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The NBA draft has a set of rules that it follows. The 14 teams that did not make the playoffs have a chance at the number one pick. But it was not like this a few decades ago. Back then, the team that ended up with the worst record in their conference was given the number one pick in the draft. But there would be two 15th-placed teams in each conference, so they did a coin flip to determine who would get the first overall pick.

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Michael Jordan was drafted into the league in 1984, but five years earlier, a coin flip changed the trajectory of many people’s lives. In 1979, the coin flip went in favor of the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Chicago Bulls were given the second pick. This led to the Lakers getting Magic Johnson. But what if the Bulls had won the coin flip?

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Michael Jordan could have played with Magic Johnson

During a recent interview, Magic Johnson was asked by Jake Hamilton about how things would have been different if he had been drafted by the Chicago Bulls instead of the Lakers in 1979.

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To this, Magic replied that he had not thought of it till that moment. Magic knows that everything would have been totally different if he went to the Bulls, but he hopes for the results to be the same. Magic said that he was driven to win, so even if he was in Chicago, he still hoped to win and get five championships, as he did with the Lakers.

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But what there is to consider is the fact that a few years later, Michael Jordan would be coming to the league. So this time, rather than teaming up with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, what if Magic was able to team up with Jordan in Chicago?

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A duo between Jordan and Magic would be unstoppable. Running the fast break with a guard that can find you no matter where you are on the court, along with a superstar who can go and get a bucket whenever he wants, is a deadly combo. But ultimately, it remains a what-if in NBA history.

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Magic believes everything happened for good

Then he went on to explain that it was all for the better than going to the Lakers. Magic said, “My personality fits Hollywood“. This is true, as he was loved by the bright lights of the Los Angeles fans. He became a big part of the city and the organization.

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Magic believes that his going to the Lakers, along with Larry Bird going to the Boston Celtics, was necessary for the NBA to be a global sport. So it was all for the best. And Magic said this also allowed Jordan to come to the Bulls and become the greatest player of all time.

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What do you think of a duo between Jordan and Magic? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

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Rijin Varghese

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Rijin is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Specializing in the technical aspects of the game, keeps a close eye on the three principles of coaching of Gregg Popovich: Humility, Discipline, and Determination. That same attention to detail made him a big fan of the reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. While Rijin did not follow the traditional route to become a journalist, his passion for basketball and writing brought him to ES.

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Caroline Joseph

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