NBA commissioner Adam Silver appeared on The Dan Patrick Show to give some insight into what it was like to watch Michael Jordan’s early years. Silver fondly remembers going to the old stadium in Chicago to soak up the vibe of Jordan’s early years in the NBA. Silver said:
“I remember the early days there, the Bulls, you thought you were going through something before the internet everything else that nobody else kind of understood. You felt like you were at a special club watching Michael Jordan.
Michael Jordan was already a rookie playing for the Chicago Bulls in the 1984-85 season when Adam Silver arrived at the University of Chicago Law School. Like many people living in Windy City at that time, there was no escaping the allure of the skinny kid from North Carolina that had the league captivated.
The Chicago Bulls missed the previous three playoffs before Jordan’s rookie campaign. Jordan was still adjusting to the NBA and was supported by less than stellar teammates at the time.
Despite the manpower disadvantage, Jordan coached the Bulls to a 38-44 record and the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
Over the next two seasons, the Bulls reached the playoffs as the eighth seed in an Eastern Conference dominated by Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics. Despite the struggles, Jordan relentlessly pursued greatness.
As Adam Silver explained, there was already something special brewing with the Bulls, especially when Jordan was playing in front of a rabid crowd at Chicago Stadium.
An injury-shortened second season caused Jordan to be forgotten by some fans outside of Chicago. That would change dramatically after the 1986 playoffs when he lit up the Dynasty Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
Jordan’s exploits set the NBA on fire and made Chicago Stadium tickets a must-have commodity when Jordan established his superstardom.
Michael Jordan would put the Chicago Bulls on the basketball map
Following Michael Jordan’s sixth and final championship with the Bulls in the 1997-98 season, his team finished third all-time for most championships by a franchise.
Only the most legendary NBA franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, with 17 each, are ahead of the Bulls. Of the top ten franchises with championships, only the Bulls have a perfect 6-0 record in the NBA Finals.
If Jordan hadn’t dwelled on baseball, Chicago might have been able to part ways with the Philadelphia/Golden State Warriors, who also won six.
Michael Jordan capped the 97-98 season with his 6th NBA Finals MVP award. No other player has won the Finals MVP more than 3 times (first awarded in 1969) Jordan was 6-0 in the NBA Finals, the most wins without a loss by an MVP in NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB history#NBA #BullsNation https://t.co/3pMKcOGXu7
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More than 20 years after he last played for the Windy City team, Chicago will always be synonymous with Michael Jordan when it comes to basketball.
