USA Basketball: The Unstoppable 1992 ‘Dream Team’
The 1992 Olympic Gold medal winning US men’s basketball team, which is referred to as the ‘Dream Team’, was and still is the finest collection of basketball players ever assembled on a team. Some even go so far as to say it was the greatest team to ever play together in any sport. Even though current dream teams in football and other sports have been assembled, such as Real Madrid with its bevy of fantastic players, they do not compare to that unbelievable team of players. That entire team, made up of the greatest NBA players, is still remembered today as the best to ever set foot on a court.
Prior to 1992, the US had always sent college basketball players to represent the country at the Olympics. When in 1988, the US team returned with the bronze medal having been defeated by what was then the USSR, a decision was taken to change the situation. The FIBA decided to change the rules and allow NBA players to represent the country at the Olympics. The goal was to destroy the competition and bring back the gold medal to America. Also, the US wanted to show the world the talent that played in the NBA at that time.
The Dream Team wholeheartedly deserved its title. A team such as that has never been assembled in the game of basketball since that year. That team was made up of the best NBA stars of the time, greats such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, the phenomenal Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippin, John Stockton, and many more. These players were brilliant individually, but something happened to them when they played together. They performed so well that it looked like they had been playing for many years as a single unit. The fluidity in their passing, their solid defensive capabilities and the scoring prowess was too much for any other team to handle. The won every single game they played that year and did it by a huge margin of usually 44 points per game. They were led by a fantastic coach named Chuck Daly, who brought all of the individual players together and made a cohesive unit out of them.
There is more to the Dream Team than simply beating every other team they played against. This collection of NBA stars was also very influential to the global game of basketball. By putting together so many stars on a basketball court at the same time, each game was turned into one of the greatest displays of basketball that had ever been seen before by a global audience. As the players on the Dream Team were such big stars already, the basketball tournament at that year’s Olympics took on a measure of awe and wonder. These superstars of the game helped to popularise the sport of basketball amongst a global audience. Wherever the Olympic Games were being watched, people saw a collection of the best basketball matches they had ever seen and that sparked a global interest in the sport. These basketball players became more than just athletes; they became global ambassadors of the sport that they loved, and they promoted the positive aspects of the game every chance they could.
The Dream Team was not without its share of controversies though. Firstly, there was the exclusion of a very talented and popular basketball player of the NBA, Isiah Thomas. A lot of people did not understand his exclusion and felt it was a huge mistake on the part of the selectors, but others felt he was past his prime. Whatever the reasons, he was not included and he felt the snub as did others on the team. The second controversy that took place happened when the Dream Team played Angola. Charles Barkley was known for his fiery temper and rough playing tactics. Contrary to what the Dream Team was all about, he went and elbowed an Angolan player in the face for no particular reason. The Dream Team’s main purpose was to show the best side of American culture and American sports, and this elbow went against all that.
Even with these two slight controversies, the Dream Team was and still is the greatest collection of superstars ever to play together in any sport. Other sports have tried to emulate its success but even subsequent Dream Teams could not capture the same level of wins or fame and global recognition as the 1992 US men’s basketball team. It will forever be associated with the golden era of the NBA and will be credited with helping to take basketball to areas where it was not popular and making it one of the most popular sports on the planet today. A team such as this will probably never be recreated ever again.
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