The 1984 NBA Draft was a stacked one.
Six players drafted in 1984 would end up in the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame. That is only the second most, right behind the record-holding 1970 draft, including names like Calvin Murphy, Rudy Tomjanovich, and Pete Maravich.
The loaded draft class made for an interesting NBA Draft night. The Houston Rockets would use their 1st overall draft pick, the fourth in franchise history, to select Akeem Olajuwon. Next up, the Trail Blazers infamously selected Sam Bowie with the second overall pick. Michael Jordan, who two years prior hit the game-winning shot to grant North Carolina their second NCAA title in school history, was selected third overall. Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and John Stockton were also selected that night- planting seeds for who would be Jordan’s career-long rivals in the NBA.
The 1984-1985 Season concluded with a rematch of the previous year’s final. This time, though, the Los Angeles Lakers would top their rivals in the Celtics in six games. Aside from another Finals matchup in 1986-1987, the Celtics and Lakers rivalry would take an NBA Finals lull. There was a lot of talent in the league, and the players from the 1984 NBA draft were beginning to blossom- almost immediately.
Olajuwon and Jordan made immediate impacts in the league. So it was no surprise that the 1985 Rookie of the Year award came down to those two players. As we all know, Michael Jordan would go on to win the award. His acceptance speech was short and to the point. Jordan was appreciative to receive the award but made it clear that he wanted more. That laser focus and determination would be what would help him become the best player in the league in the years to come.
Jordan’s desire to quickly turn the page was part of that edge- part of his nature as an athlete. But the season he had was one worth sitting down and appreciating.
In his rookie season, Jordan would lead the Bulls in points, rebounds, assists, and steals- making him the only rookie to ever lead a team in four different metrics. This campaign would also snap a four season streak of missing the playoffs for the Chicago Bulls. Things were looking up for Jordan and the city of Chicago.
Jordan’s 28.2 points per game average is without the most impressive line of his rookie career. There has not been a player since to reach or surpass that impressive 28 points-a-game average. In fact, only four recipients of the Rookie of the Year award ever topped Jordan’s points average- Wilt Chamberlain (1959), Oscar Robertson (1960), Walt Bellamy (1961), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969). All, of course, Hall of Fame players who, like Jordan, are regarded as some of the best to ever do it.
The pressure to change a franchise is hard to measure on a stat sheet, but Jordan’s rookie season showed us what he was capable of. The “Greatest of All Time” debate that inundates social media platforms finds its legs on the impact Jordan, or the players he is often compared to, made on the league and the franchise they played for. In the case of Jordan, his ROTY campaign would plant the seeds for one of the greatest franchises ever seen in sports.
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In 2018 Jordan Brand released an Air Jordan 1 High to celebrate Jordan’s first professional award.
The “Rookie of the Year” Air Jordan 1 High featured tumbled white leather and a golden harvest suede on the upper meant to resemble the jacket Jordan wore the night he received the award. The sneaker featured hidden messages in the straps- Jordan’s rookie year statistics and a quote from his acceptance speech. Arriving at the cusp of the Air Jordan 1 High boom, the ROTY became highly sought after upon its release.
Jordan Brand continues their strong run of releasing great Air Jordan 1 Low colorways with the return of the ROTY in a low-top form. This year’s release comes seven years since the high-top originally hit shelves. The sneaker celebrates the beginning of Jordan’s legacy, the planting of the seeds of a dynasty, and the player who would go on to change basketball forever.
The Air Jordan 1 Low Rookie of the Year releases on April 18th via SNKRS and participating Nike retailers.
We can report that the 2025 retro is unfortunately experiencing quality control issues like the Obsidians experienced last month. The SoleSavy DROPS app will be the best way to monitor updates on the launch and enter raffles for the sneaker.
