Basketball
Throwback Thursday: Top Ten NBA Lottery Moments
Jordan goes 3rd
1984 – Though the NBA didn’t instate the Lottery system until 1985, Michael Jordan falling to the third pick still has to be mentioned. In a coin flip in ‘84, the Houston Rockets won the first pick in the draft over the Portland Trail Blazers. The Rockets needed a big man, and selected the obvious choice from the University of Houston, Akeem Olajuwon. The Blazers had a tough decision to make: they already had a high-flying guard in Clyde Drexler, so the best move at the time was to select a big man to compliment him. They went with 7 foot 1 inch Sam Bowie. It would be one of the biggest blunders in sports history. The Bulls delightedly chose Jordan third, and went on to win 6 titles with the GOAT. Some other notable stars the Blazers could have chosen include Hall of Famers Charles Barkley (picked fifth by the Sixers) and John Stockton (picked sixteenth by the Jazz).
