![]() ![]() He explained his reluctance here.Įverybody else seemed on board from the get-go. ![]() Jordan was coy about his participation that summer of 1991. The 1991-92 NBA season would be his last, in part due to back problems, but he accepted after two dozen phone calls from Johnson, according to the 2012 book, “Dream Team.”īird recalled growing up in French Lick, Ind., watching the Olympics on one of this two TV channels and hearing his dad glowing about what it would be like to stand on the medal podium, listening to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Olympic men’s basketball player in history). “If he hadn’t have been playing,” Johnson said of his longtime rival who had, in recent years, become a friend, “I don’t know if I’d be sitting here today, too, because a team wouldn’t have been a team without Larry Bird on it.”īird, turning 35, would be the oldest player on the team by nearly three years (and, to this day, the oldest U.S. “Originally said he would not compete in the Olympics because he felt the Games are more for the younger folks,” NBC’s Marv Albert said to Johnson (Bird didn’t appear on the show due to a prior commitment). Of those players, it was reported on the show that Bird and Jordan were initially reluctant to accept roster spots. The Kukoc Game | MJ’s 1996 Olympic Choice Those 10 players, in order of the reveal:ĭREAM TEAM: Why Isiah Was Left Off | Jordan Nearly Said No | Roster Decisions The first 10 members of the Dream Team were announced on a selection show on NBC on Sept. The committee was tasked with reviewing performances from the 1990-92 NBA seasons. Magic had his career cut short, but he will always be regarded as one of the greatest players ever, and in 1992, his style of play transcended the game of basketball across the world. Johnson was the definition of a point guard during Team USA's run to gold, averaging 10 points, four rebounds and nine assists. He (as always) had a huge smile on his face, and he was constantly joking and messing with his teammates. When you watch old videos of Team USA, it is clear that Magic is having the most fun. Magic also won three NBA League MVP awards. Magic went to nine NBA Finals during his HIV-shortened career, winning five of them, and was named Finals MVP three times. He spent his career making his teammates better and more often than not, he led his teams to greatness. He brought an element of fun to a sport that can sometimes become routine and boring. So lets get into it! Here are all 12 players from the 1992 Dream Team in order from worst to first!Įarvin 'Magic' Johnson revolutionized basketball, what else can be said? He and Larry Bird had one of the greatest sports rivalries of all time. With 11 Hall of Famers on the team, it is tough to rank them, but hey that is our job. We will get more into that when we reveal number 12. The other omission, which became much more glaring in the years following 1992, was the fact that college superstar Shaquille O'Neil was not on the team. Some reports even say Jordan gave Team USA the ultimatum of "him or me." It is no secret that Jordan and Thomas had bad blood, stemming from Thomas' Pistons knocking Jordan out of the playoffs throughout the 1980s. It is widely believed that Michael Jordan was behind the decision to leave Thomas off the roster. He had as much fame and skill as any player on the team, yet he was not invited to play for his country. Thomas was a two-time NBA Champion, as well as a superstar in the league. The biggest omission on the team was obviously point guard Isiah Thomas. During their undefeated run through the '92 Olympics, Team USA averaged 117 points, including two games in which they scored 127 points.Īs great as this team was, there was some controversy over player selection. The team was comprised of 11 future Hall of Famers, the lone member not inducted into the hall being Christian Laettner, who was also the only college player on the team. ![]() Prior to 1992, the U.S sent its brightest amateur players, usually college players, to participate in the Olympics, but in 1992, America decided to send in the big guns. ![]()
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