Don’t know why this just popped up in my head this morning, but just made me wonder as a young person in my 20s. I’ve watched the Jordan/NBA documentaries as we all have, and as I understand it NBA, and basketball in general, was not very well known internationally until Jordan came about.

I’ve also heard that previously NBA had a reputation of being “urban,” in a bad way that carried negative connotations to it, which dissuaded some of America from becoming followers of NBA. If I’m correct, this supposedly changed a lot during Bird/Magic era and Jordan era was simply so captivating that everybody started paying attention to it and got past the stigma.

But these are more like historical facts, and I want to hear first-hand accounts from older fans of NBA who actually witnessed the era. Do you have any anecdotes that made you really feel the difference once Jordan came? Would love to hear.