DimeLabs — 1984-85 Rookie · Empty Arena

Front · Original Carl V. Sissac B&W press print

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Back · Carl V. Sissac copyright stamp

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Back — Carl V. Sissac copyright stamp

The same photographer as the 1984–85 Rookie Dunk (PSA #84309756) also in the DimeLabs collection. Two Sissac prints from the same rookie season — together they form the most complete photographic record of Jordan's first year in Chicago that exists in a private collection.

Before anyone knew

The Chicago Bulls drew 6,365 fans per game in the 1984–85 season. That was Michael Jordan's rookie year. The team had been struggling for years. The city of Chicago had given up on professional basketball. Jordan arrived — drafted third overall, fresh from the Olympics, wearing a number that would become the most famous in the sport — and played in front of seats that were largely empty.

Look at the background of this photograph. Look at the rows of unoccupied seats in the upper sections of Chicago Stadium. This is what it looked like. The greatest player in NBA history, in his first season, performing in a building that wasn't paying attention. Within three years those seats would be sold out. Within seven years Jordan would be standing in a champagne-soaked locker room holding the first of six championship trophies.

The empty seats are not a flaw in this photograph. They are the point. This is what Chicago basketball looked like before Michael Jordan made it matter. Nobody was watching. He did it anyway.

— DimeLabs · 1984–85 Empty Arena Type 1 · PSA Cert #85101605

Carl V. Sissac photographed this moment and stamped his copyright on the back. The same photographer whose work appears in the 1984–85 Rookie Dunk — also in the DimeLabs collection. Two prints from the same season, by the same photographer, from inside Chicago Stadium when almost no one else was looking. Together they are the most complete Sissac rookie-year photographic record in private hands.