Michael Jordan was selected as the third overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 NBA Draft. Many fans were surprised that he wasn’t selected as the second pick behind Hakeem Olajuwon. Instead, Sam Bowie was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers. Bowie revealed long ago that he lied about his injuries to get a higher place in the draft.

He told ESPNU, “I can still remember them taking a little mallet, and when they would hit me on my left tibia, and ‘I don’t feel anything,’ I would tell ’em. But deep down inside, it was hurting.”  He added that he knew he was lying and was wrong to do so, but said he did it for his loved ones and mentioned that anyone would likely do the same in his place.

During his college years in Kentucky, he missed two seasons of basketball because of shin injuries. Bowie dealt with other leg injuries as well. He averaged 17.4 points per game as a sophomore in 1980-81 but his performances dipped after that. In 1983-84, he averaged 10.5 points as a fifth-year senior.

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The Portland Trail Blazers needed a big man though as Bill Walton was close to retirement due to injuries. Hakeem Olajuwon was selected as the first overall pick by the Houston Rockets. Hence, they selected Sam Bowie. This happened despite Jordan being the best player for North Carolina.

Trail Blazers were unlucky not to select Michael Jordan

It is mental to think about how Jordan was ignored by the Trail Blazers but the Chicago Bulls got the benefit of it. They won two three-peats with him being the best player in the world. His accolades could probably fill up two trophy shelves. He has won six Finals MVPs and five regular season MVPs. Jordan is also a 10-time scoring champion and a 14-time All-Star. He has been inducted into the All-NBA Team 11 times in his career.

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His defense was also considered to be elite and therefore, he won a Defensive Player of the Year award and has been inducted nine times into the All-Defense teams.

More than that, seeing Michael Jordan play was a thing of beauty. If it were not for Sam Bowie, the Portland Trail Blazers could have been six-time champions now.

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What did you think about Portland’s pick? Comment your thoughts below.