NBA TV Documentary ‘The 1984 Draft’ to Premiere on June 9

Thirty years after the historic 1984 NBA Draft, in which five—count ’em F-I-V-E—future Hall of Famers were drafted comes a documentary from NBA TV, “THE84DRAFT.” Set to premiere during the Finals, on June 9 at 9 p.m. EST, the film pays tribute to arguably the best draft class the NBA has ever seen. Check out the trailer here and read the details from NBA TV:

Hosted by Lakers star point guard Steve Nash, “THE84DRAFT” will examine how the 1984 NBA Draft ushered in four of the ‘50 Greatest Players in NBA History.’ The eight-time NBA All-Star and member of his own historic 1996 draft class will provide his insights into players he both looked up to and faced early in his career, beginning with the class’ first overall selection Hakeem Olajuwon.  Two picks later, Chicago tabbed a high-flying, dynamic guard Michael Jordan, who would later transcend the game and lead the Bulls and the league to new heights.  Two additional legends — Charles Barkley and John Stockton — would also be selected in the first round. 

 

The film will include interviews with several of those closely associated with the draft while offering perspective on the class’ unique footprint on the game today.  It will also tell the stories of the draftees during their first years of their careers when Jordan began to fly, Barkley first showed signs of his larger than life personality and Stockton emerged to become one of the greatest setup men on the NBA stage.

 

In a draft that also included All-Stars Alvin Robertson, Otis Thorpe and Kevin Willis, the 1984 class also has the compelling stories of 10th overall pick Leon Wood, who would go on to become a respected referee; and 70th selection Rick Carlisle, who took his on-court experience of winning an NBA title with the Boston Celtics as a player to courtside as the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks where he led the team to its first championship. In addition, the class featured its fifth Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Schmidt, who never played in the NBA, but became a star on the international stage, competing in five Olympics for Brazil and becoming one of the top scorers in basketball history. Finally, there was Daniel Trant, the last pick in the draft, whose poignant story resonates well beyond the stat sheet and the sports pages.