Revisiting the 1984 NBA Draft

You’re not a true basketball fan if you missed out on the 10-part docuseries “The Last Dance”, chronicling a basketball legend.  Indeed, Michael Jordan is a cut above, and there will never be any comparison to anyone who laced up some sneakers, dribbled a ball and soared for a dunk.  With Jordan on the 1984 class were some of the best in basketball history. Let’s revisit 37th annual draft that had 5 players enshrined in basketball’s Hall of Fame.

#1 HAKEEM OLAJUWON -  Houston was awarded the first pick thru a coin flip. The Rockets chose the Nigerian-born player from the University of Houston. Hakeem left the game in 2002 winning 2 titles with the Rockets, 2 Finals MVPs, 1 league MVP, 12 All-Star appearances and retired as the all-time league leader in blocked shots.

#2 SAM BOWIE - It was presumed that Portland picked Bowie over Jordan because they have at that time All-Star shooting guard Jim Paxson and second year guard Clyde Drexler.  Bowie had an injury-riddled 10-year career, averaging 11 points and 7 rebounds and was considered a draft bust.

#3 MICHAEL JORDAN - No need to elaborate on this.

#4 SAM PERKINS (DAL) - The Mavericks’ 4th pick, Perkins lasted 17 years in the league with trips to the LA Lakers, Seatlle and Indiana.  A center-forward, he was named to the 1985 NBA All-Rookie First Team, played in the NBA Finals for the Lakers (1991), the Sonics (1996) and the Pacers (2000).  He retired in 2001 averaging a respectable 12 points and 6 rebounds a game.

#5 CHARLES BARKLEY (PHI) - With the fifth pick, the Sixers chose the Round Mound of Rebound.  Although he hasn’t won a league championship, Barkley was league MVP in 1993 playing for Phoenix and faced MJ and the Bulls in the Finals.  He was on 11 All-Star selections and retired in 2000 and is now a TV analyst.

#16 JOHN STOCKTON (UTA) - The Jazz picked him at 16th but he went on to play in 10 All-Star games, played in two consecutive NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998 against the Bulls.  By the time he retired in 2003, Stockton was the league’s all-time leader in assists and steals.  Together with Jordan and Barkley, they were teammates in the 1992 Dream Team.  The three of them, along with Olajuwon, were named to the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players of All Time during the NBA’s 50th anniversary in 1996.

#70 RICK CARLISLE - He was picked on the 3rd round by Boston and won a title with the Celtics in 1986.  In a very limited role as a reserve, he moved on to New York and New Jersey where he retired from active play after just 5 years.  He became an assistant with the Nets, then Portland and Indiana.  From head coaching stints in Detroit (2002 Coach of the Year) and Indiana (2004 ASG head coach), Carlisle was with Dallas since 2008 (2011 NBA Champion) and is one of only 11 who had won titles both as player and coach. 

#131 OSCAR SCHMIDT - The Brazilian was New Jersey’s pick but never played in the NBA.  He enjoyed superstar status in South America, Europe and in FIBA tournaments.  He played in 5 Olympic teams for Brazil, recording an average of 28.8 points in 38 career Olympic games.  He was named to FIBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 1991, inducted to FIBA’s Hall of Fame in 2010 and is the 5th member of the 1984 NBA Draft class to be enshrined to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2013.

Other notables on this draft class are Alvin Robertson, Otis Thorpe, Kevin Willis, Michael Cage and Jerome Kersey.  Robertson is one of only four players who had officially recorded a quadruple-double in an NBA game and the only non-center to do so, doing double digit in steals rather than blocks.  The three others are Olajuwon, Nate Thurmond and David Robinson.