1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team

The 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, nicknamed the "Dream Team", was the first American Olympic team to feature active professional players from the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team has been described by American journalists as the greatest sports team ever assembled.[1][2] The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame called the team "the greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet".[3] At the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, the team defeated its opponents by an average of 44 points en route to the gold medal against Croatia.[4] Chuck Daly served as coach, assisted by Lenny Wilkens, P. J. Carlesimo, and Mike Krzyzewski.[5]

Forming the team

Background

Traditionally composed of amateur players, the U.S. dominated the first decades of international basketball, winning a record seven consecutive Olympic gold medals. However, by the end of the 1980s, American amateurs were no longer competitive against seasoned professionals from the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.[6][7][8] In 1989, FIBA, international basketball's governing body, modified its rules and allowed USA Basketball to field teams with National Basketball Association players, over Soviet votes against the proposal. FIBA Secretary General Borislav Stanković advocated for this for years.[9][10]

Selections

Utah Jazz teammates Karl Malone (top) and John Stockton (bottom) were chosen due to their strong on-court chemistry and individual prowess.

USA Basketball asked the NBA to supply players for its 1992 roster;[11] the league was initially unenthusiastic, not foreseeing the cultural phenomenon that the team would become.[12] Sports Illustrated was the first to nickname the forthcoming American roster as the "Dream Team," on the cover of its February 18, 1991, issue.[9][11]

The first ten players for the team were officially selected on September 21, 1991: Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls, John Stockton and Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz, Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks, Chris Mullin of the Golden State Warriors, David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs, and Charles Barkley of the Philadelphia 76ers.[13] Most of the players were at or near the peaks of their NBA careers.[14] Bird had back trouble, but was selected due to the team's historic nature. Robinson had played with the 1988 Olympic team, and was eager to earn a gold medal at Barcelona.[15] Johnson was retained despite his retirement from the Lakers in November 1991 due to having tested positive for HIV. His teammates expected Johnson to die from the disease, and he later described his selection for the Olympics as "almost like a life saver," evidence that he could still overcome the illness and live a productive life.[9] Ewing, Jordan, and Mullin had won gold at the 1984 games but Malone, for instance, had not made the team and had seen his non-selection in 1984 as a challenge.[12]

Clyde Drexler of the Portland Trail Blazers and Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons were the candidates for the final professional roster spot.[12] Drexler was added to the team on May 12, 1992, with Christian Laettner of Duke University. As an acknowledgment to the previous amateur system, the US basketball committee decided to include one collegiate player on the team, filling the final roster spot.[16][17] Laettner was the only player without any professional experience, and was chosen over Louisiana State University's Shaquille O'Neal for the final spot on the roster.[18]

Jordan declined Daly's suggestion that he serve as the public face of the team, and Bird and Johnson were selected as co-captains.[9] At the time of the 1992 Olympics, these three superstars over the previous 13 seasons combined for 10 NBA championships, 7 NBA Finals MVPs, and 8 regular season MVPs.

Isiah Thomas left off team

There was speculation that Thomas was not part of the team because Jordan would participate only if Thomas was not on the roster. In the book Dream Team, author Jack McCallum quotes Jordan as saying, "Rod, I don’t want to play if Isiah Thomas is on the team," to Team USA selection committee member Rod Thorn.[19] There was a widely held belief at the time that Jordan did not like Thomas because he was seen as the "ring leader" of the Detroit Pistons teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s, known as the "Bad Boys", that employed overtly physical tactics against Jordan in the NBA Playoffs that were meant to throw Jordan off of his game. Thomas is also alleged to have led a group of NBA veterans that refused to pass to Jordan in the 1985 NBA All-Star Game, in Jordan's rookie season.

After the selection of the first ten members of the team, Johnson released an official statement in support of Thomas, but years later it was discovered that his support was less than enthusiastic. In the book When the Game Was Ours, Johnson said, "Isiah killed his own chances when it came to the Olympics. Nobody on that team wanted to play with him."[20] Stockton broke a bone in his leg, and it healed very quickly. But initially they were going to replace him, and it was going to be Joe Dumars. Thomas was not even going to be the first substitute. [21]

Laettner makes team over O'Neal

Christian Laettner (pictured in 2014) was chosen to represent college athletics.

The selection of Laettner to the Olympic team over O'Neal has increasingly become a source of controversy because of O'Neal's later accomplishments in the NBA. The selection committee considered several college players including Harold Miner, Jimmy Jackson, and Alonzo Mourning in addition to O'Neal and Laettner.[22] O'Neal was the number-one pick in the 1992 NBA draft, but Laettner was by far the more accomplished college player. He won consecutive National Championships on the Duke Blue Devils in 1991 and 1992, was the Naismith College Player of the Year, and hit the game-winning shot in the 1992 NCAA Eastern Regional final. Although O'Neal was a two time Consensus NCAA First Team All-American in 1991 and 1992, his team lost in the second round of the 1992 NCAA Men's Tournament. Laettner's college success is ultimately what secured his position on the team.[23]

Success on the court

Early scrimmages

To help the team prepare for the Olympics, a squad of the best NCAA college players was formed to scrimmage them. USA Basketball selected players whose style of play, it hoped, would resemble that of the Europeans the Dream Team would face. Members included the penetrating guard Bobby Hurley, all-around players Grant Hill and Penny Hardaway, outside shooter Allan Houston, and the tough Chris Webber and Eric Montross.[9] Hill and Hardaway would play for the 1996 national team, and Houston on the 2000 team.[24][25] In late June the Dream Team first met together in La Jolla, California, astounding and intimidating the collegians who watched them practice. However, on June 24, the Dream Team lost to the NCAA team, 62–54, after underestimating the opposition.[12] Daly intentionally limited Jordan's playing time and made non-optimal substitutions; Krzyzewski later said that the head coach "threw the game" to teach the NBA players that they could be beaten. The teams played again the following day, with the Olympians winning decisively in the rematch.[26] Some of the college players visited Jordan's hotel room afterward and asked their hero for his personal items as souvenirs.[12]

Tournament of the Americas

The Dream Team made its international debut on June 28 at the Tournament of the Americas, an Olympic qualifying event in Portland, Oregon.[12] The team defeated Cuba 136–57, prompting Cuban coach Miguel Calderón Gómez to say, "You can't cover the sun with your finger."[27] Marv Albert, who announced the game, recalled that "it was as if [the Americans] were playing a high school team, or grade school team. They were so overwhelming ... a blowout after blowout."[9] The Cubans were the first of many opponents who were more interested in taking photos with the Americans than playing them.[12] The next five games were also easy victories for Team USA, which ended the tournament on July 5 with a 127–80 victory over Venezuela in the championship game to win the tournament and be one of four Americas squads to qualify for the Olympics.[28]

Olympics

The team trained for the Olympics in Monaco for six days, practicing two hours a day and playing exhibition games against other national teams. During their time away from the court, the squad spent time enjoying the nude beaches, Monte Carlo's casinos,[14] and dining with royalty.[12] There was no curfew; as Daly stated, "I'm not putting in a curfew because I'd have to adhere to it, and Jimmy'z [a noted Monte Carlo nightclub] doesn't open until midnight".[14]

For one training session, the group divided into two teams: Blue (led by Johnson, with Barkley, Robinson, Mullin, and Laettner) and White (led by Jordan, with Malone, Ewing, Pippen, and Bird). Drexler and Stockton did not play because of injuries. Daly told the teams to play "All you got now. All you got." White won, 40 to 36, in what Jordan recalled as "the best game I was ever in" and Sports Illustrated later called "the Greatest Game Nobody Ever Saw".[14]

At the Olympics, the Dream Team stayed at a luxury Barcelona hotel instead of the Olympic Village due to security concerns.[12] Fans enthusiastically greeted the Americans; they gathered outside the hotel, hoping to see their favorite players. "It was like Elvis and the Beatles put together," Daly said.[29] Opposing basketball players and athletes from other sports often asked to have photographs taken with the players.[30][14] Barkley recalled, however, that the team received death threats:

In our hotel, you had to have a picture ID to get in there, and we went to the pool on the roof of the hotel, there was like 10 guys standing around with Uzis. So it was kind of funny, it was like: Girl in bikini; dude with an Uzi; girl in bikini; guy with Uzi. People thought we didn't want to stay in the Olympic Village because we wanted to be big shots, but it was because we were getting death threats. They had told us this would be considered great by one of these terrorist groups if they could take out the Dream Team.[31]

Barkley walked around the city alone despite the threats. When asked where his bodyguards were, he held up his fists and answered, "This is my security."[12] McCallum later described Barkley as "the number one U.S. Olympic ambassador" for his visits to La Rambla, where he met with adoring crowds.[9]

Charles Barkley proved controversial due to his aggressive gameplay and trash talking. He ended up being the highest-scoring member of the team.

Jordan was the only player who studied the opposition, carefully watching game tapes.[12] He and the other Americans enjoyed the opportunity to get to know each other in a casual setting, often playing cards all night and, for Jordan, playing several rounds of golf daily with little rest.[9]

Opposing teams were nonetheless overwhelmed by the talent of the American roster, losing by an average of 43.8 points per game. The Dream Team was the first to score more than 100 points in every game. Its 117.3 average was more than 15 points more than the 1960 US team.[32] Johnson later recalled, "I look to my right, there's Michael Jordan ... I look to my left, there's Charles Barkley or Larry Bird ... I didn't know who to throw the ball to!"[9][2] Herlander Coimbra of Angola, the Dream Team's first opponent, recalled that "those guys were on another level—a galaxy far, far away".[12]

During the team's first Olympic game against Angola, Barkley elbowed Coimbra in the chest and was unapologetic after the game, claiming he was hit first. Barkley was called for an intentional foul on the play. Coimbra's resulting free throw was the only point scored by Angola during a 46–1 run by the US.[33] Although this incident had no bearing on the final result (a 116–48 USA win), at the time there was a concern about the image of America to the rest of the world. After the game, Jordan said, "There just wasn't any place for it. We were dominating the game. It created mixed feelings, it caused a mixed reaction about the U.S. There's already some negative feelings about us." Even though this was the only incident of the game, it changed the narrative; instead of the Americans being viewed as a highly skilled team beating an underdog, some viewed them as bullies.[34][35] Marv Albert believed that the Americans used the Angola game to warn the other teams in the tournament.[9]

Daly started Jordan in every game, and Johnson started in five of the six games he played, missing two games because of knee problems.[36] Pippen, Mullin, Robinson, Ewing, Malone, and Barkley rotated in the other starting spots.[12] Barkley was the Dream Team's leading scorer during the Olympics, averaging 18.0 points per game,[31] although the player selection committee had been unsure of his inclusion, worried that he would not represent the United States well.[12]

The closest of the eight matches was Team USA's 117–85 victory over Croatia in the gold medal game. Croatia,[37] participating as an independent nation in the Olympics for the first time since its separation from the former Yugoslavia, briefly led the Dream Team by a score of 25–23 in the first half.[32] By the end of the game, Team USA had pulled away and Stockton agreed to a Croatian player's plea not to shoot.[38] Pippen and Jordan aggressively sought the opportunity to guard Toni Kukoč of Croatia. He had just signed a contract with the Bulls for more money than Pippen, who believed that the team's negotiation with the Croatian had delayed his own contract. Tiring of hearing about Kukoč's talent, Pippen and Jordan agreed to, as Jordan later said, "not ... let this guy do anything against us." He told Johnson before the first Croatia game "I'm serious tonight", causing Johnson to reply "Uh oh." McCallum described the two Bulls as "rabid dogs" against the inexperienced Croatian.[12][9] Croatia had lost to the Dream Team 103–70 in their first game. The only team besides Croatia to hold the margin under 40 points was Puerto Rico, which lost 115–77 in the quarterfinals.

Legacy

Mike Krzyzewski returned to coach United States men's basketball several times after the 1992 Olympics.

Sports Illustrated later stated that the Dream Team was "arguably the most dominant squad ever assembled in any sport" and compared it to "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, the Allman Brothers at the Fillmore East, Santana at Woodstock."[14] The team was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.[39] Barkley later said, "I don't think there's anything better to representing your country. I don't think anything in my life can come close to that." Bird called the medal ceremony and the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner "the ultimate experience." Johnson said, "The 92 Dream Team was the greatest moment of my life in terms of basketball, bar none." Jordan said that the biggest benefit for him from the Olympics was that he learned more about his teammates' weaknesses. He later defeated Barkley, Malone, and Stockton in three NBA finals.[9] As of 2014, 11 of the 12 players on the roster (all except Laettner)[40] and three of the four coaches (all except Carlesimo) have been elected to the Hall of Fame as individuals.

Global interest in basketball soared due to the Dream Team.[9] In one game, an opposing player guarding Magic Johnson was seen frantically waving to a camera-wielding teammate on the bench, signaling to make sure he got a picture of them together. Head coach Chuck Daly said of the opposing teams "They'll go home and for the rest of their lives be able to tell their kids, 'I played against Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.' And the more they play against our best players, the more confident they're going to get".[41] International Olympic Committee head Juan Antonio Samaranch stated that "the most important aspect of the [Barcelona] Games has been the resounding success of the basketball tournament, as we've witnessed the best basketball in the world."[38] Subsequently, the number of international players in the NBA rose. On opening day of the 1991–92 season, NBA rosters included 23 international players from 18 countries. At the start of the 2011–12 season, there were 74 players from 35 countries.[42]

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James said they believed their 2012 Olympic team would win against the Dream Team. Bryant said, "[T]hey were a lot older, at kind of the end of their careers. We have just a bunch of young racehorses, guys that are eager to compete."[43][44] Barkley said that he "just started laughing" upon hearing Bryant's comment and that the Dream Team would win by double digits.[43] Jordan added, "For [Bryant] to compare those two teams is not one of the smarter things he ever could have done... Remember now, they learned from us. We didn't learn from them."[45][46] Bird joked, "They probably could. I haven't played in 20 years and we're all old now."[47]

The team was elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017.[48]

Roster

USA Basketball Men's National Team roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameAgeHeightWeightFrom
PF4Laettner, Christian226 ft 11 in (2.11 m)235 lb (107 kg)Duke Blue Devils
C5Robinson, David267 ft 1 in (2.16 m)235 lb (107 kg)San Antonio Spurs
C6Ewing, Patrick297 ft 0 in (2.13 m)240 lb (110 kg)New York Knicks
SF7Bird, Larry356 ft 9 in (2.06 m)220 lb (100 kg)Boston Celtics
SF8Pippen, Scottie266 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg)Chicago Bulls
SG9Jordan, Michael296 ft 6 in (1.98 m)198 lb (90 kg)Chicago Bulls
SG10Drexler, Clyde306 ft 7 in (2.01 m)222 lb (101 kg)Portland Trail Blazers
PF11Malone, Karl286 ft 9 in (2.06 m)256 lb (116 kg)Utah Jazz
PG12Stockton, John306 ft 1 in (1.85 m)175 lb (79 kg)Utah Jazz
SF13Mullin, Chris286 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg)Golden State Warriors
PF14Barkley, Charles296 ft 6 in (1.98 m)250 lb (110 kg)Phoenix Suns
PG15Johnson, Magic326 ft 9 in (2.06 m)220 lb (100 kg)Retired [49]
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • From – describes teams affiliated
    during the Olympics

Tournament of the Americas results[50]

Game Date USA Points Opponent
Points		 Opponent Point
differential
1June 28, 199213657 Cuba79
2June 29, 199210561 Canada44
3June 30, 199211252 Panama60
4July 1, 199212887 Argentina41
5July 3, 199211981 Puerto Rico38
6July 5, 199212780 Venezuela
(Gold medal game)		47

Statistics

Player GP FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% REB/AVG PTS/AVG AST BLK STL
Charles Barkley63458.58625.4002833.84840/6.798/16.310112
Larry Bird2811.72734.75000.0007/3.519/9.5203
Clyde Drexler52739.692511.4551012.83313/2.669/13.83325
Patrick Ewing52743.62800.00058.62526/5.259/11.82106
Magic Johnson61934.55939.3331720.85025/4.258/9.75407
Michael Jordan62953.547923.391912.75023/3.876/12.730511
Christian Laettner61831.58137.42958.62516/2.744/7.3203
Karl Malone63353.62300.0002339.59035/5.889/14.8945
Chris Mullin63149.6331530.500914.64318/3.086/14.31419
Scottie Pippen62030.66726.33369.66726/4.348/8.03728
David Robinson63242.76200.000713.53832/5.371/11.85115
John Stockton256.83301.00000.0001/0.510/5.01201

Olympics results[51]

Game USA
Points		 Opponent
Points		 Opponent Point
differential
111648 Angola68
210370 Croatia33
311168 Germany43
412783 Brazil44
512281 Spain41
611577 Puerto Rico38
712776 Lithuania51
811785 Croatia
(Gold medal match)		32

Statistics

Player GP GS FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% PPG RPG APG
Charles Barkley845983.71178.8751926.73118.04.12.4
Larry Bird832548.521927.333810.8008.43.81.8
Clyde Drexler833764.578621.286410.40010.53.03.6
Patrick Ewing843353.62300.0001016.6259.55.30.4
Magic Johnson651730.567613.462810.8008.02.35.5
Michael Jordan8851113.451419.2111319.68414.92.44.8
Christian Laettner80920.45026.3331820.9004.82.50.4
Karl Malone844062.64500.0002432.75013.05.31.1
Chris Mullin823963.6191426.5381114.78612.91.63.6
Scottie Pippen832847.596513.3851115.7339.02.15.9
David Robinson842747.57400.0001826.6929.04.10.9
John Stockton4048.50012.50023.6672.80.32.0

See also

References

  1. ↑ "This Day in Sports: The Dream Team Takes Gold in Barcelona". ESPN. August 8, 2010. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Costas, Bob (host) (2012-07-31). 30 Greatest NBC Olympic Moments. NBC.
  3. ↑ "1992 United States Olympic Team". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 18, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  4. ↑ The Original Dream Team. nba.com. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Games of the XXVth Olympiad -- 1992". USA Basketball.
  6. ↑ Tyler Benson. "The Role of Sports in The Soviet Union". blogs.bu.edu.
  7. ↑ "Soviet Sports and Intelligence Activities" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency.
  8. ↑ "Soviet Sports as an Instrument of Political Propaganda" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Dream Team". XXX Summer Olympics. 2012-08-10. NBC.
  10. ↑ Jan Hubbard. "Why Can Pros Compete in International Events?". USA Basketball. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  11. 1 2 Jack McCallum. "Lords Of The Rings". Sports Illustrated. February 18, 1991. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Whitaker, Lang (July 2012). "The Dream Will Never Die: An Oral History of the Dream Team". GQ. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  13. ↑ Sam Smith. "Olympian Jordan: 'We'll kill 'em.'" Chicago Tribune. September 22, 1991. 13.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McCallum, Jack (July 2, 2012). "The Greatest Game Nobody Ever Saw". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015.
  15. ↑ Tim Povtak. "Robinson is riveted on gold". Orlando Sentinel. June 30, 1992. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Pros, college players combine". Ellensburg Daily Record. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  17. ↑ Mccallum, Jack. "BEHIND THE INTERVIEWS: LAETTNER". Jack Mccallum. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  18. ↑ "Drexler, Laettner join Olympic team". Reading Eagle. May 13, 1992. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  19. ↑ McCallum, Jack. Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever. Random House Publishing Group, 2012, Chapter 14
  20. ↑ MacMullan, Jackie; Johnson, Magic; Bird, Larry (2009). When the Game Was Ours. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. p. 262.
  21. ↑ "Joe Dumars came closer than Isiah Thomas to making original Dream Team". PistonPowered. 2012-06-11. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  22. ↑ "Drexler, Laettner complete U.S. Olympic team roster". The Victoria Advocate. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  23. ↑ McCallum, Jack. Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever. Random House Publishing Group, 2012, Chapter 17
  24. ↑ "1996 USA Men's Olympic Games Roster Archived October 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.." usabasketball.com. Retrieved on April 23, 2014.
  25. ↑ "2000 USA Men's Olympic Games Roster Archived January 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.." usabasketball.com. Retrieved on April 23, 2014.
  26. ↑ Richard Sandomir. "". New York Times. May 9, 2012.
  27. ↑ Tim Povtak. "Dream Team dazzles in laugher". Orlando Sentinel. June 29, 1992. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  28. ↑ "From Rip City to Barcelona". Associated Press. Toldeo Blade. July 6, 1992. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  29. ↑ Alex Sachare. When Seconds Count. Sports Publishing LLC, 1999. 192. ISBN 1-58382-015-9.
  30. ↑ Bryan Burwell. At the Buzzer! Doubleday, 2001. 150. ISBN 0-385-50145-5.
  31. 1 2 Sheridan, Chris (August 13, 2010). "Charles Barkley relives Dream Team". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  32. 1 2 "Nightmare is over for U.S." Reading Eagle. August 9, 1992. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  33. ↑ Cook, Byron (July 27, 1992). "Barkley sarcastic after easy win". Toledo Blade.
  34. ↑ "Barley's elbow taints U.S. win". Bangor Daily News. July 27, 1992.
  35. ↑ Sansevere, Bob (July 25, 1992). "The Ugly American? His name is Barkley". Sun Journal.
  36. ↑ Barnard, Bill. "Knee injury knocks Magic out of Dream Team lineup against Germany." The Bulletin [Bend, Oregon], July 29, 1992. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  37. ↑ FIBA. "USA-Croatia Box Score". FIBA Archives. 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  38. 1 2 Thomsen, Ian (August 10, 1992). "The Dream Team Is Finished, but Its Legacy Will Linger". The New York Times. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  39. ↑ 1992 Olympic champs into Hall of Fame. Associated Press. ESPN. August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  40. ↑ Levin, Josh (August 12, 2012). "What's the Difference Between the 1992 and 2012 Dream Teams? Kevin Durant and LeBron James Played Tougher Competition". Slate. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012.
  41. ↑ "Top Moments: Dream Team takes world by storm in 1992". NBA.com. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  42. ↑ Longman, Jere (July 28, 2012). "N.B.A. Looks to Wake Up From 20-Year Dream". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  43. 1 2 "Charles Barkley fires back at Kobe". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. July 11, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  44. ↑ "LeBron: We would beat Dream Team". ESPN.com. July 28, 2012. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012.
  45. ↑ "Michael Jordan: Dream Team better". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. July 12, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  46. ↑ "Michael Jordan: Dream Team could take down this year's team". USA Today. July 12, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  47. ↑ "Larry Bird Is Also Laughing At Kobe Bryant Over His Dream Team Comments". July 12, 2012.
  48. ↑ Dream Team, Shaq and Kukoc headline 2017 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame Inductees.
  49. ↑ By the time the roster was announced, Johnson had already retired from professional basketball.
  50. ↑ "MEN'S TOURNAMENT OF THE AMERICAS -- 1992". USA Basketball.
  51. ↑ "Games of the XXVth Olympiad -- 1992". USA Basketball.

Further reading

  • McCallum, Jack (2012). How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever. Random House Digital. ISBN 9780345520500. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
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