Hopping on the MJ bandwagon - Uncovering the Past - Michael Jordan, basketball players - Brief Article

Basketball Digest, Dec, 2001

IT WOULD BE A LIE TO SAY THAT BASKETBALL DIGEST was on the Michael Jordan bandwagon from the beginning.

OK, maybe no one knew what was coming in Jordan's rookie year, or his career. (The Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers sure didn't.) But consider that "Akeem" Olajuwon made our cover before this first Michael cover, during the two players' stellar rookie seasons. And even this, the July 1985 cover--gorgeous dunk shot and all--was simply heralding MJ as our top rookie. There wasn't a feature devoted to Jordan, simply a couple paragraphs tabbing him as the best of 1984-85's rookie class.

The fact is, there were three players who had great rookie campaigns in 1984-85: Jordan, Olajuwon, and Charles Barkley. And a still-formidable starting five could be culled from that class: Jordan, Olajuwon, Kevin Willis, John Stockton, and, if someone signs him, Sam Perkins.

We've always suspected the game came easy to Mike. But even as he dragged a woeful Chicago Bulls team (38-44, yet a playoff qualifier!) through the season, his confidence had not flagged: "This hasn't been difficult for me. You have four hours a day where you practice and play and then you have the rest of the day to do whatever you want. This is a learning process, playing against Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird, and Julius Erring every night. But it's the kind of learning I love."

Jordan was in love, for sure. He notched a Bulls rookie single-game scoring record with 37 points in Chicago's third game, later scored 45 points three times, and settled the rookie record for good at 49 points in a 139-126 overtime win vs. the Detroit Pistons on February 12, 1985. Jordan finished the season as the Bulls' team leader in scoring (28.2), rebounding (6.5), assists (5.9), and steals (2.39).