Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls have long been considered the NBA’s model franchise. But before he got there, they were far from it – both on and off the court.
When the Bulls drafted Jordan out of the University of North Carolina in 1984, Chicago had missed the playoffs in seven of the previous nine seasons, despite the fact 16 of the league’s 23 teams made the postseason each year. The franchise was generating such little interest that an indoor soccer team, the Chicago Sting, would outdraw it at Chicago Stadium.
The first episode of ESPN’s highly anticipated docuseries “The Last Dance” offers insight into the extent of the Bulls’ dysfunction: many of the players would often use cocaine and other recreational drugs. And while Jordan said much of it took place out of his sight, he recalled one moment during his first preseason in which it came into full view. (Text and photo courtesy NYPost)