On Oct. 26, 1984, a man who needs no introduction played in his first-ever NBA game.
The No. 3 pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, Michael Jordan did a little bit of everything in his NBA debut with 16 points, seven assists, six rebounds, four blocks and two steals in 40 minutes played. He shot only 5-for-16 from the field and committed five turnovers, but the Chicago Bulls still defeated the Washington Bullets comfortably, walking away with a 109-93 victory.
Orlando Woolridge and Quintin Dailey led the way for the Bulls, scoring 28 points and 25 points, respectively.
@NBA Debuts: Michael Jordan; 16 points, (5 of 16 FG/FGA), 7 Ast,, 6 Reb. Final: @ChicagoBulls 109, Washington Bullets 93 (10/26/84) pic.twitter.com/iBJMhgS3hy
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) October 24, 2016
Jordan went on to average 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game as a rookie, doing so on 51.5 percent shooting from the field. Those numbers helped him win Rookie of the Year over Hakeem Olajuwon and earn the first All-Star and All-NBA selections of his career.
It was only onwards and upwards for Jordan from there. By the end of his career, he had led the league in scoring a record-setting 10 times and led the league in steals three times, tying him with Allen Iverson, Micheal Ray Richardson and Alvin Robertson for the second-most all-time. He won six championships, six Finals MVP awards, five MVP awards and one Defensive Player of the Year award to go along with 14 All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA selections and nine All-Defensive Team selections.
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Only four players in NBA history have ever scored more points than Jordan in their careers. He also ranks fifth all-time in field goals made (12,192), sixth in free throws made (7,327) and third in steals (2,514).
In 2009, Jordan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Also on Oct. 26...
- 1962: Wilt Chamberlain posted 50 points and 41 rebounds in a one-point win over the Detroit Pistons
- 1973: Elmore Smith of the Los Angeles Lakers blocked 14 shots in a win over the Pistons
- 1984: John Stockton and Charles Barkley made their NBA debuts
- 1985: Patrick Ewing and Detlef Schrempf made their NBA debuts
- 2016: Anthony Davis scored 50 points in a loss to the Denver Nuggets
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