I can’t help it. The 1984 NBA Draft caught my attention once again last night while I was indulging in the passion of my life by watching one of the greatest players of all-time. The super basketball player’s name is Michael Jordan, aka Air Jordan, aka The Greatest of All-Time, and that’s just the half of it. Jordan turned the NBA into a monster that never gave up on its prey. I’m actually watching the 1984 draft now. Thanks YouTube!

As I’m sitting here watching it, they just announced the Trailblazers pick, Same Bowie. “Sam Fucking Bowie”! Is what I just yelled at the screen. It just came out of my mouth and I couldn’t help it. That’s what watching the 1984 NBA Draft will do to you.

So back to why the draft was so ridiculous. Of course you had arguably the greatest player ever in Jordan, but you also had Hakeem Olajuwon, who by the way was picked number one, but will always be foreshadowed by the Trailblazers Big Mistake and Chicago’s Day in the Sun. Just when you thought things were going to slow down, it didn’t. Charles Barkley and John Stockton shows up, virtually out of nowhere.

So there you have it. On June 19, 1984, you saw four future Hall of Fame players get drafted on the same day. Jordan would of course turn things around in Chicago, producing six championships and collecting five MVP awards. Barkley would go on to score more than 20,000 points and grab over 10,000 rebounds. He would never win a title, coming up short in the 1993 NBA Finals against, who else, Air Jordan. Hakeem Olajuwon would retire as arguably the greatest center that ever lived. His resume includes two championships, an MVP award, and retired as the NBA’s all-time leader in blocked shots. John Stockton retired as the NBA’s all-time leader in assist, while leading the Jazz to two Finals appearances. Now that’s how all drafts are suppose to end up like.

- John A. Roberts

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Tags | 1984 draft, Basketball, Hakeem Olajuwon, michael jordan, NBA, NBA draft, Sam Bowie