1984 NBA Draft: A Historic Class of Future Hall of Famers
by James Kevin Stott
Update:
- Introduction
- Where and When Was the 1984 NBA Draft Held?
- 1984 NBA Draft Order and Picks in Round 1
- Did Rounds 2-10 of 1984 NBA Draft Yield Any Quality Players?
- 1984 NBA Draft Saw Five NBA Hall of Famers Selected
- Hakeem Olajuwon
- Michael Jordan
- Charles Barkley
- John Stockton
- Oscar Schmidt
- The Marketing Value of the 1984 NBA Draft
- How To Get Tickets to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- Where Can I Watch and Listen to the 2024 NBA Draft?
- How To Get Tickets to the 2024 NBA Draft?
Considered by most to be the best draft ever, the 1984 NBA Draft changed the face of the world’s biggest basketball league with five future Hall of Famers. Let’s see where this draft was held, who was chosen in Round 1, and how to get tickets to the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Introduction
The NBA would never be the same after the 1984 NBA Draft, with future league superstars like Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and John Stockton all making their teams into contenders.
Here, we will examine the 1984 NBA Draft list and the 1984 NBA Draft Order for Round 1 and talk about the impact some of these 1984 NBA Draft best players had on the game and culture, as well as how it affected the apparel, sports card, and collectibles markets.
We will also tell you where to get tickets for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the 2024 NBA Draft set to be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday, June 26, and Thursday, June 27, as well as where you can watch and listen to them.
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Where and When Was the 1984 NBA Draft Held?
The 1984 NBA Draft was held at the Felt Forum—now The Theater at Madison Square Garden—at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19, 1984. The 1984 NBA Draft was the last NBA Draft before the creation of the NBA Draft Lottery in 1985 and the first to be overseen by NBA Commissioner David Stern.
In the USA, the 1984 NBA Draft—the 37th annual draft in the world’s biggest and most popular professional league—was televised on the USA Network.
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1984 NBA Draft Order and Picks in Round 1
Houston Rockets—Hakeem Olajuwon(Houston)
Portland Trail Blazers—Sam Bowie (Kentucky)
Chicago Bulls—Michael Jordan(North Carolina)
Dallas Mavericks—Sam Perkins (North Carolina)
Philadelphia 76ers—Charles Barkley(Auburn)
Washington Bullets—Melvin Turpin (Kentucky)
San Antonio Spurs—Alvin Robertson (Arkansas)
Los Angeles Clippers—Lancaster Gordon (Louisville)
Kansas City Kings—Otis Thorpe (Providence)
Philadelphia 76ers—Leon Wood (Cal-State Fullerton)
Atlanta Hawks—Kevin Willis (Michigan State)
Cleveland Cavaliers—Tim McCormick (Michigan)
Phoenix Suns—Jay Humphries (Colorado)
Los Angeles Clippers—Michael Cage (San Diego State)
Dallas Mavericks—Terence Stansbury (Temple)
Utah Jazz—John Stockton(Gonzaga)
New Jersey Nets—Jeff Turner (Vanderbilt)
Indiana Pacers—Vern Fleming (Georgia)
Portland Trail Blazers—Bernanrd Thompson (Florida State)
Detroit Pistons—Tony Campbell (Ohio State)
Milwaukee Bucks—Kenny Fields (UCLA)
Philadelphia 76ers—Tom Sewell (Lamar)
Los Angeles Lakers—Earl Jones (UDC)
Boston Celtics—Michael Young (Houston)
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Did Rounds 2-10 of 1984 NBA Draft Yield Any Quality Players?
The 1984 NBA Draft saw 228 players selected over 10 rounds, and it was indeed historic and maybe the best NBA Draft ever. But were there any other decent players drafted after Round 1?
Not really. Despite the nuggets of gold found in those first 16 picks and some other quality players taken in the opening round like Sam Perkins, Alvin Robertson, Kevin Willis, and Otis Thorpe, only a few others had that big of an NBA impact in the long run.
One very good player who was taken in Round 6 (Pick #131) by the New Jersey Nets was Brazilian legend Oscar Schmidt (S.E. Palmeiras). Schmidt attended the Nets training camp in 1984 but declined a contract offer with the team for a couple of very good reasons.
The first reason is that the contract offered by New Jersey was considerably less than the one Schmidt had with the team he played on in Italy. By signing with the NBA, he would no longer be able to play for his Brazilian national basketball team. Until 1989, NBA players were not allowed to participate on their national teams.
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1984 NBA Draft Saw Five NBA Hall of Famers Selected
The 1984 NBA Draft saw four of the first 16 players chosen make the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and a total of five overall. Top pick Hakeem Olajuwon, No.3 pick Michael Jordan, No. 5 pick Charles Barkley, and No. 16 pick John Stockton all had great sports careers, left lasting legacies in the NBA, and made the Hall of Fame.
Let’s take a look at these four 1984 NBA Draft best players and sports icon Schmidt and what they did in both college and professional basketball as well as after they retired.
Hakeem Olajuwon
By winning a coin flip with the Portland Trail Blazers, the Houston Rockets snagged the No. 1 pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, and the Western Conference team went for the talented big man from the University of Houston, junior Hakeem Olajuwon (7-0). With another massive Center already on the Rockets roster in Ralph Sampson (7-4), Houston immediately had the “Twin Towers “ and helped lead the team to two NBA championships.
Olajuwon, nicknamed “The Dream” and a native of Lagos, Nigeria, would be named NBA MVP (1994), NBA Finals MVP twice (1994, 1995), and in the 1993-94 NBA season, he became the first player in league history to be named the NBA Finals MVP as well as the NBA Defensive Player of the Year during his 18 years in the league.
Olajuwon, the 1984 NBA Draft 1st pick, played his last NBA seasons for the Toronto Raptors. He averaged 21.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg, and 3.1 bpg, was a 12-time All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and three-time Blocks leader, was named to the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary all-time teams, and had his jersey retired (No. 34) by the Rockets.
In college, Olajuwon played for the Houston Cougars, where, in 1983, he was named the NCAA Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, a first-team All-American, and the college rebounding leader. Olajuwon also saw his No. 34 jersey number retired by the University of Houston.
Olajuwon is considered one of the greatest Centers in NBA history, along with George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, and Nikola Jokić.
Michael Jordan
With the two coin-flipping teams—the Rockets and Trail Blazers—opting to go with big men with picks No. 1 (Olajuwon) and No. 2 (Sam Bowie), the Chicago Bulls fell into one of the most fortunate realities in modern history, much like when The Beatles 16-year-old John Lennon met the 15-year old Paul McCartney at St. Peter’s Woolton’s Parish Church in Liverpool, England on July 6, 1957—being in the right place at the right time matters.
After the coin flip, the remaining teams in the NBA in 1984 were all drafted in reverse order of their Won-Loss records, so the Bulls had the No. 3 pick. With this historic pick, the Bulls changed the face of their team, the NBA, the sport, apparel, and worldwide culture.
Jordan (6-6) was a skinny Guard from North Carolina and helped the Tar Heels win an NCAA championship in 1982 along with the No. 4 pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, Sam Perkins, who the Dallas Mavericks took. What Jordan did with the Bulls was absolutely mind-boggling, but he did a lot more that people often forget about.
During his NBA career in the Windy City. “Air Jordan” helped the Bulls to six NBA championships (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)—he was named NBA Finals MVP all six of those years—was a five-time NBA MVP, a 14-time All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year (1988), two-time NBA Slam Dunk champion (1987, 1988), NBA Rookie of the Year (1985) and a 10-time NBA scoring champion. So, nothing big.
Jordan had his iconic No. 23 jersey retired by North Carolina as well as the Bulls, and to show how great Jordan was, the Miami Heat even retired Jordan’s No. 23 jersey—and Jordan never even played for the Heat. That’s respect.
Besides shining in college and the pros, Jordan was also a member of the USA 1984 Olympic Basketball Team, where he and fellow 1984 NBA Draft members Perkins and Robertson led the USA to a Gold Medal in the summer games in Los Angeles.
Jordan returned to the Summer Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 as a member of the Dream Team, which included fellow 1984 NBA Draft legends Charles Barkley and John Stockton, as well as Patrick Ewing, Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, Karl Malone, and Clyde Drexler. The team beat Croatia, 117-85, and Jordan won his second Gold Medal.
Jordan, who ended his NBA career with the Washington Wizards, also changed the face of sports apparel with Nike and his famous Air Jordans, the basketball trading card market, and MJ is currently a majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets and the NASCAR Cup Series 23XI Racing team owner.
Jordan, who is regarded as one of the greatest stars in the history of sports, along with Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky, Pelé, Lionel Messi, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Serena Williams, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 and has a current net worth of $3.2 billion according to Forbes. Brother, can you spare a dime?
Charles Barkley
Fellow 1992 Olympic Dream Team member with Jordan, Charles Barkley (6-6), was the No. 5 pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, and despite never winning an NBA title, the Auburn forward became an icon and was one of the most charismatic players in the league.
"Sir Charles" Barkley averaged 22.1 ppg, 11.7 rpg, and 3.0 apg over his 15 seasons in the NBA. He was named NBA MVP in 1993, was an 11-time All-Star, led the league in Rebounding (1987), and was the MVP in the 1991 NBA All-Star Game.
Like Jordan, Barkley won two Olympic Gold Medals—in the 1992 Barcelona Games and the 1996 Atlanta Games—and the affable Round Mound of Rebound had his No. 34 jersey retired by Auburn, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Phoenix Suns.
Also a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Barkley went on to a successful career in broadcasting as a basketball analyst for TNT and CBS Sports. On Friday, Barkley claimed he is retiring from broadcasting after the 2024-25 season.
John Stockton
John Stockton might not have the massive appeal and fun nicknames like Olajuwon, Jordan, and Barkley, but this Gonzaga product certainly left his mark on the game and played his entire 19-season career with the Utah Jazz.
Stockton (6-1) is regarded as one of the best Point Guards and passers in NBA history. He averaged 13.1 ppg, 10.5 apg, and 3.2 spg. He was a 10-time NBA All-Star and was named the game's MVP in 1993. Along with Jazz teammate Karl Malone, Stockton led the Jazz to two NBA Finals—both losses to Jordan's Bulls—but he won two Gold Medals in the Summer Olympics in the same two years as Barkley (1992, Barcelona and 1996, Atlanta).
Hall of Famer Stockton also had his No. 12 jersey retired by Gonzaga and the Utah Jazz, and the Spokane, Washington native is the NBA's all-time leader in Assists (15.805) and Steals (3,265), holding very healthy leads over No. 2 Jason Kidd in both categories.
Oscar Schmidt
The most forgotten superstar to be selected in the 1984 NBA Draft was Brazilian Oscar Schmidt (6-9), a Guard/Forward selected by the New Jersey Nets with the 131st pick in Round 6. As mentioned above, Schmidt never ended up playing for the Nets or in the NBA.
But his brilliance as a basketball player cannot be denied. Schmidt had the longest career of any professional hoops player (29 years), is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2013), the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame (2017), and SF-PF Schmidt was honored as one of FIBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 1991.
Schmidt—nicknamed “Holy Hand” (Mão Santa)—played professionally for JuveCaserta and Pavia in Italy, Fórum Valladolid in Spain, and Rio Grande do Norte in his home country of Brazil on top of the Brazilian national team.
Schmidt had scored more career_points than anyone in the history of basketball (49,973) before NBA legend LeBron James surpassed him (50,246).
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The Marketing Value of the 1984 NBA Draft
The marketing value of the stars in the 1984 NBA Draft—especially the Michael Jordan effect—just can't be talked about enough. Whether MJ endorsed Gatorade, Nike apparel, his famous Air Jordan sneaker line, or basketball trading cards, Jordan provided the Midas Touch.
A set of six Air Jordan sneakers worn by Michael in the NBA Finals recently fetched a worn-sneaker record of $8 millionat an auction at Sotheby's in New York City. After seeing a 1986 Fleer trading card from his rookie year sell for $840,000, a 1984 Michael Jordan PSA 9 went for $925,000, setting a then-new record for a Jordan rookie trading card.
But that record was soon shattered when a signed Michael Jordan rookie card from the Fleer’s 20th anniversary release of the 1986-87 MJ rookies sold for $1,008,000 during an auction at Christie’s.
The Fleer set from 1986 has seen some crazy prices, with rookie cards from Jordan, Olajuwon, Barkley, and Stockton all coming out that year. A complete Fleer set from that year with stickers can sell for as much as $65,000, while an unopened box of 36 packs of cards from that year can fetch up to $259,000. So, a rookie Jordan card and a pair of worn MJ sneakers are both worth over a million. The 1984 NBA Draft was indeed a gold mine.
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How To Get Tickets to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Getting tickets for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is easier than you might think. Located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Hall of Fame Museum is open seven days a week from 10 am to 4 pm ET.
Ticket prices vary depending on the day, season, show, and other demands but generally cost $97.03 on average (in 2024). The Museum's website lists Adults (through age 64) admission tickets at $30, Seniors (65 and over) at $25, Studentsalso at $25 (must show High School or College ID at ticket booth), and Youth (ages 5-12) at $20. Children age 4 and under get in for free.
If you have questions, call the Hall of Fame at 1-877-446-6752 (1-877-4HOOPLA).
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Where Can I Watch and Listen to the 2024 NBA Draft?
The 2024 NBA Draft will be held on Wednesday, June 26, and Thursday, June 27. Round 1 on June 26 will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York (ESPN/ABC, 8 ET/7 CT/5 PT), with Round 2 on June 27 set for ESPN's Seaport District Studios in Manhattan (ESPN, 4 ET/3 CT/1 PT).
The 2024 NBA Draft will also be televised for Spanish-speaking fans on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. ESPN Radio will also provide national coverage for those wanting to listen on the radio. The Atlanta Hawks have the No. 1 selection in the 2024 NBA Draft.
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How To Get Tickets to the 2024 NBA Draft?
To obtain tickets for the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft, you can check out the prices on the NBAExperiences.com website. Prices for the two-night event in The Big Apple can depend on many things, including venue, seat location, time of purchase, and other factors, but you can find tickets for the 2024 NBA Draft for as cheap as $34. TicketX is setting new standards in the secondary ticket market for sporting events like the 2024 NBA Draft, admission to museums like the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, shows, and concerts, First-time TicketX users using the special TicketX promo code during June can save 10%.
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