NOSEBLEED SPORTS MEDIA
MJ Mondays
NO DEBATE. JUST RECEIPTS.
VOL. 1, NO. 29 · SEPTEMBER 14, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
19 YEARS OLD. FRESHMAN. HIT THE CHAMPIONSHIP-WINNING SHOT.
NCAA Championship-Winning Shot — 1982
19 15 sec 63-62
JORDAN'S AGE TIME LEFT SCORE
Before the NBA, before the shoes, before the rings — Jordan was a 19-year-old freshman at North
Carolina who hit the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA championship game against Georgetown. 15
seconds left, UNC trailing by 1, Dean Smith called the play. Jordan — a freshman, on the biggest stage in
college basketball — hit the jumper to give UNC the national championship. Patrick Ewing was on that
Georgetown team. James Worthy was on UNC's team. The best player on the floor was the freshman
nobody knew yet.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
Chicago Bulls vs Detroit Pistons 1985-02-12
15 5 19/31 W
POINTS REBOUNDS ASSISTS FG RESULT
49 and 15.
ROOKIE YEAR — THE CLOSEST HE GOT TO HIS COLLEGE SELF
February 12, 1985. Jordan — in his rookie NBA season — scored 49 points and grabbed 15 rebounds against
Detroit. The rebounding number is remarkable: 15 rebounds from a shooting guard. In college, Jordan was a
complete player — scorer, rebounder, defender. The NBA condensed him into a scorer because the scoring
was so extraordinary. But nights like 49-and-15 against Detroit showed the college player was still in there:
the one who did everything, not just the one who scored everything.
MJ VS TODAY 03
Best College Basketball Player Of All Time?
MICHAEL JORDAN (UNC) OTHER CANDIDATES
CHAMPIONSHIP KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR
1982 — hit winner as freshman 3 titles at UCLA
POY VS BILL WALTON
1984 Naismith + Wooden winner 2 titles at UCLA
NBA DRAFT CHRISTIAN LAETTNER
#3 overall (1984) 2 titles at Duke
Jordan played only 3 years at UNC before leaving for the NBA, which means his college resume is shorter than
many candidates. But the championship-winning shot as a freshman, the Player of the Year awards, and the
immediate NBA dominance make the case. Kareem's UCLA career was more decorated. But Jordan's college
chapter was the most iconic individual moment in NCAA tournament history — and it foreshadowed
everything.
Greatest college basketball player ever?
KAREEM (3 TITLES) JORDAN (THE SHOT + POY) BILL WALTON (UCLA) LEW ALCINDOR-ERA DOMINANCE
THE COLDEST MJ MOMENT 04
THE TRUST THAT STARTED EVERYTHING
Dean Smith Called A Play For A Freshman.
Dean Smith was the most conservative coach in college basketball. He ran the Carolina
system, controlled possessions, and almost never put the ball in a freshman's hands for a
championship shot. With 15 seconds left in the 1982 title game against Georgetown, Smith
drew up a play for 19-year-old Michael Jordan. The trust was extraordinary. Jordan hit the
shot and later said it was the moment he learned he could be the one to take the last shot.
Every game-winner after that — The Shot, The Last Shot, all of them — traces back to
Dean Smith trusting a freshman in 1982.
He looked at me and said, 'Knock it in, Michael.' I did.
— MICHAEL JORDAN, ON DEAN SMITH'S PLAY CALL IN THE 1982 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
THE MJ STAT VAULT 05
FINAL SCORE — UNC OVER GEORGETOWN
JORDAN'S AGE WHEN HE HIT THE NCAA
(1982)
19 CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER 63-62
Jordan's jumper with 15 seconds left.
Freshman. Georgetown. 1982. The
Patrick Ewing was on the other side. The
moment that started everything.
rivalry started early.
YEARS AT UNC BEFORE ENTERING NBA POINTS + 15 REBOUNDS — FEB 12, 1985
DRAFT VS DETROIT
1981-84. Won a championship, won Player Rookie season. The college-era complete
of the Year twice, left as the #3 pick. Most player showing up in the NBA. 49 points
successful 3-year college career ever. and 15 rebounds from a guard.
#23 JERSEY NUMBER AT UNC AND IN THE NBA
Wore 23 at Carolina. Kept it in Chicago. The number is retired in both buildings.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Terry Porter
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS · 1985–2003
15.6 PPG · 7.4 APG IN PRIME YEARS
The Point Guard Of The Team That Should Have Beaten Jordan In 1992
Terry Porter ran the Portland Trail Blazers teams that reached the 1990 and 1992 NBA Finals. In 1990 they
lost to Detroit. In 1992 they lost to Jordan — the Shrug Game series. Porter's Blazers led Game 6 by 15 points
in the third quarter. Jordan went on a 17-0 run. The Blazers never recovered. Porter's career — three All-Star
appearances, 16 seasons of elite point guard play — exists entirely in the context of what might have been.
The Jordan Connection: If Jordan's Bulls hadn't erased that 15-point lead in Game 6 of the 1992 Finals, Porter
might be remembered as the PG of a championship team. Instead he's the point guard of the team Jordan's
Shrug Game eliminated.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
MJ MONDAYS The Jordan Era · 1984–2003
Every Monday. No exceptions.