Michael Jordan joined a struggling Chicago Bulls franchise in 1984 — the rest is history.
He was selected third overall after Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers) and immediately electrified a jaded fanbase.
Chicago improved throughout the 1980s and was a regular feature in the postseason.
But the real glory had to wait until the next decade when two three-peats sealed MJ’s place among the greatest sportsmen of all time.
It is impossible to imagine Jordan beginning his career in anything other than the iconic red jersey — but the 14-time All-Star had envisaged another landing spot.
After lighting up the scoreboard with 33 points on his Madison Square Garden debut as a rookie, Air Jordan was asked if there was another team he’d have liked to play for.
“I didn’t pick a team to play for [but] I like the Los Angeles Lakers because of [James] Worthy and all the players they have,” he said.
“They have a very talented team. But if I went to LA, there’s no way I could help them.
“They won the world championship without me. I’m happy I came to Chicago and contributed and helped them win.”
The 1980s belonged to the Lakers and their Showtime dynasty.
Led by the mercurial Magic Johnson and dominant Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles won the NBA Finals in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988 in what became known as the Showtime era.
There was no chance of MJ falling to the 23rd pick, where the Lakers selected Earl Jones in 1984.
But if the West Coast powerhouse had traded up, Jordan would have formed a ridiculous tandem with Magic in purple and gold.
Of course, winning titles with an already dominant franchise is not the same as single-handedly dragging the Bulls from obscurity into a powerhouse.
And that is why His Airness is the GOAT, as he would rather make life as tough as possible for himself.
LeBron James has forced his way into the conversation as he continues to dominate the boards as a 40-year-old.
But Magic is under no illusions that the man he could have played alongside is the best ever to do it.
“First of all, let’s not take anything away from LeBron James,” Johnson said via CBS Sports.
Getty – ContributorAbdul-Jabbar was a graceful giant[/caption]
“Because LeBron James is a great basketball player, one of the all-time greatest that’s ever played the game.
“LeBron James, to me, when you think about all-around basketball players, he’s probably the best of all time. An all-around basketball player.
“But when you want to say, ‘Who’s the greatest ever?’ It’s still Michael Jordan.”
Worthy, who won three titles with the Lakers after playing alongside Jordan in North Carolina, agrees.
“If I had to make my choice, I’m going with MJ because I played with him,” he told the ‘Inside the Green Room’ podcast. “I know he’s deadly, and I don’t think there’s anybody in the league today that has the tenacity that he had.
“Michael’s not nice. I don’t know man, I love LeBron. I’m going to have to go with my boy.”
