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\u201cHe is a complete player. I didn\u2019t expect to see such a scorer from Europe, especially from your country,\u201d Jordan told reporters after the game. Credit: Public domain\/Greek Reporter illustration<\/p>\n
The two basketball legends, Michael Jordan and Nick Galis, played in what would be one of the most epic games in history.<\/p>\n
Michael Jordan is considered by specialists and fans as the best basketball player of all time; his rise to fame began when he played for the University of North Carolina from 1981 to 1984, when he was named the best rookie player of the season (ACC Freshman of the Year), which was the first step in his brilliant career. In those days, Jordan found himself playing against Greece<\/a>\u2019s own basketball legend, Nikos (Nick) Galis.<\/p>\n Greek basketball legend Nick Galis<\/p>\n Galis was not only the best Greek basketball player; he is the man who singlehandedly made Greeks love the sport of basketball<\/a>. He was named one of FIBA\u2019s 50 Greatest Players in 1991, was an inaugural member of the FIBA<\/a> Hall of Fame, and was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors in 2008.<\/p>\n He led Greece in winning the Eurobasket Championship in 1987, driving millions of Greeks crazy for the sport, and for him as a player.<\/p>\n Galis is widely regarded as one of Europe\u2019s greatest scorers to ever play the game, as well as one of the all-time greatest players in FIBA international basketball history. In 2017, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n The Greek superstar came to play against \u201cAir\u201d in October 20, 1983, when the University of North Carolina team traveled to play a friendly game against Greece\u2019s national team on Alexandreio Court in Thessaloniki<\/a>.<\/p>\n Michael Jordan vs Nick Galis: An epic game<\/p>\n For Greek fans, the game was a rare showcase, watching an American team play against Greece\u2019s finest. At the time, Galis was 26 and a must-see for all sports fans. Jordan was only 20, but he was already the king of the court, scoring 34 points against Galis\u2019 24 points.<\/p>\n North Carolina won 100-83 that night, but young Jordan was nonetheless impressed by Galis\u2019 performance. \u201cHe is a complete player. I didn\u2019t expect to see such a scorer from Europe, especially from your country,\u201d Jordan told reporters after the game.<\/p>\n A video of that game found its way into Nikos Galis\u2019 archives, and he released it to the public in recent years. The video was intended for the archive of the legendary coach Dean Smith, who led North Carolina in those glory years. The video quality is good, but unfortunately, there is no sound with the film.<\/p>\n