New York Knicks: 10 best No. 3 picks in NBA Draft history

1. Michael Jordan, 1984

Slash Line: .497/.327/.835
Career Averages: 30.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 0.5 3PM

As if there as ever a doubt about the best No. 3 overall pick in NBA Draft history.

A player who tormented the New York Knicks in the ’90s, Michael Jordan was not a No. 1 pick in 1984. It was the same class as Hakeem Olajuwon, who went first that year, but the Portland Trail Blazers infamously chose Sam Bowie second.

What a mistake that was.

Jordan elevated himself from playing on North Carolina teams that held him back, with 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists in his first year. Obviously, it became enough to make Jordan the 1984-85 NBA Rookie of the Year, but it was only the start.

An injury-plagued second year took Jordan off the court for all but 18 games. However, the Chicago Bulls still made the postseason, featuring Jordan’s 63 points in a Game 2 loss to the Boston Celtics. That became his coming out party, setting up long-term greatness.

Jordan followed up with a career-high 37.1 points per game in just his third year. Six straight years of 30-plus points continued, with All-Star Game appearances along the way, and it finally led to a title in 1991, the first of six in this decade for the Bulls.

What else needs to be said for Jordan? The six titles, laundry list of scoring accolades, four MVP awards and any other honor he accumulated over 15 years built the legacy of an NBA legend and by far the best No. 3 pick in draft history.