“He Was Just a Kid”: Dražen Dalipagić Remembers Facing a 19-Year-Old Michael Jordan Before He Became ‘Air Jordan’
Before the six rings. Before the global fame. Before “Air Jordan” even had wings—Michael Jordan was just a skinny 19-year-old kid trying to find his way on the court. And not everyone was convinced he was destined for greatness.
One of Europe’s biggest basketball icons, Dražen Dalipagić, once squared off with young MJ, and his memory of that matchup is both hilarious and eye-opening. “You should ask him what it felt like to play against me,” Dalipagić laughed. “He was 19, didn’t know where he was, so I was giving him 40 points, and he wasn’t giving me any.”
Of course, Dalipagić admits he was joking a bit—but the point is clear. At that time, Jordan wasn’t the unstoppable machine fans later came to fear. He was just a kid with raw athleticism, not yet the polished killer the world would call the GOAT.
Dalipagić added: “He had it all, in my opinion. Though, as a kid, he didn’t show that he would be so strong. At university, he didn’t display extreme qualities.” Imagine that—Michael Jordan, the man who defined dominance, once looked “ordinary” to a legend of the game.
But here’s the plot twist: Jordan was quietly studying, quietly building that fire that would make him unstoppable. Every bump, every loss, every humbling moment—like facing Dalipagić—was fuel.
Within just a few years, that same “lost 19-year-old” became the most electrifying force basketball had ever seen. By 1984, he was rewriting the NBA rulebook, soaring past defenders, and proving every doubter wrong.
Dalipagić, meanwhile, remained a European great—but the kid he underestimated? He became a global phenomenon. The GOAT. The icon. The reason basketball turned into a worldwide religion.
It’s wild to look back now and realize—even legends couldn’t see what was coming. They thought he was just another talented kid. But Jordan wasn’t just another player. He was the storm.
Even legends underestimated Michael Jordan before he became Air Jordan. And that’s what makes his rise even more legendary.
