One coin flip could’ve led to $1.6 billion Michael Jordan being a Houston Rocket
A singular coin toss in the 1984 NBA Draft could have resulted in Michael Jordan perhaps becoming a Houston Rocket.
The 1984 NBA Draft is widely considered one of the best drafts in league history. Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and John Stockton all turned out to be Hall of Famers on the first ballot who led their respective teams to at least one run to the Finals, regardless of whether they acquired a title.
Of course, MJ was the most successful of the bunch. While Hakeem has the status of ‘the 10 greatest players of all time,’ his accomplishments pale in comparison to Jordan’s. Without context, fans strongly believe that the UNC alum should have gone 1St. overall in the 1984 NBA Draft. And hey, they’d be right.
However, it’s easy to forget the extent to which GMs viewed Olajuwon’s selection as a dunk.
Chicago Bulls general manager at the time, Rod Thorn, admitted on ‘The Last Dance’ that if he was still on the board at the No. 3 pick, he would have picked him over Michael Jordan.
What many forget is that the fate of who goes where that year was decided by a mere coin toss.
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Michael Jordan could have been a Houston Rocket.
From 1966 to 1984, the NBA used a coin to determine the fate of the two worst teams in each conference. Both teams would flip a coin to find out who would be awarded the first overall pick.
The ’84 Draft would be the last time this system was used.
In the 1983-84 season, the Portland Trailblazers actually won 48 games but had acquired the FRP from Indiana for this year’s draft in 1981. With Indiana being the worst team in the East, the Blazers had entered the lottery. As for the Rockets, they finished with 29 wins and were the worst team in their conference.
Michael Jordan and Hakeem (then known as Akeem) Olajuwon were the prized jewels at their respective positions. Of course, as history would dictate, Houston won the coin toss and chose Hakeem, leaving Sam Bowie for the Blazers. However, what if Portland had won that toss?
The only reason the Blazers chose Bowie over Michael Jordan was because they desperately needed a center to match up with a budding Clyde Drexler. However, if they were to get the first pick, they would definitely pick Hakeem. If Houston didn’t have his hometown choice left, would Sam Bowie have been injured?
The Rockets at the time already had Ralph Sampson so they could have easily decided to upgrade Craig Ehlo and go for Michael Jordan with his 2North Dakota to choose. This ‘sliding door’ moment is perhaps one of the most overlooked moments in NBA history.
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