"1984 NBA Draft: The Greatest of All-Time"

Welcome to a special series where I revisit some of the most iconic 
NBA drafts in league history. There's been debates over the years 
which draft would be considered the greatest. Look no further as 
we start with 1984, which featured future hall of fame players. Let's 
hop back into the Time Machine and to 1984 we go. 

A lot of buzz surrounding former Commissioner David Stern's first 
draft and how the draft lottery became a guessing game. A coin flip 
determined Houston winning the first pick overall. This era of 
basketball centered around constructing a team to cater for big 
men. The league had seen success with how Los Angeles built 
their team around Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and attempted to copycat 
their blueprint. 
Basketball was evolving with centers having skill sets to dominate 
in the post. With the best center in Akeem Olajuwon, people knew 
what was about to happen. Let's breakdown some notable picks in 
this historic draft class.

1. Akeem Olajuwon- drafted by the Houston Rockets coming off an 

impressive college career at University of Houston. The best all- 
around center who would become the central part of a Rockets 

team with Ralph Sampson. It was obvious Olajuwon had more of 
an upside in this era with centers dominating basketball. "The 
Dream" had a very successful hall of fame career and two time 
NBA champion with Houston. Arguably one of the best centers to 
play in the post-game era of basketball. 

2. Sam Bowie- Portland Trail Blazers took the biggest risk and bust 
drafting Bowie out of Kentucky. With lingering questions about his 

injury history, Portland still selected him second overall. It also
became a topic of if drafting Bowie would work and it made sense
to a degree; considering they didn't have a dominate center since
Bill Walton. This also raised the curiosity if the next player taken
after Bowie.

3. Michael Jordan- No need to explain a lot; the name speaks for
itself. Jordan had an impressive college career at North Carolina,
and arguably every fan will say "Michael Jordan" when this draft is
debated. Chicago had been star hungry and landing a shooting
guard out of UNC became the biggest draft successes in NBA
history. Jordan went on to win multiple accolades, six
championships, the list goes on. A hidden gem who would prove
everything was "personal."

5. Charles Barkley- Before he was a sports television personality,
Barkley had the most upside being drafted by the Philadelphia
76ers. A team with future hall of famer Julius Erving, Barkley
became a force in his short tenure. "The Round Mound of
Rebound" was undersized, but played and hustled for his moniker.
Learning the game from his aging superstar, it helped mold
Barkley into a great player upon leaving Philadelphia for Phoenix.
Winning league MVP in 1993, a finals appearance, multiple all-star
appearances and hall of fame enshrinement.

16. John Stockton- Utah took the best point guard available who
went on to become one of the greatest in his era. An unknown
player out of Gonzaga, Stockton would help the Jazz rebuild their
franchise and compete in a contested Western Conference. Hall of
fame career, and among the best point guards to ever play the
position.

There were others players I didn't mention, but you see the picture.
1984 draft class was stacked with hall of fame talent across the
board. If you had to pick a player from this draft and build a team
around, who are you drafting? It's the barbershop discussions
which gives fans a deeper appreciation for what became franchise
altering moves.

In hindsight, one could argue drafts after 1984 didn't have the flare
or dialogue. The bar was set pretty high with this draft in part
Jordan went on to become the biggest steal and successful player
out of his draft class. A lot of great players, and one ultra
competitive superstar who dominated the league for seasons to
come. As a fan of sports history, this draft class was one of the last
big prompt and circumstance ceremonies until we hit the 1996
draft class.