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1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team

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David Robinson shoots a free throw.

The 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, nicknamed the "Dream Team", was the first American Olympic team to feature active NBA players. Described by American journalists as the greatest sports team ever assembled,[1][2] it defeated its opponents by an average of almost 44 points en route to the gold medal against Croatia at the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona.[3] Chuck Daly served as coach, assisted by Lenny Wilkens, P. J. Carlesimo, and Mike Krzyzewski.[4]

Forming the team

At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, the United States national basketball team, made up of college stars, finished in a disappointing third place.[5] The defeat increased calls for professionals to play in the Olympics. Borislav Stanković of FIBA had for years advocated for this,[6] and the organization agreed in April 1989 despite American and Russian votes against the proposal.[7] USA Basketball asked the NBA to supply players for its 1992 roster.[8] The league was initially unenthusiastic, not foreseeing the cultural phenomenon that the team would become.[7] Sports Illustrated was the first to nickname the forthcoming American roster as the "Dream Team", on the cover of its February 18, 1991 issue.[6][8] So many corporate sponsors, such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Kellogg, wished to use the team with the marketable name in their advertising that some were rejected.[6]

The first ten players for the team were officially selected on September 21, 1991:Adan "JR" Guerra 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.[9] Most of the players were at or near the peaks of their NBA careers.[10] 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.[5] 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.[6] Ewing, Jordan, and Mullin had won gold at the 1984 games but Malone had not made the team, and was determined to succeed in his second chance. Joe Dumars would have substituted for any injured players.[7]

Clyde Drexler of the Portland Trail Blazers and Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons were the candidates for the final professional roster spot.[7] Drexler was added to the team on May 12, 1992 with Christian Laettner of Duke University. 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.[11] There was speculation that Thomas was not part of the team because Michael Jordan would only participate if Thomas was not there. In a 2012 NBA TV documentary, Jordan said, "That was one of the stipulations put to me that Isiah wasn't part of the team."[12] Jordan refused Daly's suggestion that he serve as the public face of the team, and Bird and Johnson were selected as co-captains.[6]

Success on the court

Early scrimmages

A team of NCAA all-stars scrimmaged with the professionals. USA Basketball selected college players whose play, it hoped, would resemble that of the Europeans the Dream Team would face. Members included the penetrating guard Bobby Hurley, the all-around players Grant Hill and Penny Hardaway, the outside shooter Allan Houston, and the tough Chris Webber and Eric Montross.[6] In late June 1992 the Dream Team first met together in La Jolla, California, astounding and intimidating the collegians who watched the professionals practice. On June 24, the Dream Team lost to the all-stars 62-54, however, after underestimating the opposition.[7] 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.[13] The college players visited Jordan's hotel room afterward and asked their hero for his personal items as souvenirs.[7]

Tournament of the Americas

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!

— Johnson, on his teammates[6][2]

The Dream Team made its international debut on June 28, 1992, at the Tournament of the Americas, an Olympic qualifying event in Portland, Oregon.[7] The team defeated Cuba 136–57, prompting Cuban coach Miguel Calderón Gómez to say, "You can't cover the sun with your finger."[14] 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".[6] The Cubans were the first of many opponents who were more interested in taking photos with the Americans than playing them.[7] The next five games were also easy victories for Team USA, who ended the tournament on July 5, 1992, with a 127–80 victory over Venezuela.[15]

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, and also enjoying the nude beaches, Monte Carlo's casinos,[10] and dining with royalty.[7] There was no curfew; as coach 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." In 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). 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".[10]

This is my security.

— Barkley, holding up his fists[7]

At the Olympics, the Dream Team stayed at a luxury Barcelona hotel instead of the Olympic Village due to security concerns.[7] 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.[16] Opposing basketball players and athletes from other sports often asked to have photographs taken with the players.[17][10] 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.[18]

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."[7] Jack McCallum of Sports Illustrated later described Barkley as "the number one U.S. Olympic ambassador" for his visits to La Rambla, where he met with adoring crowds.[6]

Jordan was the only player who studied the opposition, carefully watching game tapes.[7] 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.[6] 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.[19] 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!"[6][2] Herlander Coimbra of Angola, the Dream Team's first opponent, recalled that "those guys were on another level—a galaxy far, far away".[7] Albert believed that the Americans used the Angola match, which they won 116-48—including a flagrant foul elbowing by Barkley after scoring a basket—to warn the other teams in the tournament.[6] Daly started Jordan and Johnson in every game, while Pippen and Mullin, Robinson and Ewing, and Malone and Barkley rotated in the other starting spots.[7] Barkley was the Dream Team's leading scorer during the Olympics, averaging 18.0 points per game,[18] although the player selection committee had been unsure of his inclusion, worried that he would not represent the United States well.[7]

The closest of the eight matches was Team USA's 117–85 victory in the gold medal game, a rematch against Croatia,[20] participating as an independent nation in the Olympics for the first time since its separation from the former Yugoslavia; the Dream Team was briefly behind 25-23 in the first half,[19] but by the end of the game Stockton agreed to a Croatian player's plea to not shoot.[21] 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.[7][6]

Legacy

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."[10] The team was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010, and is one of only eight teams enshrined in the Hall of Fame.[22] 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.[6] As of 2012, 11 of the 12 players on the roster (except Laettner),[23] and three of the four coaches (except Carlesimo), have been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Global interest in basketball soared due to the Dream Team.[6] 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."[21] 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.[24]

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."[25][26] Barkley said that he "just started laughing" upon hearing Bryant's comment and that the Dream Team would win by double digits.[25] 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."[27][28] Bird joked, "They probably could. I haven't played in 20 years and we're all old now."[29]

Roster

USA Basketball Men's National Team roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight From
PF 4 Laettner, Christian 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Duke Blue Devils
C 5 Robinson, David 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 235 lb (107 kg) San Antonio Spurs
C 6 Ewing, Patrick 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (110 kg) New York Knicks
SF 7 Bird, Larry 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Boston Celtics
SF 8 Pippen, Scottie 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Chicago Bulls
SG 9 Jordan, Michael 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Chicago Bulls
SG 10 Drexler, Clyde 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Portland Trail Blazers
PF 11 Malone, Karl 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Utah Jazz
PG 12 Stockton, John 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Utah Jazz
SF 13 Mullin, Chris 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Golden State Warriors
PF 14 Barkley, Charles 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 250 lb (110 kg) Phoenix Suns
PG 15 Johnson, Magic 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Los Angeles Lakers
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • From describes teams affiliated
    during the Olympics

1992 Tournament of the Americas results

Game Date USA Points Opponent Points Opponent Point differential
1 June 28, 1992 136 57  Cuba 79
2 June 29, 1992 105 61  Canada 44
3 June 30, 1992 112 52  Panama 60
4 July 1, 1992 128 87  Argentina 41
5 July 3, 1992 119 81  Puerto Rico 38
6 July 5, 1992 127 80  Venezuela
(Gold medal game)		 47
Source: [30]

Statistics

Player GP FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% REB/AVG PTS/AVG AST BLK STL
Charles Barkley 6 34 58 .586 2 5 .400 28 33 .848 40/6.7 98/16.3 10 1 12
Larry Bird 2 8 11 .727 3 4 .750 0 0 .000 7/3.5 19/9.5 2 0 3
Clyde Drexler 5 27 39 .692 5 11 .455 10 12 .833 13/2.6 69/13.8 33 2 5
Patrick Ewing 5 27 43 .628 0 0 .000 5 8 .625 26/5.2 59/11.8 2 10 6
Magic Johnson 6 19 34 .559 3 9 .333 17 20 .850 25/4.2 58/9.7 54 0 7
Michael Jordan 6 29 53 .547 9 23 .391 9 12 .750 23/3.8 76/12.7 30 5 11
Christian Laettner 6 18 31 .581 3 7 .429 5 8 .625 16/2.7 44/7.3 2 0 3
Karl Malone 6 33 53 .623 0 0 .000 23 39 .590 35/5.8 89/14.8 9 4 5
Chris Mullin 6 31 49 .633 15 30 .500 9 14 .643 18/3.0 86/14.3 14 1 9
Scottie Pippen 6 20 30 .667 2 6 .333 6 9 .667 26/4.3 48/8.0 37 2 8
David Robinson 6 32 42 .762 0 0 .000 7 13 .538 32/5.3 71/11.8 5 11 5
John Stockton 2 5 6 .833 0 1 .000 0 0 .000 1/0.5 10/5.0 12 0 1

[31]

1992 Olympics results

Game USA Points Opponent Points Opponent Point differential
1 116 48  Angola 68
2 103 70  Croatia 33
3 111 68  Germany 43
4 127 83  Brazil 44
5 122 81  Spain 41
6 115 77  Puerto Rico 38
7 127 76  Lithuania 51
8 117 85  Croatia
(Gold medal match)		 32
Source: [4]

Statistics

Player GP GS FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% PPG RPG APG
Charles Barkley 8 4 59 83 .711 7 8 .875 19 26 .731 18.0 4.1 2.4
Larry Bird 8 3 25 48 .521 9 27 .333 8 10 .800 8.4 3.8 1.8
Clyde Drexler 8 3 37 64 .578 6 21 .286 4 10 .400 10.5 3.0 3.6
Patrick Ewing 8 4 33 53 .623 0 0 .000 10 16 .625 9.5 5.3 0.4
Magic Johnson 6 5 17 30 .567 6 13 .462 8 10 .800 8.0 2.3 5.5
Michael Jordan 8 8 51 113 .451 4 19 .211 13 19 .684 14.9 2.4 4.8
Christian Laettner 8 0 9 20 .450 2 6 .333 18 20 .900 4.8 2.5 0.4
Karl Malone 8 4 40 62 .645 0 0 .000 24 32 .750 13.0 5.3 1.1
Chris Mullin 8 2 39 63 .619 14 26 .538 11 14 .786 12.9 1.6 3.6
Scottie Pippen 8 3 28 47 .596 5 13 .385 11 15 .733 9.0 2.1 5.9
David Robinson 8 4 27 47 .574 0 0 .000 18 26 .692 9.0 4.1 0.9
John Stockton 4 0 4 8 .500 1 2 .500 2 3 .667 2.8 0.3 2.0

See also

References

  1. ^ "This Day in Sports: The Dream Team Takes Gold in Barcelona". ESPN. August 8, 2010. Retrieved on May 5, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Costas, Bob (host) (2012-07-31). 30 Greatest NBC Olympic Moments. NBC.
  3. ^ The Original Dream Team. nba.com. Retrieved on August 12, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Games of the XXVth Olympiad – 1992. usabasketball.com. Retrieved on August 12, 2010.
  5. ^ a b Tim Povtak. "Robinson is riveted on gold". Orlando Sentinel. June 30, 1992. Retrieved on August 13, 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Dream Team". XXX Summer Olympics. 2012-08-10. NBC.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Whitaker, Lang (2012-07). "The Dream Will Never Die: An Oral History of the Dream Team". GQ. Retrieved 2012-06-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ a b Jack McCallum. "Lords Of The Rings". Sports Illustrated. February 18, 1991. Retrieved on August 12, 2010.
  9. ^ Sam Smith. "Olympian Jordan: 'We'll kill 'em'". Chicago Tribune. September 22, 1991. 13.
  10. ^ a b c d e McCallum, Jack (2012-07-02). "The Greatest Game Nobody Ever Saw". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 07, 2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  11. ^ "Drexler, Laettner join Olympic team". Reading Eagle. May 13, 1992. Retrieved on August 12, 2010.
  12. ^ Melissa Isaacson. "Isiah Thomas praises 'Dream Team'". ESPN. June 14, 2012. Retrieved on June 17, 2012.
  13. ^ Richard Sandomir. "[1]". New York Times. May 9, 2012.
  14. ^ Tim Povtak. "Dream Team dazzles in laugher". Orlando Sentinel. June 29, 1992. Retrieved on August 13, 2010.
  15. ^ "From Rip City to Barcelona". Associated Press. Toldeo Blade. July 6, 1992. Retrieved on August 13, 2010.
  16. ^ Alex Sachare. When Seconds Count. Sports Publishing LLC, 1999. 192. ISBN 1-58382-015-9.
  17. ^ Bryan Burwell. At the Buzzer! Doubleday, 2001. 150. ISBN 0-385-50145-5.
  18. ^ a b Sheridan, Chris (August 13, 2010). "Charles Barkley relives Dream Team". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ a b "Nightmare is over for U.S." Reading Eagle. August 9, 1992. Retrieved on August 14, 2010.
  20. ^ FIBA. "USA-Croatia Box Score". FIBA Archives. 2009. Retrieved on July 12, 2012.
  21. ^ a b Thomsen, Ian (1992-08-10). "The Dream Team Is Finished, but Its Legacy Will Linger". The New York Times. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  22. ^ 1992 Olympic champs into Hall of Fame. Associated Press. ESPN. August 3, 2010. Retrieved on August 12, 2010.
  23. ^ 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 15, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ 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. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ a b "Charles Barkley fires back at Kobe". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. July 11, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  26. ^ "LeBron: We would beat Dream Team". ESPN.com. July 28, 2012. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "Michael Jordan: Dream Team better". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. July 12, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  28. ^ "Michael Jordan: Dream Team could take down this year's team". USA Today. July 12, 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  29. ^ "Larry Bird Is Also Laughing At Kobe Bryant Over His Dream Team Comments". July 12, 2012.
  30. ^ "USAB: MEN'S TOURNAMENT OF THE AMERICAS -- 1992". Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2012-03-04. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ "USAB: MEN'S TOURNAMENT OF THE AMERICAS -- 1992". Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2012-03-04. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

Further reading

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