<P> Motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's junior varsity squad, and tallied several 40 - point games . The following summer, he grew four inches (10 cm) and trained rigorously . Upon earning a spot on the varsity roster, Jordan averaged about 20 points per game over his final two seasons of high school play . As a senior, he was selected to the McDonald's All - American Team after averaging a triple - double: 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists . </P> <P> Jordan was recruited by numerous college basketball programs, including Duke, North Carolina, South Carolina, Syracuse, and Virginia . In 1981, Jordan accepted a basketball scholarship to North Carolina, where he majored in cultural geography . </P> <P> As a freshman in coach Dean Smith's team - oriented system, he was named ACC Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.4 points per game (ppg) on 53.4% shooting (field goal percentage). He made the game - winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing . Jordan later described this shot as the major turning point in his basketball career . During his three seasons at North Carolina, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting, and added 5.0 rebounds per game (rpg). He was selected by consensus to the NCAA All - American First Team in both his sophomore (1983) and junior (1984) seasons . After winning the Naismith and the Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984, Jordan left North Carolina one year before his scheduled graduation to enter the 1984 NBA draft . The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick, after Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers). One of the primary reasons why Jordan was not drafted sooner was because the first two teams were in need of a center . However, Trail Blazers general manager Stu Inman contended that it was not a matter of drafting a center, but more a matter of taking Sam Bowie over Jordan, in part because Portland already had Clyde Drexler, who was a guard with similar skills to Jordan . ESPN, citing Bowie's injury - laden college career, named the Blazers' choice of Bowie as the worst draft pick in North American professional sports history . Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986 . </P> <P> During his rookie season in the NBA, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting . He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas, and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the heading "A Star Is Born" just over a month into his professional career . Jordan was also voted in as an All - Star starter by the fans in his rookie season . Controversy arose before the All - Star game when word surfaced that several veteran players--led by Isiah Thomas--were upset by the amount of attention Jordan was receiving . This led to a so - called "freeze - out" on Jordan, where players refused to pass the ball to him throughout the game . The controversy left Jordan relatively unaffected when he returned to regular season play, and he would go on to be voted Rookie of the Year . The Bulls finished the season 38--44 and lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in four games in the first round of the playoffs . </P>

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