ON THIS DAY: A Certain Michael Jordan Made His Debut and Changed NBA Forever

On October 26, 1984, 21-year-old Michael Jordan made his debut for the Chicago Bulls. After going 3rd overall in the draft, all eyes were on Jordan, as the Bulls took on the Washington Bullets on opening day.

The athletic wing from North Carolina had carried his college team to a title, and fans were eager to see him replicate the same in the NBA.

Jordan played 40 minutes, the most on the team, scoring just 16 points, opening his scoring with classic mid-range off the glass. It was probably debut-day pressure, as he went just 5/16 from the field.

However, he looked promising on all other fronts other than scoring. He had 6 rebounds and 7 assists, but the most impressive stats were his 2 steals and 4 blocks.

It wasn’t the most electrifying debut, but it was enough to help the Bulls start the season with a win. They beat the Bullets comfortably, 109-93 and it was the start of a historic rookie campaign for Jordan.

Bulls’ fans could feel their savior is here. After almost decades since being formed, the Bulls barren run was nearing an end.

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Michael Jordan: Rookie sensation

Jordan averaged 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. He led the team in each of these categories, thus becoming the first and only rookie in NBA history to achieve this feat.

Unsurprisingly, he went on to win the Rookie of the Year award, beating the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley.

After a 27-55 record in the previous season, Jordan helped the Bulls to improve by 11 as they finished with a 38-44 record in the 1984-85 season. With that, they finally qualified for the Playoffs as the seventh seed after a 3-year playoff drought.

It is also worth noting that the Bulls had an attendance of 256,430 in the 1983-84 season, which was 21st of 23 teams. But with Jordan entering the team, this number almost doubled. The Bulls had an attendance of  487,297 in the next season and ranked 9th of the 23 teams.

Although Michael Jordan and the Bulls ended up crashing out of the first round of the Playoffs, fans knew that good times were a coming!