THE DREAM TEAM

            The 1992 Olympic Men's Basketball Team was one of the greatest teams ever assembled in sports. Their impact on and off the court was outstanding. "The Dream Team" beat every opponent by an average of 44 points. Their total dominance was the complete opposite of the last Olympic team. Because of international basketball guidelines, this was the first year that NBA players were able to participate in the games. Because of this change, more fans attended basketball games and other teams were star struck by the caliber of players that they were able to compete against. This team was very impactful in many ways. They opened the door for more professionals to be included in the Olympics and also fueled more international players to want to be a part of the NBA.

I think what made this team so significant was that although in previous years other professionals from other countries were able to compete in the Olympics, NBA players were banned. NBA players saw this to be very unfair. Once they were able to showcase to the world their abilities they held nothing back. Establishing dominance was just as important as winning because of the embarrassing bronze medal that the United States took home in the previous Olympic Games.

While assembling this team full of all stars, the players did not yet realize the impact they would have on the world. During that time they saw this as an opportunity to come together with future hall of famers and represent their country. As the dream team was coming into its own, it was a little tough assembling everyone’s egos because all of the players were so dominate on their individual teams. However, Coach Daly was known for being able to manage stars with egos. He did an elite job of getting everyone to come together as a unit. The main thing that everyone thought would be an issue was MJ and Coach Daly’s relationship. Because Daly coached the Bulls arch rival, the Detroit Pistons who were also known as the “bad boys” no one knew if they would be able to get along. As it turned out, Coach Daly and Jordan bonded throughout the experience. They golfed together just about every day. Michael even said Coach Daly scheduled their practices around their golfing time. Jordan says the times spent with Coach Daly are some of his most cherished moments of the 1992 Olympics.

When the dream team arrived in Barcelona, a lot of people assumed the dream team chose not to stay in the Olympic village because they were "big shots.” However, they were receiving death threats. To ensure the safety of the athletes they stayed in a luxury hotel. Fans would line up outside of the hotel every night to be closer to some of the world’s greatest athletes. And even though the team was in Barcelona to take care of business and win gold, they made sure they enjoyed themselves. Many of the players got hardly any sleep because they were up so late partying and enjoying Barcelona. To be able to perform at such a high level while staying out all night made their success even more memorable. Coach Daly says he did not incorporate a curfew because he would have had to follow it. He was out as well enjoying the night life of Barcelona.

The United States was so dominant because of their ability to share the basketball and come together as a team. Not to mention the physical freaks of nature they were. The smallest person on the team was John Stockton who stood at 6’1 and 175 lbs. The largest was David Robinson at 7’1 and 235 lbs. This USA team was simply stronger, faster, and more athletic than any team that stepped on the floor with them. The members of the dream team often credit a lot of their success to the fact that they were able to create such good chemistry between one another. They were able to enjoy each other off the court and create tighter bonds and lasting friendships. Many described watching the dream team was like a performance. They were so in sync with one another that it seemed as if they had all been teammates for years. What they were able to pull together and do over the little time they had was remarkable.

Most say the most memorable face of this 92’ dream team was their leading scorer Charles Barkley. Charles averaged 18 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assist per game. Barkley was also well known for his attitude and his flamboyant tactics with the media. There was a questionable elbow by Barkley against an Angola player. Barkley claims he was being elbowed and hit first. The other members of the team had to let him know that they did not want the name of being “the ugly Americans” so he had to control his emotions. Other than this incident Barkley steered clear of negative attention from the media during this time. In fact, although people advised the players not to roam in the city alone for safety reasons; Barkley was one of the only members who decided to do so anyway. Barkley became a man of the people while walking through the streets of Barcelona. The fans loved him for this. He described his experience of roaming through the streets of Barcelona as incredible and that the people were fantastic. Everyone wanted pictures and autographs and the feeling was very surreal. Charles even went over to the Olympic Village and hung out with players from other teams. Charles was described as America’s best ambassador during this Olympic time. Charles realized that this Olympic experience was an equivalent to winning an NBA Championship, which he was never able to do, LOL!

The next game for USA would be the huge story. Their opponent was Croatia which was also Toni Kukoc’s team. Toni had recently been picked up by the Chicago Bulls and received a larger contract than Scottie Pippen. This is not something that sat well with Michael and Scottie. They wanted to use this opportunity to show that Toni was not needed for the success of the Bulls. Pippen and Jordan took turns guarding Toni throughout the game. Their goal was to harass Kukoc the entire game. MJ and Pippen certainly got the best out of Kukoc and made the game extremely frustrating for him. Toni finished the game with 4 points and 7 turnovers.

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the only two players who retired after the Olympics. This was their last opportunity to be able to play in front of the world as well as their fans. Magic and Larry had become really great friends after being drafted into the league the same year. Their chemistry stood out on the court. This time was so special to Magic because he had just recently announced that he was living with HIV and doctors had just cleared him to participate in the Olympic Games. During the late 80s and early 90s there was not much knowledge about this disease, so there were a lot of people against the idea of Johnson participating in the games. But for Magic this was indeed a special time and going home with the gold medal would complete his career. Larry was starting to battle with the injury bug so he knew that after the Olympic Games this was it for him. He also cherished these last moments of playing the game he loved. Larry and Magic described this experience as some of the greatest times of their career.

Michael Jordan, who is of course known as the best player in the history of basketball had a strong influence on pulling this team together. Michael was reluctant to participate at first and even wanted find a gracious way to decline. Jordan did not understand why it was so important for him to be a part of the games until he was actually there. After a talk with NBA executive Rod Thorn he warmed up to the idea. Michael said he would commit to playing if the league’s other top players planned to participate. MJ had the largest single-handed impact on fans around the world. The other members of the dream team had never seen any celebrity have such a huge effect on fans the way Michael Jordan did. His popularity globally was impeccable. The reactions and emotions he pulls out of people when they saw him was mind blowing. Jordan was by far the team’s largest superstar.

Other players from around the world were so amazed by the play of these athletes that during games they would take pictures and shake the hands of these players. Even after being beaten by 40 or more points they would ask for autographs and pictures. However, the dominating performance by the U.S. impacted the role of international players in the game today. As predicted by a famous international player, Drazen Petrovic, the USA team was defeated 20 years later in the World Championships. And as we see today international teams have a much more significant role in the NBA. The San Antonio Spurs who just won the NBA championship is full of international players. Because of the dream team, players of other nations are starting to take the game by force.

Overall, the dream team is a historic moment that will probably never be replicated. This team set the standard for USA basketball; they changed the play of international players, inspired fans all over the world, and made the 1992 Olympics so magical for the United States. As Magic Johnson said, “If this is how it’s going to end, this is how I wanted to go out.” Their impact lifted basketball, and made the game so much more global today. This was a moment in Olympic history that can never be forgotten.

-EBHoops