This Day in Basketball History
1984 - Michael Jordan debuts
Arguably the greatest basketball career in history begins in earnest, as the Chicago Bulls open their 1984-85 season at home against the Washington Bullets, and their No. 3 overall draft pick takes the court for his first official NBA game.
Michael Jordan offers a glimpse, if not a complete vision, of the kind of player he's going to be. He scores 16 points on 5-of-16 shooting, adding six rebounds and seven assists in a 109-93 Bulls win.
Jordan goes ballistic thereafter, ultimately finishing the season with averages of 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game. He's on his way to both Rookie of the Year and second team All-NBA honors. He also finishes sixth in MVP voting.
While MJ's Bulls do improve by 11 games with him on board, they won't put together a winning season - or win a playoff series - until 1988.
Birthdays
1980 - Nick Collison
1985 - Monta Ellis
1985 - Andrea Bargnani