Olympic Gold Medalist Before the NBA
During the 1984-85 off-season, Michael had plenty of time to prepare for his NBA debut. However, instead of participating in the summer league, he decided to “warm up” by representing at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He teamed up with New York Knicks’ Patrick Ewing, Golden State Warrior’s Chris Mullin, and future NBA prospect Steve Alford.

During the Olympics, Michael played in eight games, averaging 17.1 points with three rebounds, two assists, and 1.5 steals. He also outscored everyone else on Team USA that year. MJ took home the tenth Olympic gold medal for the US in basketball, destroying Spain by 31 points in the finals.