Perchance to dream, to dream of a team

There have been many iconic sports teams throughout history, but one of the most iconic is the 1992 men’s Olympic basketball Team which was nicknamed the Dream Team. The Dream Team made history when they were assembled because it was the first time the U.S. had sent professional players from the NBA to compete in the Olympics. Up to that point the United States had only sent college players while the rest of the world had always been sending their pro league players. What made the U.S. picking this year to send pro players was special because the Dream Team consisted of players who are all widely considered to be some of the best players in basketball history, minus Christian Laettner. He was only there because the Olympics required the Dream Team to have one college player as a nod to the past U.S. Olympic teams that had consisted of amateur and college players.

He had a very forgettable performance only averaging around 7 minutes and just under 5 points per game. He was notorious for being arrogant and egotistical on and off the court. There was a documentary made titled I Hate Christian Laettner on ESPN’s 30 for 30 series. Other than him the team felt like a team you’d see on a fantasy sports or a created team in a video game. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, and Scottie Pippen are just some of the iconic names from this team. With a team like that it’s no surprise their average margin of victory was right at 44 points per game. It was not all smooth sailing. Isiah Thomas, who was an NBA star many felt should have been on the Dream Team, was excluded because of a rocky relationship with Michael Jordan. He and MJ had faced off in the playoffs the last few years in some very physical and intense games. Isiah was one of the leaders of the Pistons team nicknamed the Bad Boy Pistons because they played so physical and aggressive. Many players and teams did not like the Bad Boys because of this and it caused fractured and rocky relationships like with Isiah and MJ.

While on the surface it looked like it was all effortless and smooth sailing there have since been many stories such as this one that reveal a lot of behind the scenes trouble in paradise. That did not slow down the Dream Team or effect inter team relationships as they went on to go undefeated in winning the 1992 Olympic Men’s Basketball Championship. Most people think of MJ, Magic, and Bird as the frontrunners, and they were, but what most people forget is none of them were the leading scorer. The Dream Team’s leading scorer was the Round Mound of Rebound himself Charles Barkley. This further proved the sheer dominance of this team and its players and why the Dream Team is one of the most iconic and Talented sports teams ever assembled.