March 16--At a press conference to promote Los Angeles' bid for the 2024 Olympic Games, Carl Lewis was introduced as a four-time Olympian, nine-time gold medalist -- and a Chicago Bulls' draft pick.
In 1984, the Bulls drafted Lewis with the 208th pick, the second selection of the 10th round, 10 rounds after picking Michael Jordan.
"It was one of those years," Lewis said last week. "It was an experience that only a few lucky people only have once. We were all so young, I was 22. It was amazing, the same draft as Michael."
Two months earlier, the Cowboys had drafted Lewis in the 10th round of the NFL draft. "They were ceremonial picks," Lewis said. "It became like the 'in' thing to do. Let's draft Carl."
Lewis said he never traveled to Chicago to meet with the team or the front office.
But he and Michael Jordan later reunited, at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where Lewis won four gold medals and Jordan won one.
