When A 17 Year Old Michael Jordan Met His Equal At A Basketball Camp

in the summer of 1980 the most elite high school basketball players in the country gathered together at the annual 5-star basketball camp at 5-star these top high school players would showcase their skills to college scouts and learn from the most prestigious minds in basketball history over the years the 5-star basketball camp has hosted dozens of all-time greats LeBron James Kevin Durant Chris Paul Dwyane Wade Stefan curry Vince Carter Carmelo Anthony and it's 54 year history if you were a top high school prospect you were at this camp since 1966 the 5-star basketball camp has featured over 500 future NBA players and over 10,000 Division one players and in 1980 the camp's talent pool was loaded Patrick Ewing Chris Mullin Dominique Wilkins and one of the younger players in the camp a relatively unknown six foot six inch high school sophomore out of Maryland named Len Bias in 1980 Len Bias was still a raw naturally gifted and freakishly athletic phenom who felt lucky enough to get invited to the camp just six years later bias would go on to be a college basketball legend and a second overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft Bias had just wrapped up his sophomore season at Northwestern high school with his teammate and fellow High School standout Brian Waller but being a relatively new face in the elite basketball circuit Bias spent his first few weeks at camp getting to know some of the other camp attendees with the help of a camp counselor bias and Waller were introduced to the camp's brightest young talent one of the players bias met in his first week of camp was a skinny 17 year old shooting guard out of North Carolina a 6-foot 5 inch high school junior who was also an unknown at the time the kid introduced himself to bias as black ice but you may know him by his other name Michael Jordan Jordan and bhayya spent the next few weeks together at Camp learning from one another growing their games together and eventually becoming friends bias who grew up just 2 miles outside of the University of Maryland campus even gave Jordan some Maryland two of the most talented players in the country but their friendship went far beyond this summer camp in the following years Jordan and Baez stayed in touch in 1982 when Bias was a senior in high school he and Brian Waller met with Michael Jordan and a friend at a University of Maryland football game of course their competitive nature didn't take long to kick in and before the football game was even over bias Jordan and their two friends left the game to play some two on two years later Brian Waller proudly stated that he and bias beat Jordan and his friend little did these two phenoms know they would spend the next two years going head-to-head while climbing the ladder of all-time great generational talents in the mid 80s just a few years after they met at that camp it was all Len Bias and Michael Jordan everyone else was in a race for third place but in February of 1984 during the rise of these two legends they had a matchup for the ages and let's just say only one of them came out on top [Music] by 1983 Michael Jordan was well on his way to being one of the best collegiate players in the country he already won an NCAA championship with the Tar Heels and hit a shot that immediately turned Michael Jordan into a household name meanwhile bias was just beginning his collegiate career coming off the bench for a solid maryland squad and on february 12 1983 the two friends would face off in a regular season matchup that fans would soon not forget they'd get it back to even it's good [Applause] michael jordan girl at Dorney right back out Michael Jordan for three his son North Carolina by three minutes 24 left and a half Michael Jordan has that consists the deck Michael Michael Jordan baseline [Music] Len Bias over having a word with his coach lefty Duracell this and he gets fouled now he should have shot this ball right here once he got fall instead of passing off just plain white marijuana oh look come on five this half [Applause] shut up I just pulled a short rebound taken by by prey why they haven't tried to temple the game Jordan takes it away from zombie a sophomore Michael Jordan came out blistering-hot scoring 15 points in the first half the kid was absolutely lighting Maryland up on offense and shutting down the Terps on defense there wasn't a 30 second stretch throughout this entire game where Mike didn't do something spectacular in a game that featured six future NBA players four of which would go on to be top four picks in the NBA Draft MJ was far and away the best player on the court but while Jordan was single-handedly keeping the Tar Heels in the game Len Bias was just getting off the bench as a freshman Len hadn't earned a starting position yet and there was no real comparison between him and Jordan in the end MJ finished with 21 points Baez had 11 to go along with a sick dunk that had Brad Daugherty ducking for cover Mike was clearly the better player and had a one-year head start on bias in college but it was a one-year gap that bias quickly closed in on it in his sophomore campaign because the very next season biased went from a role playing freshman to a sophomore superstar 11 months after their 1983 matchup Len Bias and Michael Jordan were set to face off again and this time bias was ready at that time in the ACC there were three guys that stood out above everybody else Michael Jordan Ralph Sampson and Len Bias [Applause] we will this time [Music] Boyka default rate get the ball back already and bias will happen the top of the fifth 16-point Matt Doherty dumps it outside the Michael Jordan he Michael Jordan upper floor we're going to move by Jordan no amazed me he gets to the open spot Lenny bias who's had such a big ballgame playing the question enjoy sir guess that is a pretty fitting end of the ball game [Applause] [Music] took a look at the clock with two seconds left up and again with the rave about in an epic showdown against two of the best teams in the country Len Bias and Michael Jordan put on an absolute clinic going back and forth the entire game Mike comes down and hits a ridiculous layup bias comes back and knocks down a silky-smooth jumper Mike throws down a monster dunk by this comes down and goes right back at it these guys were putting on a show by this point Mike was well known for his uncanny flair and incredible abilities but for the first time in michael's collegiate career he was sharing the floor with a player that was even more electric than he was the same kid that Mike had built a friendship with just four years ago was now putting buckets on his head bias scored a career high 24 points and actually outscored Mike this was rare fans knew they were witnessing the beginning of a legitimate rivalry later that season bias led Maryland to an ACC Tournament championship while earning tournament MVP honors as a sophomore and MJ was holding up his end of the rivalry by leading the Tar Heels to a perfect 40 nno conference record lifting UNC to the number one spot in the country for 15 straight weeks and winning just about every award college basketball has to offer but you know damn well the story doesn't end there Michael knew the NBA Draft was just a few months away and being the psychotically competitive winner that he was Mike refused to go out getting punked by his friend and younger rival so On February 19 1984 in their last college matchup Michael Jordan made it his obligation to let Len Bias know off the court we could be the best of friends but on it bias was just another guy in New Jersey Mike was out for revenge you know I'm not saying he wasn't a threat but me being compared to him I took offense to it's for to Carolina Jordan [Applause] mario's leadeth Jordan with a move on the baseline wide open his bias who [Applause] my ass is left alone again and Jordans accept the bow [Applause] Sam Jordan is free from the side [Applause] three freshmen pulls up leaves Coleman alone and John in the replays [Applause] Hale Jordan Watson he's 60 [Applause] Jordan improving his life anytime there's Jordan again puffle he has the MBA salivating his play [Music] let's watch a nobody wants to do his thing the past is unbelievable inhale is a basic athlete talk about in the last game Jordan and bias would ever play each other Mike scorched Marilyn for 25 points and seven rebounds on 71 percent shooting bias put up a noble effort dropping 16 points but it became clearer than ever at least in that moment Michael Jordan was the superior player now bias was elite in fact Len Bias was the second best player in the entire conference but MJ was on a tear of his own he was too smooth too explosive too accurate and too much to handle at only 21 years old Jordan already looked like a seasoned vet and even as the overwhelming force that he was Len Bias still had work to do over the next two seasons while MJ was making the NBA look like a rec league Len was honing in on his skills at the college level and improving by the day making huge strides towards becoming a future NBA superstar and earning praise that you very rarely see from a college player after spending four seasons at Maryland winning two Player of the Year awards and terrorizing college basketball Len Bias was drafted with the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft of course most of us are all too familiar with how this story ends a player that was truly destined to be one of the greats gone before he could even play his first NBA game many fans speculate on the legacy that could have been Vitus was drafted to a Celtics team that had just won an NBA title nine days prior bias could have been the extra piece the franchise needed to carry their success into the late 80s and 90s he could have been the NBA rival that Michael Jordan never had I mean some players attempted to rise to the occasion very few found success but no one really challenged MJ once he reached his peak Charles Barkley vanquished Gary Payton repressed Isaiah Thomas is the only player to really give Jordan a run for his money but once MJ found success in the league Isaiah never won again the manufactured Michael Jordan Clyde Drexler rivalry literally offended Michael Reggie Miller had some moments but MJ always had bigger ones there wasn't a single player that could actually go toe to toe with Jordan acceptable and bias fans that witnessed bias and action believe he could have been the player to challenge Jordan throughout the 90s but we'll never know and the legend of Michael Jordan grows stronger but the legend of Len Bias is still alive and well the kid who not only held his own against Jordan but was one of very few to come within reach of the goat the same kid who showed up to a basketball camp 40 years ago made friends with a fellow high school Hooper and lit a violently bright but brief flame hope you all enjoyed and as always until next time [Music]

Channel: JxmyHighroller

Views: 4,443,494

Rating: 4.9063277 out of 5

Keywords: LeBron James, LA Lakers, House of Highlights, ESPN, NBA highlights, Zion Williamson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Highroller, Lamelo Ball, James Harden, Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, Stephen A Smith, NBA trash talk, NBA suspended, Michael Jordan highlights, Chicago Bulls, The Last Dance Documentary, Wilt Chamberlain, NBA playoffs, Buzzer Beaters, Highest Vertical jump, Michael Jordan best plays, Michael Jordan high school, NBA returning, Orlando, Disney World NBA

Id: Ehzuq42wB88

Length: 13min 44sec (824 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 30 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/Gh0stIcon]

I'll save you a click. He didn't.

[u/moonlava]

I love seeing old footage of MJ that I've never seen before.

[u/luka2020mvp]

and then it became personal.

[u/tayroarsmash]

God damn. Jordan introducing himself as Black Ice is weird as hell.

[u/CrazedGamerEye]

We were robbed of seeing this rivalry enter the NBA because of a drug overdose. Such a sad ending to what could have been.

[u/[deleted]]

And his equal was a 3’4” little person. What a shame.