The Chicago Bulls were in desperate need of a big force inside the paint going into the 1984-85 season, but with Michael Jordan available when they went on the clock for the third selection in the NBA Draft, they felt there was no choice but to take the most talented player available. By passing on filling the team’s greatest need, the consequence was that the Bulls had to improve their finish in the standings or risk alienating the fans. Chicago finished with the second-worst mark in the NBA in 1983-84, so doing better in Jordan’s rookie season was not going to take much.
The Bulls improved by 11 games and made the postseason with Jordan in their lineup. Three years later, they were a 50-win team. Three years after that, they were NBA champions for the first time. All because they decided against drafting for need in 1984. All because they saw that Michael Jordan was exceptionally talented. The rest is history.
Michael Jordan is one of 21 players on the 2003-04 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Signatures Gold checklist. All are numbered to the player's jersey number making this MJ /23. It's a card that comes with a clean design bolstered by simple but elegant foil highlights.
This Pristine 10 is a pop 1 in the BGS registry with none higher. It includes subgrades of 10 for Centering, Corners and Edges. The autograph has also been assessed as a 10.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 05/26/2026.
