In 1984, Jordan entered the NBA as the 3rd overall draft choice in the draft. His placement in the draft has caused controversy until this day, as the draft selection in front of him did not amount to half of the success Jordan eventually found.
After the Chicago Bulls selected him as their first draft choice, they automatically went from a bottom-feeder to a force to be reckoned with. Despite Jordan's record-setting pace in terms of statistical categories, Jordan did not allow the superstar status to overcome him. In 1986, Jordan decided to earn his degree in North Carolina, setting a precedent for youngsters thinking about coming into the league and reminding them that a good education is priceless. After completing his degrees and facing years of turmoil with then head coach Doug Collins, Phil Jackson, also known as the "Zen Master," took the challenge of coaching Michael Jordan and the ultra-talented Scottie Pippen (UXL Biographies 28). Under Jackson, Jordan finally established himself as a winning player, winning a total of 6 NBA championships and posting the best regular season record in NBA history. Not only was Jordan a winner though, he was able to transform his talent into something that no one had seen before and created trademarks that have yet to be topped. On top of that, opponents also developed a "fear factor" when Jordan stepped into their building, and fans from all over the world would come to games and watch Jordan in awe of his jaw-dropping talents. Under Jordan's leadership, the NBA's popularity was at an all-time high and television channels started requesting that Chicago Bulls games to start airing. Jordan received a number of endorsements and starred in commercials with big-brand names such as Nike and Gatorade (King 572). Frankly, it has almost become common knowledge that Jordan is the unanimous greatest to ever play, but the most underrated facets of his profile has yet to be delved into.