When Topps left the basketball card industry following its 1981-82 release, the only licensed NBA cards on the market from 1983 to ’85 came from the Star Company. Star produced much more limited quantities of its cards and had a slim distribution channel as opposed to their predecessor. Star's clear plastic packaging featured team sets or complete subsets, rather than including the usual assortment of cards from the checklist in wax packs. The company then sent the poly bags to dealers and accepted mail orders from around the country. Another unforeseen issue by Star that would later perplex Jordan collectors was that his card laid atop Bulls team sets. This would end up subjecting the now highly coveted MJ cards to shifting and stacking that occurred as employees stocked the cards and consumers handled them.

This is the first of M.J.'s Star cards and in many cirlces is considered his true rookie example. The reverse side lists the stats he compiled during his three seasons at UNC. At the time, his title-clinching shot in the 1982 NCAA final seemed like a once-in-a-career event. Little did collectors know it was just the beginning of one of the most momentous careers in sports history.

This particular copy boasts a PSA NM 7 grade and has very strong corners, borders, color/image and centering.  As of this writing, there are only 85 copies in this grade with a mere 44 graded higher. This rookie card is much more scarce and difficult to acquire as opposed to the thousands upon thousands of '86 Fleer rookie examples available to the public.