"WE'LL FORGIVE YOU THIS TIME, MICHAEL JORDAN."  (Chicago Tribune, 27 October 1984)

Michael Jordan's hotly-anticipated debut at Chicago Stadium on Friday, October 26th, 1984 came on the heels of his gold-medal-winning performance at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, during which he averaged a team-high 17.1 points per game.  Unfortunately, during Jordan's bullish first outing in Chicago, he "forgot to bring along his jump shot" (Chicago Tribune, 27 October 1984). 

Before he became the greatest of all time, M.J., "his airness," the "human highlight reel," or "Mr. Clutch," Michael Jordan entered the league as an untested rookie, drafted third by Ron Thorn and the Chicago Bulls out of North Carolina.  In a solid effort against the Washington Bullets that would in no way signal the level of greatness Jordan was to achieve, he put up 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists in a 109-93 win in his debut.

Following Jordan's debut, Bulls coach Kevin Loughery commented: "Michael did not play that well. I'm sure he was bothered a little by the first-night jitters. You're not going to shoot well every night in this league.  But he still did the little things for us. The steals, tipped passes, clogging up the middle, passing off to this teammates. I think Michael's presence helped the whole club. Let's face it: We wouldn't have had the crowd and the media coverage if not for Michael Jordan."

His teammate Steve Johnson remarked on Jordan's immediate impact: "That crowd really got me going tonight. I came out, saw the size of the crowd and all the noise they made, and after that, it was all over. I was ready to play, no doubt about it. You know, at Notre Dame, the fans really were our sixth man. They made a big difference in our games. If we can start the same thing with fans in Chicago Stadium, we can turn this team around."

And "turn this team around" Jordan would, ultimately leading the Bulls to two practically-unprecedented three-peats as NBA champions.  His style of play and celebrity arguably changed the entire league, bringing the NBA and basketball's popularity to new heights.

Offered is an exceptionally rare  Chicago Stadium Box Office ticket stub held for nearly four decades by the lucky fan who was one of 13,913 to witness the birth of a legendary career. Only 10 stubs from that fateful night have been certified by PSA. A total of four have been designated authentic, with six receiving numerical grades.

A highlight reel of Jordan's first game can be seen here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcZW35Zcmrg

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