30 Years Later: Recalling Jordan's First Big Hoops Moment

CLEVELAND - Nearly six weeks after his 19th birthday, Michael Jordan caught a basketball pass and without hesitation, rose up and shot the ball towards the hoop as effortlessly as if it were merely a shot in practice. In actuality, he and his North Carolina Tarheels were knee deep in a pressure cooker; the 1982 NCAA championship game v.s. the Georgetown Hoyas in the New Orleans Superdome.

Of course, the wunderkind made the shot with about 15 seconds remaining.

Jordan's shot erased a Carolina deficit and ended up being the final points in the Tarheels' 63-62 victory over Georgetown. Today (March 29) marks the 30th anniversary of that shot, that game and of course, that moment that the lanky freshman from Wilmington, NC became a household name. The magnitude wasn't known at the time, but that shot from MJ would be the first national moment of basketball glory for the man who would eventually author the most iconic pro basketball career in history. The incredible confidence and remarkable ability to deliver under the bright lights of the biggest game were all elements of excellence for Michael that night. He took all of those attributes and expanded on them in the NBA where he amassed 10 league scoring titles, 5 MVPs and led the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships.

But that game in the Spring of 1982 was the birth of a legend.

Carolina's coach Dean Smith had taken the unusual step that season of allowing Jordan to be a starter. Up until then, Smith's policy was that no freshman player would start for the Tarheels. Jordan had joined the team in late 1981 as he started his collegiate career and was an immediate sensation. By the time the championship game came around that Spring, Michael had turned many heads with his dazzling athletic prowess. His big game proficiency, however, was less known but would eventually become a hallmark of his reputation on the court.

North Carolina won their first title in 25 years that night and Jordan went on to win the College Player of the Year award in both 1983 and 1984 before skipping his senior season to join the NBA. Of course, the world knows very well what he accomplished there en route to becoming the greatest player in league history.

But the beginning remains a major thrill and a cultural flash point in the history of basketball. Salute MJ!

28 Years Ago Today: The World Meets Jordan

CLEVELAND - His family had known him for 19 years. His North Carolina community knew him well and college hoops fans knew a little about the guy, too. But with the flick of a wrist and the swish of a net, Michael Jordan became a national superstar 28 years ago today.

Has it been that long?

Jordan, as a highly skilled freshman for the University of North Carolina drilled a 16-foot jumper in the deciding game of the 1982 NCAA tournament, giving the Tarheels the national championship over Big East power Georgetown. Since Carolina coach Dean Smith disallowed his players to dominate, especially freshmen, the MJ of '82 wasn't the MJ that the NBA would come to know and idolize. He wasn't even UNC's top star. That honor went to James Worthy, who played his final collegiate game that night in the New Orleans Superdome; a symbolic passing of the torch to Michael of sorts.

After Jordan's historic shot, his profile immediately became elevated. Suddenly, he was the crowd favorite and he used that greater visibility to become College Player of the Year in both 1983 and 1984. Looking back from the vantage point of today, it seems to be a marvelous beginning for Michael given the fact that he became not only the most iconic and perhaps greatest figure in basketball history, but also a crunchtime mastermind.

We all have that great night in 1982 to thank for that.

Jordan's Basketball Heroics Began in Carolina

CLEVELAND - Michael Jordan's legend truly began in 1979 when, as a high-school sophomore, he decided not to quit basketball after not making his high school team.

The world however, didn't find out about him until 1982.

Today marks the 27th anniversary of Jordan's famous jump shot in the NCAA title game between his North Carolina Tarheels and the intimidating Georgetown Hoyas. Jordan's historic shot put the Tarheels ahead with 17 seconds to play. An untimely turnover by the Hoyas' Fred Brown followed and UNC escaped with a nail-biting 63-62 victory.

The game, played in the New Orleans Superdome became a flash point in MJ's career. The 19-year old freshman had already made history by being a starter on the team. Head coach Dean Smith had a strict policy against first-year players being in the starting lineup. Jordan in fact wasn't even the star of the team. James Worthy was Carolina's signature player and was even named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

The devastating Hoyas were coached by the great John Thompson and led by the "Hoya Destroya," shot-blocking maniac Patrick Ewing. None of it mattered as the Tarheels used their formidable talent (which included Sam Perkins) to counteract Georgetown's physical play.

Jordan's legendary shot was featured on the cover of the 1982-83 Wilmington, N.C. phone book and his overall status expanded from there. This was Worthy's final collegiate game, as he entered the NBA draft afterwards, which opened the door for Jordan to become the Tarheels' flagship player.

Of course, the entire planet knows what happened after that. Jordan went on to become the greatest basketball player in history, thanks to a wildly successful pro career. He'll always be remembered as the basketball giant in Chicago red, but the roots of his legend will forever be hued in Carolina blue.

And it all started in '82.