There have been plenty of “what ifs” in NBA history. What if Derrick Rose would’ve stayed healthy? Would he be in the discussion for the greatest point guard of all time?

Or what about Greg Oden? Many fans and analysts believed he’d be the next dominant big man in the game.

There was Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Brandon Roy, and many other players who had so much potential but in most cases, injuries ruined their careers.

What if I told you none of the above-mentioned players had a bigger upside than a certain college star who never played a single minute in the NBA?

The player I’m talking about was a man by the name of Leonard Kevin Bias… you may know him by the name, Len Bias.

Bias was born on November 18, 1963. He grew up in Landover, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C.

Bias attended Northwestern High School, and he quickly became a high school star. In 1982, Bias led his team, the Wildcats, into the Maryland State AA Finals.

Bias averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds per game while shooting 68% from the floor. His sensational play earned him the Washington Post First Team All-Met choice.

Bias was also selected to the Capital All-Stars Team for the 9th Annual Capital Classic. In the Capital Classic, Bias scored 18 while grabbing 11 rebounds.

The Capital All-Stars won the big game 82-79 against the U.S. All-Stars. Bias, along with teammate, Johnny Dawkins, would be named co-MVPs for the game.

With high school out of his way, Bias now had his eyes set on playing college ball. Top schools around the nation wanted him to join their team, yet Bias decided to stay close to home.

The University of Maryland welcomed Len Bias to the school and the college team in 1982. After being a star player in high school, Bias intended to be a star in college.

Bias’ first year at the University of Maryland didn’t go quite the way he attended it too. He only played 22 minutes per game and scored 7.1 per game.

By his second year at the University of Maryland, Bias started to show everyone why there was so much hype around him coming out of high school.

Bias’ scoring rose to 15.3, and he shot 56.7% from the field. It wasn’t just the high percent he shot, it was the way he scored the basketball.

Len Bias attacked the rim like no other player of his size has ever done in college basketball. Bias, standing at 6’8 and weighing 210 pounds, attacked the hoop like Shawn Kemp.

He also had a sweet jump shot that Kemp never could develop himself. On top of his offense, Bias was a versatile defender.

Bias would continue to improve in his junior and senior years. He averaged 18.9 points on 52.8% shooting as a junior and 23.2 points on 54.4% shooting as a senior.

Bias’ accolades include two ACC Player of the Year awards, two All-ACC First Team selections, and All-America honors in 1985 and 1986.

In an interview with Duke Blue Devils head coach, Mike Krzyzewski, he had this to say about the best players he’s ever coached against:

“In the 40 years I’ve [coached] at Duke, the two opponents that were the most talented were Michael [Jordan] and Len Bias. They had the ‘it’.”

In the early 1980s, Michael Jordan was known as the best college basketball player in the country. Bias quickly made it known he was right up there with Jordan.

Some people even called Bias a “bigger Jordan” because of their similar playing style, yet Bias stood two inches taller.

All you need to do is to watch highlights of Bias to see the hype was legit. Bias was THAT GOOD.

Bias and Jordan played against each other four times in their careers. Even though Jordan’s Tar Heels won three out of the four matchups, Bias showed he could “hang” with Jordan.

Len Bias vs. Michael Jordan

The first matchup between Bias and Jordan took place on January 12, 1983.

Jordan finished with 21 points, while Bias, who came off the bench, scored 11. North Carolina defeated Maryland 72-71.

The second meeting between the two would be played on February 16, 1983. Once again, Jordan would start for North Carolina, while Bias came off the bench for Maryland.

Jordan got off to an incredible start with 15 points in the first half. He looked unstoppable and Maryland’s coach, Lefty Driesell, had a serious question for his team at halftime:
“Is there anybody in this room that can guard Michael Jordan?”

Bias’ teammate, Herman Veal, raised his hand, ready to take on the challenge.

Veal’s lockdown defense held Jordan scoreless for the first 14 minutes of the second half. But Veal wasn’t the only one who clamped down on Jordan.

Bias also took a few possessions guarding Jordan, and he played him well.

Maryland defeated North Carolina, 106-94, which broke Maryland’s six-game losing streak to North Carolina. It was also North Carolina’s first loss in the ACC that year.

Jordan ended up with 25 points while Bias only scored 6, but he had an incredible alley-oop dunk over top of Brad Daugherty.

The third meeting and first of the 1983-84 season took place on January 12th, 1984.

North Carolina would take this game, winning 74-62. Jordan had another solid game with 21. Bias, even in defeat, showed the world he was developing into the next star player in NCAA basketball.

Bias scored 24 points, including 16 in the first half. He looked unstoppable at times, but Jordan would be ready for the next game.

The final meeting between the two occurred on February 19th, 1984. North Carolina easily defeated Maryland in this game, 78-63.

Jordan scored 25 points while shooting 71% from the field. Bias scored a quiet 15 points in this game.