NBA: Revisiting the 3 best ‘what ifs’ in league history

Biggest ‘what ifs’ in NBA history: What if MJ was a Rockets?

Now we’ve heard this before, right? In hindsight, If the Houston Rockets would have drafted Michael Jordan rather than Hakeem Olajuwon they potentially would have won six titles rather than the two that they won during Olajuwon’s time in Houston. But that’s not actually what I’m talking about.

It’s very hard to forget about the top three picks of the 1984 NBA draft. The Rockets took Olajuwon, who would eventually bring two NBA championships to the franchise. The Portland Trail Blazers took Sam Bowie at No. 2, who would end up being one of the biggest busts in NBA history. And of course, the Chicago Bulls took Michael Jordan with the third pick, leading to six NBA championships, and one of the greatest runs in the history of sports. But it all could have been different, the Rockets just had to pull the trigger.

On draft night, the Rockets were offered a trade from the Blazers that would send their center Ralph Sampson to Portland in exchange for Clyde Drexler and the No. 2 pick in the draft, which very well could have been Jordan, meaning we would have seen a trio of Jordan, Olajuwon, and Drexler potentially dominate the league in the ’90s.

Between Jordan and Olajuwon, the two already have a combined eight championships in the decade, but it would be interesting to see how many championships a big three like that would win. It also raises an interesting question concerning Scottie Pippen. How does his career play out? Does he become a huge star without being under Jordan’s shadow, or does he fly under the radar?