, MLB’s Cubs and White Sox hand out to baseball fans, and ice hockey’s Blackhawks have their own. Even the indoor soccer team Sting draws more spectators than the Toros.

The season before the arrival of No. 23 (83/84), the team lost 55 of 82 games and finished in 21st place (in 23 games), averaging just 3,100 men per game. On opening night, a San Diego chicken mascot was hired to welcome the Olympic champions, but Chicago Stadium was still packed. There were 13,913 people, but 19.7% of the tickets were still unsold, as the most expensive ticket was worth $11.50.

Everything will change with His Majesty’s arrival. The number of wins increased from 27 to 38, the team returned to the playoffs for the first time in four years, and capacity doubled to 6,000 per game, ranking 9th among 23 NBA teams. He leads the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Something newbies never achieve. He was selected as an All-Star starter, selected to the second All-NBA Five, was the season’s leading scorer, won the Rookie of the Year award, and in addition, he finished sixth in MVP voting: This will be the beginning of a myth…

The MJ Effect quickly began to attract attention and became a craze within a short period of time. By 1987/88, the Bulls were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and one of the most attended (second in the NBA with an average of 9,000 viewers). Jordan didn’t just propel his franchise. It created a new craze in the NBA, replacing the popularity left by Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. From his eye-catching commercials, MJ invites you to fly (come fly with me). And then he did it on the court, whether it was in games that were electrifying for his spectacular performances or in legendary victories in the unforgettable Dunk Championships he won in 1987 and 1988.

Michael is a complete human being. Powerful yet elegant at the same time. Speed ​​and rhythm. Efficiency and beauty. Power and magic. Devastating offense and outstanding defense (in 1988 he was the best defender and the tournament’s top scorer). So, with this combo, he began to move across the screen. He didn’t win a championship, but he was on the verge of it and had a historic performance, like Bird said when he scored 63 points at the Boston Garden. “God dressed up as Jordan“.

MJ stole the show and created drama. The Detroit Bad Boys have stopped him for years and run a special defense that involves playing tough and hitting. Until he surpassed them, defeated the Magic Lakers, and won the championship. Nothing less. His greed emerged. Two more rings were received just as the NBA was growing in popularity in the United States and eventually opening up to the world.After he retired, in order to find a new dream, he played in a football club Major League Baseball, In 1995, he returned for the first time and staged an even greater epic. They eliminated him and said he was different, that he prepared himself more. In 1996, he led another great team to regain the throne, and won the championship again in 1997 and 1998. He never lost the finals and dominated an era. Even when he returned in 2000 at the age of 38 after three years of inactivity, he still showed that he was special.

Jordan was more than just an outstanding player.He turned out to be a performer, a charismatic and beautiful player, but at the same time A killer with a steely mentality on the court. He showed passion and ferocity, but with an aura of romanticism… He conquered his triumphs, but also his game, his personality and his aesthetic. MJ is a comic book superhero, but in real life. He puts on the cape and never disappoints: he always or almost wins in the end, whether it’s an epic or a not-so-epic ending. An aura of invincibility stayed with him until the years came and his ego brought him back again, but with 38 Pirullo. All of this creates an irresistible combination for people, general audiences and brands alike. Everything he touched turned to gold. Over time, he became a company in his own right. When he retired, he became a super successful businessman, expanding his empire and making more money than before. What’s more, having your own brand (Nike) within an empire is now more profitable than its own products.

His image is as popular now as the No. 23 jersey he wore with the Bulls. His name has a recognition rate of 98%, which is further enhanced even today by the famous meme of his crying face (Crying Jordan). Today, he earns more than any active player, including LeBron James. That’s why it’s no surprise that he’s the most profitable athlete in history.

And it all started 39 years ago. The night the history of sports and its entire industry changed.