Michael Jordan Was Once Honored to Follow the Footsteps of Legends Like Dean Smith and Bob McAdoo in a Landmark Achievement

NBA legend Michael Jordan is arguably the best player to ever grace the hardwood. Over the course of his illustrious career, he has won six NBA titles with his relentless work ethic and abilities. MJ came from very humble beginnings in Wilmington, North Carolina. During his school days, he was a multi-sport athlete. But he did not become a superstar straightaway. He was not very tall, did not handle the ball well, and did not have a good shooting stroke. However, he was never short of energy. He could run all day long.

Basketball fans are well aware of the story of Jordan not making the varsity team. A young MJ was disappointed and went home crying to his mother. However, he decided to work harder and prove everyone wrong about not picking him for the team. Subsequently, he made the junior varsity team and started stringing some good games. Jordan improved at a very quick phase and once his height caught up with him, he became a superstar.

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The University of North Carolina is one of many schools that attempted to recruit the talented high schooler. And MJ decided to join the Tar Heels in 1981.

Michael Jordan becomes a UNC icon

Even though he was a high school superstar, there was not much expectation. Michael Jordan once revealed that a lot of people thought he would be back in Wilmington after college and work in a gas station. However, Jordan quickly became a star of the team under the tutelage of legendary head coach Dean Smith. In 1982, he helped UNC win the national title by hitting the game-winning shot.

Subsequently, he became an icon and one of the legends of Tar Heels basketball. And a sandwich was named after him to honor his accomplishments for the basketball team. Other UNC legends like Sam Perkins, Bob McAdoo and Dean Smith, also had sandwiches named after them. A young Michael Jordan joined the list after amazing the local crowd with his dominance on the hardwood.

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Jordan then declared for the 1984 NBA draft and the Chicago Bulls selected him as the third overall pick. Senior Sam Perkins went to the Dallas Mavericks as the fourth pick. Before joining the Bulls, MJ represented team USA in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. In the 1980 Moscow Olympics, team USA did not even win a medal. So there were huge expectations to re-establish USA’s dominance in the world.

And MJ did not disappoint as he helped the team win the gold medal. After his displays in the Olympics, people claimed that he would have been the #1 pick, if the Olympics took place before the draft.