The Portland coach actually called Bobby Knight before the draft and asked him his opinion. Bobby Knight told him MJ was the greatest player he had ever seen. The Portland coach said, "but we need a center", to which Bobby Knight responded, "then draft MJ and play him at center!"
As a Portland native, the most heartbreaking thing is watching the franchise make the same mistake twice. Ok so they take a big man with knee problems in Bowie to fill a position need over a clear future star like Jordan. i can understand one big mistake cursing a franchise if it happens once but u better learn from it. Then in 2007 the Blazers select another big man with knee problems in Greg Oden to fill a position need instead of an obvious star talent like Kevin Durant! Wtf?
Jordan wasn’t the number one pick because the 80’s were big man dominant. Teams believed they couldn’t win without a strong center, back then it was laughable at best to conceive that a team couldn’t compete LET ALONE WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP around a guard. The triangle offense and Jordan’s exceptional talent shattered that idea
@@seanogrady2629that’s a bad, bad decision. Even if you don’t need a centre, you are drafting a guy with huge market value. Portland should have drafted Jordan and then traded either Jordan or Clyde for a centre. They gave up on by far the better player and gambled hugely on a centre that had already been proven to be injury prone.
@@seanogrady2629 not in this case. This was a team taking a player known to be injury prone without a huge amount of upside over a guy that everyone in basketball had as their 1 or 1A pick.
If a team needs a center and you have literally the absolute uncontested best center available at the time and easily a top 5 of ANY era... I mean.. yah... the hakeem pick can definitely be respected rofl.
Hakeem could have been even better if he played in the early 2000s in his prime People forget he wasn’t just the best post player of all time, but he had a deep mid range and could even knock down open 3s
@PIP...33 nawl fella da only superteam Jordan played on was da 92 Dream Team fella lol. Nice try though. Go study up fella because when U REACH I TEACH lol
@@PIP...33lol, Bulls was built with MJ as it's backbone, no one expcts them to be a dynasty, players improved their game it was not getting stars like Lebron to win a chip, but lost most of the time😂😂😂
@@zinjgreen3398 FOR SURE WHY HE DIDNT WIN 1995 WITHOUT RODMAN ?? GOT REST 2 YEARS WHILE SHAQ FATIGUED. IF U CANT WIN 1 ONM 1 VS SHAQ U R NOT GREAT. PIPPEN CANCEL PENNY BUT JORDAN LOST TO SHAQ. THEN NEXT YEAR CRY FOR MORE HOF SUPERSTARS 75 MEMBER RODMAN. U CANT BE GREAT WHEN U FORM SUPERTEAM.
@MrJohnnyAOA in 1984 the NBA was looking for the next Kareem Wilt or Walton. These teams passed on MJ as they did not foresee a Shooting Guard dominating the league, which happened in the 90s after he developed his game in the Triangle. Magic had Kareem. Bird had Parish and McHale. Hakeem and Bowie were drafted before MJ because the league was big man dominant. MJ never had a dominant center on his teams, especially when they won 6 of 8years Finals. The NBA had never witnessed that dominance without a dominant big man. And since then, only the GS Warriors have come close. 99-2024. Shaq and the Lakers with Kobe of course. The later years with Kobe featured Bynum and Pau Gasol. Duncan/Robinson and the Spurs. LBJ has never dominated anything except the regular season. 😄 3 rings plus a bubble Finals. What a joke.
You can’t knock Houston for picking Olajuwon. They did win back to back titles. Yea, I know, MJ was playing baseball, but who knows how history turns out if Olajuwon ended up in Chicago and MJ in Houston. Now Sam Bowie. Yea, Portland probably wishes they could have a do over. MJ and the Glide in the same backcourt would have been fun.
Chicago had to build a team around Jordan before they began winning, and became a dynasty, but I still have no issues with The Dream (a 7 foot physically gifted freak of nature) going first. In '86 Houston stunned everyone against L.A. to make it to the finals. Unfortunately, the Celtics that year were one of the top teams to ever play, with 5 players in their lineup who were future Hall of Famers, and they had the numbers in quality big men to rotate fresh players to negate the Twin Towers. Even though Jordan scored at will in their series with Boston, the Celtics still swept them with a much better team. Having said that, The Dream was the only player I would have picked over Jordan in the draft.
Even if you didn’t need another guard, just think how many points per game Portland would have scored with Jordan and Drexler on the same team. Bowie even without the injuries was a bit of a reach at the #2 pick. I guess he was the 2nd center that year but it was a big difference between him and Hakeem.
Bowie had a 10 year career even with two legs that never fully healed. Imagine if he never had been injured. I think he would have been hall-of-fame. His College highlights are insane.
Other players in the '84 draft-4.Sam Perkins who played in the Finals with the Lakers. 10.Leon Wood a guard who went on to be a long time NBA referee.14.Michael Cage an all time great rebounder. 46.Jerome Kersey selected by Portland. One of the toughest players in history Who matched up well in the Finals against the Pistons and Bulls. All time draft steal. 70. Rick Carlisle who went on to be a long time NBA coach.
If portland had drafted jordan, i wonder if mj wouldve won his first ring in the 80s. Clyde & Jordan wouldve been a cool pairing -- playing against mj & mj helping clyde to improve, mightve been special
If I was making the decision for the Rockets, I would still pick Hakeem. They didn't need a guard as bad as they needed a consistent center and Ralph Sampson couldn't stay consistently healthy. If they took Jordan they wouldn't have had a consistent center and wouldn't have made it to that 86 final, definitely still would have won a ring or 2. With Jordan in the Rockets and Hakeem at the Bulls or Portland, neither would become the Jordan and Hakeem we know and love today. The Bulls were the perfect team for Jordan, and the Rockets were the perfect team for Hakeem (but Portland might have been even better tbh).
There was supposedly a trade in place between the Blazers and the Rockets. The trade would've involved Houston giving up Ralph Sampson (who they drafted the year before at #1) in return for Clyde Drexler, Jim Paxon, and the #2 pick. Had that trade been accepted, Houston could've had taken MJ and that would've changed NBA history for sure and made them a basketball powerhouse. But, the Rockets said no and that's what led Sam Bowie to be taken ahead of MJ.
Among the reasons to take this story with a grain of salt: if you intended to draft Jordan, why are you also acquiring not one but two shooting guards (including an All-NBA selection) in the deal?
@@54raynor Perhaps they figured MJ would be a great point guard with Jim Paxon coming off the bench. Now that seems silly and that’s not to say it would’ve worked, but the thing was while people expected MJ to have a great career, no one expected him to take off and arguably the greatest NBA career ever. It’s alright to look back in hindsight because it’s one of those big what ifs that will never be answered. There was an NBA segment that talked about this. You’re right that having two shooting guards as similar as those two were might’ve been a problem. But it’s one of those scenarios that make you wonder how history would’ve changed. Either the Rockets would’ve been the next great dynasty and not the Bulls or they would’ve collapsed and the careers of MJ, Hakeem, and Clyde would never have been what they were.
At the time of the 84 drwfy, Hakeem in alot of people's minds was the clear #1 and Houstons thought of putting him with Sampson was honestly too good to pass up. It's like when San Antonio drafted Duncan even though they had Robinson. Portland having the second pick didn't have a need for a sg since they had all star and H.O.F. Drexler. The only legitimate and place that made sense at the time was Chicago at #3.
Clyde Drexler was a great guard, I grew up watching him play. Portland unfortunately has had bad luck with big men for a long time, but I totally understand why they didn't take Jordan. Portland was not a bad team either, they made it to the playoffs every year from 83 to 2003, going to the finals twice in that huge stretch. Often the only thing holding them back was a lack of a proper inside presence.
@@armedjoy3045 Definitely not the dream showed Patrick and David up, All I said was Houston and Portland were shopping the big guys, If they wanted a guard Jordan may have been there call!
@@Ryan-wx1bi Houston was a good team on yearly basis so i dont doubt Jordan will win bring them chips. If they won 2 chips with Olujawon then they should be able to win more with Jordan who is better than Olujawon.
I'm glad 🐐 Michael Jordan was Number 3 pick in the NBA Draft in 1984 because he came to Chicago and WON US 6 NBA Championship Thank you 🐐 Michael Jordan
Even in hindsight i would not have changed the Houston pick. They won two championships. Changing that pick there is no way to know if it would of been more or less.
The NBA is essentially a positionless version of basketball today. People are said to be point guard, center, etc., but they don't remain within the confines of those roles like they did for the league's first 60 years or so. Neither Portland nor Houston felt they needed an off-guard as much as they needed other positions filled. Portland was still trying to recapture the success they had with Bill Walton, so they were looking for a center. They already had a promising young shooting guard in Clyde Drexler and didn't feel the need for another one. That said, Drexler could have played small forward without a problem and did so many times in his career for parts of games, but no one knew that would work when draft day '84 came up.
The Bulls are the only team that hit the jackpot in the 1984 NBA draft. No disrespect to Hakeen and the other good players. I get chills when I hear "The Chicago Bulls select Michael Jordan." No one knew it at the time the #3 pick was going to shake up the league in ways it had not been shook before. I'm talking about earth shattering consequences that made the Chicago Bulls the team to watch for 12 years. It was bigger than Magic Johnson coming to LA and Larry Bird coming to Boston. Michael Jordan was God in human form. He changed the game and single handedly ushered in the highflying and exciting 1990s jam era which is no doubt the best decade of NBA basketball. The league had to adapt to Michael Jordan. He made every player improve their game in order to keep up with him. MJ had no equal during his career. In fact, the NBA in the 1990s was Michael Jordan followed by everyone else who were simply existing on their teams limited to their mere mortal skills. Magic and Bird saved the NBA and gave fans a good show in the 1980s however the impact MJ had on the league is still being felt to this day. No one talks about who is going to be next Magic or the next Bird because Michael Jordan set the standard for which greatness in the NBA will be measured for years to come. Those who strive to be his successor will always be playing in his shadow.
Actually, you might have been somewhat right some time ago but next larry bird is what people have talked about the last few season with the nuggest and their star.
People forget that Michael Jordan's North Carolina sophomore and junior teams did not live up to expectations despite being filled with future NBA players. Jordan did not dominate college as a freshman. James Worthy was the star of the North Carolina championship team.
During those hard era in basketball, teams are always looking for a big man and of course talented as well, because basketball then was more on physicality, post up and inside plays.... Jordans talent wasn't that much recognized due to 6'6" height and that height seem not to dominate the league but they got wrong just like the adidas of not trusting him so NIKE became famous worldwide the same with the NBA, Jordan made the NBA so much fame globally.
The simple answer is that teams chose by position. The Rockets needed a dominate Center to build their franchise around and went with Hakeem. The Trail Blazers already had a shooting guard in Clyde Drexler and they could use a center down low so they went with San Bowie. It didn't make sense to draft another shooting guard. The Bulls needed a pure Scorer because that team was a dumpster fire of an organization and Jordan made the most sense even though some people wanted them to go with a center as well
@@userjlj In the 80s. It was all about the center. Yes they drafted Ralph Sampson in 83 but he was a little too skinny and they thought Hakeem could help reduce the load in the backcourt. It was never seen as a bad move to stock up on big centers especially with how good Hakeem was coming out of college. He was seen as a can't go wrong pick. They played both having one of the most dominate duos that reached the finals in 86 but we're beat by the Celtics.
Because in that era it was believed that you couldn’t win with a high scoring guard it was a known fact that teams believed you had to have a dominant big man or you couldn’t win. And they talked about that for years saying MJ would never win with his style of play. But like so many he proved them wrong.
Without watching this, there were 2 reasons. Back then, highly skilled bigs were far more prized then guards. Secondly, because the 84 Olympics happened after the draft instead of before. Houston would have undeniably picked MJ 1st after seeing him perform vs the NBA All-Stars in a full sweep, and then lead his squad to a gold medal, putting on an absolute clinic, leading the Olympics in scoring.
Simple: Hakeem was in that draft. It's a shame about Ralph Sampson's injuries cause I think they would've nabbed 1-2 more rings with him and MJ would've had a legitimate rival.
Here’s the craziest thing. Before the draft, the Blazers offered the Rockets the 2nd overall pick AND Clyde Drexler for Ralph Sampson. If the Rockets agreed to that trade, they could have drafted both Hakeem and Jordan. Then, they would have had the two best players in the 90s AND Clyde Drexler, another All-NBA player. Talk about a super team. I want to live in that universe.
The Bulls didn't even want Jordan at the time; they cursed that Bowie got picked before him. Chicago's GM and head coach at the time both said: We can't build a champion around this guy because he's not seven feet tall. (Amazingly, though, they rejected the Dallas Mavericks' offer to swap picks because Dallas DID really want Jordan and had to settle for Sam Perkins with the 4th pick)
I have him Top 10 All Time. By far, my favorite player ever. Aside for Kareem, the best Center ever. That's why even if Houston didn't draft MJ, they're still pretty happy with Hakeem. I wouldn't say the GOAT, but Top 10 All Time at least
don't think so. Jordan, James, Magic, and Kareem are in a tier of their own. Hakeem is with Shaq, Bird, Kobe, and Duncan, and I think he's towards the bottom of those. (throw Wilt and Russel in there if you tryna compare the dinosaur age which is tough). Mad respect for Hakeem though.
Lefraud doesn't belong in the conversation. Just his finals record alone disqualifies him from the conversation. Hakeem's in the top 10, but Kareem and Shaq have the edge on him.
@@champFichtnerBourne FOR SURE DERANGED EXCEPT PRINE MVP JABBAR GOT DEMOLISHED BY OLD INJURED WILT, TELL ME MORE BOUT WAGON KA5REEM. SHALL I CALL JACK SIKMA TO TAKE HIS RING AGAIN ?? IMAGINE LOSING RINGS TO JACK SIKMA NOT EVEN HOF OR 6'7 WES UNSELD SMALLEST CENTER EVER. JABBAR AND JORDAN ARE NOBODIES.
Because the 80s were built around drafting centers, Sampson 83, olajuwon 84, Ewing 85, daughtery 86, Robinson 87, Ellison 89, olajuwon was the best big man and just won the ncaa title
Portland needed a good center at the time. Nobody new Michael Jordan was gonna be as great as he was playing for Dean Smith, I mean I didn't. The world realized how great a player Michael Jordan was during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles he was letting it all hang out! I really didn't know he was so great until then. Sometimes teams get it wrong (first pick)!!!💯
You can argue that the Rockets made the wrong pick, but they did not make a bad pick. And honestly, I think drafting a sure-thing big man who goes on to become an inner-circle HOFer and best player in franchise history and who also happened to play college ball in the same city was still the right pick.
Back 40 years ago you always took the best big man. Hakeem (back then Akeem) was the consensus #1 overall. A talented 7 footer with high offensive and defensive talent. Sam Bowie was pretty good as well, but as we know injuries derailed his career. Jordan was obviously talented coming out of college, but no one (except for Jordan himself) expected him to become the best that has ever played. If the Bulls had the second pick they may have taken Bowie too. In today’s game with spread offenses and 3 point shooting, having a big guy in the middle to protect the paint isn’t nearly as important.
You never hear MJ say he took the Rockets not drafting him No. 1 personally like he did with Portland. This should be enough to let people know how great Dream was.
It’s funny bc after MJ became MJ they questioned the GMs around the league who they would draft first now and the overwhelming majority still said Hakeem.
Nobidy ever questions Houston taking Hakeem but the Bowie pick was a mess because Bowie had missed 1 or 2 seasons at UK due to a foot injury so Port messed that up but they got Clyde Drexler so it worked out though they never won a title.
You take a sure thing dominate big man over a sure thing dominate guard/wing even today. Hakeem was the right pick. You DONT take the big man who was a 5th year senior who averaged 10/9/2blk and had missed two full years before that.
People always looking back on the history to have a better view and more entertain by using the technology which is the internet. Most people nowadays dont have much passion with what their doing if its sports music etc. Mike tyson michael jordan these are from 1990s and yet your viewers are gen z or whatelse gen news!
Size They always Draft Skilled Big Men ,Go look @ all Drafts and See which Year a Guard Or Forward Was Picked Over ,a Center and they take Size But if No Skill or Some
#1 ...... hakeem (c) #2 ...... Bowie (F/C) Back then you take a big if you need them.... Houston Needed a possible replacement for MOSES and PROTLAND had Drexler already and needed a BIG....
You cannot fault the Rockets for taking Hakeem. Portland’s decision to pick Bowie was about as dumb as it gets. Yes, they already had a great young shooting guard in Clyde Drexler but so what??? You draft the best player available and then if you can’t use him, you trade him for an established player that you do need - and the market for Jordan even before he stepped onto his first NBA court would have been huge.
Rockets needed a center; Olajuwon was perfect. Portland already had a great SG (Drexler) and needed a big man. That’s why. It always depend on what you need but I’m sure Portland would’ve traded Drexler and gotten MJ if they knew.
Simple... Is being said numerous times, the NBA was obsessed with big men as the go to in draft cause they thought you cannot build around small players. Jordan changed all that.
The real reason is mj wasn't that good even in the college while Lebron is already great in the highschool and called the greatest prospect of all time in nba history.
Who cares honestly why Goat didn't go number 1 it doesn't matter what number you drafted honestly because you still gotta make your own name and all about a player if they want to be great big facts and in the 80's shyt just making it to the NBA was a blessing. Look at all the top 10 draft NBA Players through 80's through 24 and see why the new Era from 2010 to 24 where all the number 1 draft players. Lol basketball not base on your draft spot 😢
Olajuwon actually made to NBA finals before Jordan can even sniff at it, Rockets actually took down one of the juggernaut in Lakers before fell to Celtics in 6 games. It was unfortunate that Ralph Sampson has an injury plague career and then Patterson(s) were bad at GM with Charlie Thomas being cheap which almost made Hakeem to leave. Only if Rockets have another superstar next to Olajuwon or Sampson can stay healthy then the NBA history would look so much different.
The one dude who won rings while Jordan was dominating is the guy that went #1 not hard to understand actually now the #2 pick that’s a whole different story
I mean Chicago without Mike hmm... Would it be the same as the great great Grant Hill who was drafted to the wrong team. Do not get me wrong i like Detroit but ya know what i mean
The Portland coach actually called Bobby Knight before the draft and asked him his opinion. Bobby Knight told him MJ was the greatest player he had ever seen. The Portland coach said, "but we need a center", to which Bobby Knight responded, "then draft MJ and play him at center!"
They would be the ones who drafted Sam Bowie.
As a Portland native, the most heartbreaking thing is watching the franchise make the same mistake twice. Ok so they take a big man with knee problems in Bowie to fill a position need over a clear future star like Jordan. i can understand one big mistake cursing a franchise if it happens once but u better learn from it. Then in 2007 the Blazers select another big man with knee problems in Greg Oden to fill a position need instead of an obvious star talent like Kevin Durant! Wtf?
Jordan wasn’t the number one pick because the 80’s were big man dominant. Teams believed they couldn’t win without a strong center, back then it was laughable at best to conceive that a team couldn’t compete LET ALONE WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP around a guard. The triangle offense and Jordan’s exceptional talent shattered that idea
Well that Portland coach is either crazy story maker and delusional or he's just blind that's it come on now.
@@tonyjones7675rite people believe anything matter Jordan didn't dominate college
Only one team overlooked MJ and that was Portland. The Dream was a valid first choice
If you already had Clyde Drexler, which at the time was a similar player to Jordan, I probably would have gone with Sam Bowie too.
@@seanogrady2629 nah. Some coaches at that time even said they can play them 1-2-3 for MJ and Glide.
@@seanogrady2629that’s a bad, bad decision. Even if you don’t need a centre, you are drafting a guy with huge market value. Portland should have drafted Jordan and then traded either Jordan or Clyde for a centre. They gave up on by far the better player and gambled hugely on a centre that had already been proven to be injury prone.
@@rickbateman2401 hindsight is 20/20
@@seanogrady2629 not in this case. This was a team taking a player known to be injury prone without a huge amount of upside over a guy that everyone in basketball had as their 1 or 1A pick.
Because the 80s and 90s were about having a dominant Center. Hakeem Olajuwon did not disappoint either.
If a team needs a center and you have literally the absolute uncontested best center available at the time and easily a top 5 of ANY era... I mean.. yah... the hakeem pick can definitely be respected rofl.
Hakeem could have been even better if he played in the early 2000s in his prime
People forget he wasn’t just the best post player of all time, but he had a deep mid range and could even knock down open 3s
It was all about having a dominant center at that time.. and they didn’t think a shooting guard could carry a team
And they also already had Clyde drexler who was seen as one the best young guards in the league
That's BS....Sam Bowie was never dominant and was already injured prone.....
He got better as time went on. He worked on his game and pretty much perfected it
NOPE U MEAN BULLS BECAME SUPERTEAM HE NEVER GOT BETTER HE IS JUST 1 STATY PADDER ALWAYS WAS ALWAYS BEEN.
@PIP...33 nawl fella da only superteam Jordan played on was da 92 Dream Team fella lol.
Nice try though. Go study up fella because when U REACH I TEACH lol
@@PIP...33lol, Bulls was built with MJ as it's backbone, no one expcts them to be a dynasty, players improved their game it was not getting stars like Lebron to win a chip, but lost most of the time😂😂😂
@@g24deez for sure deranged : BULLS 1997 HAD 5 HOF, KNICKS 97 HAD 1 EWING. U JUST PROVED JORDAN IS NOBODY.
@@zinjgreen3398 FOR SURE WHY HE DIDNT WIN 1995 WITHOUT RODMAN ?? GOT REST 2 YEARS WHILE SHAQ FATIGUED. IF U CANT WIN 1 ONM 1 VS SHAQ U R NOT GREAT. PIPPEN CANCEL PENNY BUT JORDAN LOST TO SHAQ. THEN NEXT YEAR CRY FOR MORE HOF SUPERSTARS 75 MEMBER RODMAN. U CANT BE GREAT WHEN U FORM SUPERTEAM.
Taking Hakeem over MJ made sense. But Sam Bowie is crazy
Back in the day the BIG MAN was still preferred to be taken at the top of the Draft
was still the case in the shaq kobe threepeat era too
Still the case in this era, Ayton over Luka@@nomercyinc6783
well right now,some of the bigs turned out to be bust,and guards are now selected
Jordan started the transition to guards and small forwards controlling games at the time of his draft it was all about the big man.
team's were trying to draft big men back then
@@ricardolozano5356 No shit; did you even read his comment?
The 80s is dominated by Bird, Magic, (Isiah?). Don't know what you talking about when the best players where guards and wings
Jerry West and Larry Bird say otherwise
@MrJohnnyAOA in 1984 the NBA was looking for the next Kareem Wilt or Walton. These teams passed on MJ as they did not foresee a Shooting Guard dominating the league, which happened in the 90s after he developed his game in the Triangle. Magic had Kareem. Bird had Parish and McHale. Hakeem and Bowie were drafted before MJ because the league was big man dominant. MJ never had a dominant center on his teams, especially when they won 6 of 8years Finals. The NBA had never witnessed that dominance without a dominant big man. And since then, only the GS Warriors have come close. 99-2024. Shaq and the Lakers with Kobe of course. The later years with Kobe featured Bynum and Pau Gasol. Duncan/Robinson and the Spurs. LBJ has never dominated anything except the regular season. 😄 3 rings plus a bubble Finals. What a joke.
You can’t knock Houston for picking Olajuwon.
They did win back to back titles. Yea, I know, MJ was playing baseball, but who knows how history turns out if Olajuwon ended up in Chicago and MJ in Houston.
Now Sam Bowie. Yea, Portland probably wishes they could have a do over.
MJ and the Glide in the same backcourt would have been fun.
The would've beaten chicago...bulls had a losing record against the rocket at the time due to olajuwon
Real ones know about #131 pick Oscar Schmidt - dude was way before his time!
Jordan have changed the game...its bc of him why now SGs are more respected during draft
Olajuwon had a great career, and Portland already had Drexler. Bowie was too injured unfortunately.
Olajuwon is literally the best center that existed at the time he played the game. That team needed a center.. they made a good choice on olajuwon!
Named the last Blazers center that wasn't an injury prone. It's Portland curse.
I completely agree with everything you say Duckworth was pretty tough @@taskdon769
Now I know why I didn’t make the NBA as a 5’7” stud coming of age as a peer of these great players
Mystery solved! LOL
The world needs more people like you. Thank you for your kind words!
Chicago had to build a team around Jordan before they began winning, and became a dynasty, but I still have no issues with The Dream (a 7 foot physically gifted freak of nature) going first. In '86 Houston stunned everyone against L.A. to make it to the finals. Unfortunately, the Celtics that year were one of the top teams to ever play, with 5 players in their lineup who were future Hall of Famers, and they had the numbers in quality big men to rotate fresh players to negate the Twin Towers. Even though Jordan scored at will in their series with Boston, the Celtics still swept them with a much better team. Having said that, The Dream was the only player I would have picked over Jordan in the draft.
#Mike it was “personal” with me too!
I personally watched you from NC to the Wizards and it was a glorious ride!
✨#TheGOAT✨
His development was the greatest. He made himself the best.
04:53 Sam Bowie had a face like a generic character in 2K Career mode
The Dream to Houston was a no brainer. I am happy he finally won a championship there.
Even if you didn’t need another guard, just think how many points per game Portland would have scored with Jordan and Drexler on the same team. Bowie even without the injuries was a bit of a reach at the #2 pick. I guess he was the 2nd center that year but it was a big difference between him and Hakeem.
Bowie had a 10 year career even with two legs that never fully healed. Imagine if he never had been injured. I think he would have been hall-of-fame. His College highlights are insane.
Dang. Felt bad about bowie now. A career never realized due to injuries and then ridiculed for being drafted before mj.
Not as bad as Darko
He was #1 hs player in 79. That would put him ahead of a couple “50 greatest at 50” stars
your left tibia breaks twice and right tibia once. That's gotta be the worst luck ever
@ClearinghouseLogin he was in poor health when he was drafted. It's not bad luck, it was basically inevitable.
didnt it turn out he an un diagnosed bone disorder so he was prone to leg fractures
MJ shows not really that important get drafted at 1 but the will to win must always at number 1
Other players in the '84 draft-4.Sam Perkins who played in the Finals with the Lakers. 10.Leon Wood a guard who went on to be a long time NBA referee.14.Michael Cage an all time great rebounder. 46.Jerome Kersey selected by Portland. One of the toughest players in history Who matched up well in the Finals against the Pistons and Bulls. All time draft steal. 70. Rick Carlisle who went on to be a long time NBA coach.
that draft was stacked wow
If portland had drafted jordan, i wonder if mj wouldve won his first ring in the 80s. Clyde & Jordan wouldve been a cool pairing -- playing against mj & mj helping clyde to improve, mightve been special
If I was making the decision for the Rockets, I would still pick Hakeem. They didn't need a guard as bad as they needed a consistent center and Ralph Sampson couldn't stay consistently healthy. If they took Jordan they wouldn't have had a consistent center and wouldn't have made it to that 86 final, definitely still would have won a ring or 2. With Jordan in the Rockets and Hakeem at the Bulls or Portland, neither would become the Jordan and Hakeem we know and love today. The Bulls were the perfect team for Jordan, and the Rockets were the perfect team for Hakeem (but Portland might have been even better tbh).
There was supposedly a trade in place between the Blazers and the Rockets. The trade would've involved Houston giving up Ralph Sampson (who they drafted the year before at #1) in return for Clyde Drexler, Jim Paxon, and the #2 pick. Had that trade been accepted, Houston could've had taken MJ and that would've changed NBA history for sure and made them a basketball powerhouse. But, the Rockets said no and that's what led Sam Bowie to be taken ahead of MJ.
I always make this trade in 2K. Akeem and MJ together is absolutely disgusting
Among the reasons to take this story with a grain of salt: if you intended to draft Jordan, why are you also acquiring not one but two shooting guards (including an All-NBA selection) in the deal?
@@54raynor Perhaps they figured MJ would be a great point guard with Jim Paxon coming off the bench. Now that seems silly and that’s not to say it would’ve worked, but the thing was while people expected MJ to have a great career, no one expected him to take off and arguably the greatest NBA career ever. It’s alright to look back in hindsight because it’s one of those big what ifs that will never be answered. There was an NBA segment that talked about this. You’re right that having two shooting guards as similar as those two were might’ve been a problem. But it’s one of those scenarios that make you wonder how history would’ve changed. Either the Rockets would’ve been the next great dynasty and not the Bulls or they would’ve collapsed and the careers of MJ, Hakeem, and Clyde would never have been what they were.
Back then the philosophy of many people was that you could not win without a strong center. Most teams would pick the best centers available first.
Realistically, huston deserves 0 blame for selecting hakeem. It was a natural choice and worked perfectly.
Ly-goss?, Houston University?, beating Chicago in the NBA finals?, Sam Boh-wie? 🤔
Oscar issue with NBA wasn't money at all. He just wants to play for the brazilian national team, and the league couldn't guarantee this for him.
At the time of the 84 drwfy, Hakeem in alot of people's minds was the clear #1 and Houstons thought of putting him with Sampson was honestly too good to pass up. It's like when San Antonio drafted Duncan even though they had Robinson. Portland having the second pick didn't have a need for a sg since they had all star and H.O.F. Drexler. The only legitimate and place that made sense at the time was Chicago at #3.
Clyde Drexler was a great guard, I grew up watching him play. Portland unfortunately has had bad luck with big men for a long time, but I totally understand why they didn't take Jordan. Portland was not a bad team either, they made it to the playoffs every year from 83 to 2003, going to the finals twice in that huge stretch. Often the only thing holding them back was a lack of a proper inside presence.
8:48 Barkley led the dream team in scoring
Portland still have nightmares from this draft.
Simple. Because he wasn’t 7ft
Exactly Houston and Portland were looking at the Centre/Forward options!
It wasn't a random 7 footer. No one can say Hakeem was a bust or mistake
@@armedjoy3045 Definitely not the dream showed Patrick and David up, All I said was Houston and Portland were shopping the big guys, If they wanted a guard Jordan may have been there call!
The real goat
I would still take Hakeem at 1. He impacted the game on defense like no other.
Still? As in knowing what both would do? Sure buddy
@@markula_4040 IKR? 2 rings are better than 6 LMAO
@@markula_4040There is a chance Jordan doesn't do what he did without being on the Bulls with all those other great players.
@@Ryan-wx1bi Houston was a good team on yearly basis so i dont doubt Jordan will win bring them chips. If they won 2 chips with Olujawon then they should be able to win more with Jordan who is better than Olujawon.
@@emersonssbbthat’s on hindsight . We dunno mj will become who he gone on to be
3:00 damn, my boy hakeem was a "PowerDirector".
To answer the title, because hindsight is 20/20. Many drafts have gone through this ...shoo look at the 2017 NBA draft!
I'm glad 🐐 Michael Jordan was Number 3 pick in the NBA Draft in 1984 because he came to Chicago and WON US 6 NBA Championship Thank you 🐐 Michael Jordan
back then teams were trying to draft center's to build around
Even in hindsight i would not have changed the Houston pick. They won two championships. Changing that pick there is no way to know if it would of been more or less.
And for being not drafted number one He took it personal throughout his entire career .
The NBA is essentially a positionless version of basketball today. People are said to be point guard, center, etc., but they don't remain within the confines of those roles like they did for the league's first 60 years or so. Neither Portland nor Houston felt they needed an off-guard as much as they needed other positions filled. Portland was still trying to recapture the success they had with Bill Walton, so they were looking for a center. They already had a promising young shooting guard in Clyde Drexler and didn't feel the need for another one. That said, Drexler could have played small forward without a problem and did so many times in his career for parts of games, but no one knew that would work when draft day '84 came up.
The Bulls are the only team that hit the jackpot in the 1984 NBA draft. No disrespect to Hakeen and the other good players. I get chills when I hear "The Chicago Bulls select Michael Jordan." No one knew it at the time the #3 pick was going to shake up the league in ways it had not been shook before. I'm talking about earth shattering consequences that made the Chicago Bulls the team to watch for 12 years. It was bigger than Magic Johnson coming to LA and Larry Bird coming to Boston. Michael Jordan was God in human form. He changed the game and single handedly ushered in the highflying and exciting 1990s jam era which is no doubt the best decade of NBA basketball. The league had to adapt to Michael Jordan. He made every player improve their game in order to keep up with him. MJ had no equal during his career. In fact, the NBA in the 1990s was Michael Jordan followed by everyone else who were simply existing on their teams limited to their mere mortal skills.
Magic and Bird saved the NBA and gave fans a good show in the 1980s however the impact MJ had on the league is still being felt to this day. No one talks about who is going to be next Magic or the next Bird because Michael Jordan set the standard for which greatness in the NBA will be measured for years to come. Those who strive to be his successor will always be playing in his shadow.
Actually, you might have been somewhat right some time ago but next larry bird is what people have talked about the last few season with the nuggest and their star.
@@Folsomdsf2MJ is worth billions of dollars who cares get a life
People forget that Michael Jordan's North Carolina sophomore and junior teams did not live up to expectations despite being filled with future NBA players. Jordan did not dominate college as a freshman. James Worthy was the star of the North Carolina championship team.
The shot could of been so much better but the commentator just said “Jordan puts a shot up in the air good the games over”
So he can take that personally 😂😂!
Chuck greatest to never win a chip!! And has the greatest attitude about it!!
During those hard era in basketball, teams are always looking for a big man and of course talented as well, because basketball then was more on physicality, post up and inside plays.... Jordans talent wasn't that much recognized due to 6'6" height and that height seem not to dominate the league but they got wrong just like the adidas of not trusting him so NIKE became famous worldwide the same with the NBA, Jordan made the NBA so much fame globally.
Stockton had almost 16,000 assists and he came off the bench for 3 years? Holy hell 😅
The simple answer is that teams chose by position. The Rockets needed a dominate Center to build their franchise around and went with Hakeem. The Trail Blazers already had a shooting guard in Clyde Drexler and they could use a center down low so they went with San Bowie. It didn't make sense to draft another shooting guard. The Bulls needed a pure Scorer because that team was a dumpster fire of an organization and Jordan made the most sense even though some people wanted them to go with a center as well
they already have 7'5" sampson, what do they need a 7' hakeem olajuwon for?
@@userjlj In the 80s. It was all about the center. Yes they drafted Ralph Sampson in 83 but he was a little too skinny and they thought Hakeem could help reduce the load in the backcourt. It was never seen as a bad move to stock up on big centers especially with how good Hakeem was coming out of college. He was seen as a can't go wrong pick. They played both having one of the most dominate duos that reached the finals in 86 but we're beat by the Celtics.
Because in that era it was believed that you couldn’t win with a high scoring guard it was a known fact that teams believed you had to have a dominant big man or you couldn’t win. And they talked about that for years saying MJ would never win with his style of play. But like so many he proved them wrong.
And Sam Bowie was a bust like so many number one picks have been in all sport
Flu = hungover from gambling all night 😂
Sam Perkins at 4 had a nice career
Things like this happens all the time, employers missed out the suitable employees, you missed out the best person as wife/husband etc.
Without watching this, there were 2 reasons. Back then, highly skilled bigs were far more prized then guards.
Secondly, because the 84 Olympics happened after the draft instead of before. Houston would have undeniably picked MJ 1st after seeing him perform vs the NBA All-Stars in a full sweep, and then lead his squad to a gold medal, putting on an absolute clinic, leading the Olympics in scoring.
Bowie neglected his milk when he was growin up 😅
Simple: Hakeem was in that draft.
It's a shame about Ralph Sampson's injuries cause I think they would've nabbed 1-2 more rings with him and MJ would've had a legitimate rival.
The rockets are ok with there pick he was that good only other team to win a championship in the 1990s other than the bulls
Here’s the craziest thing. Before the draft, the Blazers offered the Rockets the 2nd overall pick AND Clyde Drexler for Ralph Sampson. If the Rockets agreed to that trade, they could have drafted both Hakeem and Jordan. Then, they would have had the two best players in the 90s AND Clyde Drexler, another All-NBA player. Talk about a super team. I want to live in that universe.
The Bulls didn't even want Jordan at the time; they cursed that Bowie got picked before him. Chicago's GM and head coach at the time both said: We can't build a champion around this guy because he's not seven feet tall. (Amazingly, though, they rejected the Dallas Mavericks' offer to swap picks because Dallas DID really want Jordan and had to settle for Sam Perkins with the 4th pick)
Dallas could have picked Charles Barkley, but instead of Barkley or Jordan, they ended up with Perkins. Ouch!
To be fair, Hakeem deserves to be in the goat debate
I have him Top 10 All Time. By far, my favorite player ever. Aside for Kareem, the best Center ever. That's why even if Houston didn't draft MJ, they're still pretty happy with Hakeem. I wouldn't say the GOAT, but Top 10 All Time at least
don't think so. Jordan, James, Magic, and Kareem are in a tier of their own. Hakeem is with Shaq, Bird, Kobe, and Duncan, and I think he's towards the bottom of those. (throw Wilt and Russel in there if you tryna compare the dinosaur age which is tough). Mad respect for Hakeem though.
@@karuscuvic He does have a case to be up there. So do do the others.
Lefraud doesn't belong in the conversation. Just his finals record alone disqualifies him from the conversation. Hakeem's in the top 10, but Kareem and Shaq have the edge on him.
@@champFichtnerBourne FOR SURE DERANGED EXCEPT PRINE MVP JABBAR GOT DEMOLISHED BY OLD INJURED WILT, TELL ME MORE BOUT WAGON KA5REEM. SHALL I CALL JACK SIKMA TO TAKE HIS RING AGAIN ?? IMAGINE LOSING RINGS TO JACK SIKMA NOT EVEN HOF OR 6'7 WES UNSELD SMALLEST CENTER EVER. JABBAR AND JORDAN ARE NOBODIES.
Because the 80s were built around drafting centers, Sampson 83, olajuwon 84, Ewing 85, daughtery 86, Robinson 87, Ellison 89, olajuwon was the best big man and just won the ncaa title
Portland needed a good center at the time. Nobody new Michael Jordan was gonna be as great as he was playing for Dean Smith, I mean I didn't. The world realized how great a player Michael Jordan was during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles he was letting it all hang out! I really didn't know he was so great until then. Sometimes teams get it wrong
(first pick)!!!💯
Bowie missed 2 seasons in college.....it was a dumb pick
You can argue that the Rockets made the wrong pick, but they did not make a bad pick.
And honestly, I think drafting a sure-thing big man who goes on to become an inner-circle HOFer and best player in franchise history and who also happened to play college ball in the same city was still the right pick.
Back 40 years ago you always took the best big man. Hakeem (back then Akeem) was the consensus #1 overall. A talented 7 footer with high offensive and defensive talent. Sam Bowie was pretty good as well, but as we know injuries derailed his career. Jordan was obviously talented coming out of college, but no one (except for Jordan himself) expected him to become the best that has ever played. If the Bulls had the second pick they may have taken Bowie too. In today’s game with spread offenses and 3 point shooting, having a big guy in the middle to protect the paint isn’t nearly as important.
You never hear MJ say he took the Rockets not drafting him No. 1 personally like he did with Portland. This should be enough to let people know how great Dream was.
[me, saving everyone 15 minutes]
"Because the future is unknown."
The Rockets and Blazers needed centers at that time.
Olajuwon was an amazing player, can’t argue with that pick.
It’s funny bc after MJ became MJ they questioned the GMs around the league who they would draft first now and the overwhelming majority still said Hakeem.
Sam B was dominant in college. Then struggled with injuries.
Why... because the power of hindsight is not one that any team possesses.
The dream was godlike back then .
In the 1980s Big men were the prize draft picks not SGs and nobody knew Jordan would be whar he turned in to
Nobidy ever questions Houston taking Hakeem but the Bowie pick was a mess because Bowie had missed 1 or 2 seasons at UK due to a foot injury so Port messed that up but they got Clyde Drexler so it worked out though they never won a title.
I thought it was funny that you mentioned the Rockets ruining MJ's comeback in '95 when the Bulls didn't make the Finals...
You take a sure thing dominate big man over a sure thing dominate guard/wing even today. Hakeem was the right pick. You DONT take the big man who was a 5th year senior who averaged 10/9/2blk and had missed two full years before that.
If memory serves that top teams needed centers!!!!
People always looking back on the history to have a better view and more entertain by using the technology which is the internet. Most people nowadays dont have much passion with what their doing if its sports music etc. Mike tyson michael jordan these are from 1990s and yet your viewers are gen z or whatelse gen news!
Size They always Draft Skilled Big Men ,Go look @ all Drafts and See which Year a Guard Or Forward Was Picked Over ,a Center and they take Size But if No Skill or Some
3:25 how did he avenge his loss to Michael? Bulls didn’t make the finals that year.
#1 ...... hakeem (c)
#2 ...... Bowie (F/C)
Back then you take a big if you need them....
Houston Needed a possible replacement for MOSES
and PROTLAND had Drexler already and needed a BIG....
You cannot fault the Rockets for taking Hakeem. Portland’s decision to pick Bowie was about as dumb as it gets. Yes, they already had a great young shooting guard in Clyde Drexler but so what??? You draft the best player available and then if you can’t use him, you trade him for an established player that you do need - and the market for Jordan even before he stepped onto his first NBA court would have been huge.
Rockets needed a center; Olajuwon was perfect. Portland already had a great SG (Drexler) and needed a big man. That’s why.
It always depend on what you need but I’m sure Portland would’ve traded Drexler and gotten MJ if they knew.
Simple... Is being said numerous times, the NBA was obsessed with big men as the go to in draft cause they thought you cannot build around small players. Jordan changed all that.
And Jordan took that personally ever since.
Barkley isnt that tall. It impressive that he was so good at his position.
Most talented in the history of the game... coming out of college he was a good player... but it wasn't like he was beyond comparison...
The real reason is mj wasn't that good even in the college while Lebron is already great in the highschool and called the greatest prospect of all time in nba history.
I mean if he was being drafted in todays nba he would be the #1 but because it was the 80’s a talented 7 ft player that deserves to go #1 will go #1
Who cares honestly why Goat didn't go number 1 it doesn't matter what number you drafted honestly because you still gotta make your own name and all about a player if they want to be great big facts and in the 80's shyt just making it to the NBA was a blessing. Look at all the top 10 draft NBA Players through 80's through 24 and see why the new Era from 2010 to 24 where all the number 1 draft players. Lol basketball not base on your draft spot 😢
Olajuwon actually made to NBA finals before Jordan can even sniff at it, Rockets actually took down one of the juggernaut in Lakers before fell to Celtics in 6 games. It was unfortunate that Ralph Sampson has an injury plague career and then Patterson(s) were bad at GM with Charlie Thomas being cheap which almost made Hakeem to leave. Only if Rockets have another superstar next to Olajuwon or Sampson can stay healthy then the NBA history would look so much different.
Honestly it kinda made sense why he was 3rd. In hindsight he should have been first, but the decisions seemed justifiable.
The one dude who won rings while Jordan was dominating is the guy that went #1 not hard to understand actually now the #2 pick that’s a whole different story
I mean Chicago without Mike hmm... Would it be the same as the great great Grant Hill who was drafted to the wrong team. Do not get me wrong i like Detroit but ya know what i mean
Best draft ever
Houston didn’t play Chicago in the finals… they played New York and Orlando.