The 1984 NBA Draft: How It Changed Basketball Forever

Ever wonder who exactly made the decision to draft Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton? And what the hell they were thinking? Or how Houston managed to get the #1 pick in the 1984 draft after having the first pick and drafting Ralph Sampson (21ppg 11rpg 2.4bpg his rookie season) the year before?

Sixers fans, ever wonder if we had a real chance to get MJ? How about why Barkley said “Oh, fuck” when he heard Commissioner Stern announce that Philadelphia had drafted him? Or why he gained over 20 pounds in 24hrs before his final weigh in with the Sixers?

These questions and more are addressed in Filip Bondy’s book: Tip-Off: How the 1984 NBA Draft Changed Basketball Forever. A well-written, inside look at the teams, players and behind-the-scenes stories surrounding that historic day in pro basketball.

I recommend all basketball enthusiasts and sports fans in general to pick this book up today. But I understand not everyone has S.A.D. – Sports Addiction Disorder (yes I made that up, but isn’t it a fitting acronym?) like I do and willing to read 262 pages about sports let alone a single NBA draft. So the upcoming 1984 NBA Draft Series will serve as the Recliner GM’s version of CliffsNotes for TIP-Off. I’m not typing out chapters (that’s just dumb) rather answering some of the major questions about the ‘84 draft, pulling out some of the more interesting stories and of course adding my own insight and opinions.