How Michael Jordan became the Rookie of the Year

It didn’t take long for Michael Jordan to make an impact.

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Michael Jordan made his NBA debut in the 1984-1985 season as a skinny kid from Wilmington, North Carolina, who built his game under the watchful eyes of Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina. Although there were already some murmurs of his greatness, owing to his late-game jumper that helped give the Tar Heels the NCAA title in his freshman year, the NBA was still a league dominated by the likes of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Julius Erving.

It didn’t take long, though, for Jordan to put the entire league on notice. He averaged 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game over the course of the season, showing why he was the third overall pick in the draft that year — even if not many people expected him to have such an immediate impact. For his efforts, Jordan was awarded the Rookie of the Year award and immediately established himself as a force to be reckoned with.

All-around brilliance

As a rookie, Jordan led the league in total points scored with 2,313 points. He also did it for the Chicago Bulls, while also leading the team in rebounds and assists, and was second in blocks. His all-around brilliance helped the Bulls to a 38-44 record and into the NBA Playoffs where they were eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks, 3-1.

MVP consideration

Jordan’s stellar season-long performance did not go unnoticed, as he earned MVP consideration during his rookie season. He finished sixth in MVP voting, getting more first-place votes than NBA greats such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Isiah Thomas. The Rookie of the Year award, though, was already a given as he garnered nearly 60% of the votes to beat Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon.