Ex-Bulls GM: 76ers, Mavs made 'strong' offers to move up in draft for Jordan

Ex-Chicago Bulls general manager Rod Thorn selected Michael Jordan with the third overall pick of the 1984 NBA Draft, but only after the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks attempted to pry the selection from him with the intention of drafting the future league icon.

"Philadelphia had made a strong offer for Michael. Dallas had made a strong offer for Michael," Thorn told ESPN's David Kaplan on "Kap & Co." "There were a couple of other teams that had inquired about the pick.

"Their offers weren't as good as those two, but yeah, there were people who were certainly interested in Michael."

The former Bulls executive didn't specify what either team offered in exchange for the No. 3 pick. Dallas wound up taking Sam Perkins at No. 4, while Philadelphia also stayed put and selected Charles Barkley fifth overall.

In the premiere episode of "The Last Dance," Thorn admitted he would've taken Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon if Chicago had held the first overall selection.

The NBA was a big man-dominated league at the time, but Thorn was sold on Jordan after a conversation with legendary North Carolina head coach Dean Smith.

Thorn went to the campus annually to watch game film on ACC players in preparation for the NBA draft and had approached Smith for insight on His Airness.

"The year that Jordan came out and I'm watching the tape, and he is glaringly the best player of all these players," Thorn said. "And so I went in to talk to Dean at the end of the day, and I said, 'You know Dean, this guy is so good on tape and the few times I've seen him play in person. What do you think?'

"And (Dean) said, 'I'd never say it publicly because that's not how we do it here at North Carolina, but he's the most talented player I've had.'"