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LONDON -- The names are legendary: Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Charles Barkley. That was just to name a few, actually half of the team, that included 11 future Hall of Fame players. They were the basketball Beatles, a team that brought the sport around the world.
20 years ago, the "Dream Team" stole the show at the Olympic Games in Barcelona. Now, with the gold medal game for these Olympics coming tomorrow some of the current players can't avoid the questions in regards to what some consider the greatest team ever assembled.
They were a team that had a little bit of everything.
"Yeah, that's why they were called the 'Dream Team,' the name kind of speaks for itself," said Gordon Hayward, Jazz forward who worked with the Olympic Select team, a practice team for the full squad.
The people that are still singing their praises include NBA MVP LeBron James, former Jazz player, current Net, Olympian Deron Williams and just about every other player on the current team.
"They are the best team ever assembled in my opinion," Williams said.
They defined dominant. They blew out every team but did it with poise and grace, so much that opposing teams were asking for pictures and autographs for a time when they could tell their kids they just played against them. Christian Laettner was a member of the team and said there was a reason why they wanted to be great.
"The world was starting to catch up to us and we wanted to reestablish the fact that we think we are the greatest and we try to prove it and I think we did in '92," Laettner said.
The starting lineup was imposing enough, but just like the current U.S. team the depth of the team was simply overwhelming when they could take out five Hall of Fame players and put five more in right away.
The world was starting to catch up to us and we wanted to reestablish the fact that we think we are the greatest and we try to prove it and I think we did in '92.
–Christian Laettner
"Just the way they ran through competition," Williams said. "Essentially 11 Hall-of-Famers coming together, not caring about egos or any individual accolades and just going out there and representing their country."
They were a team that represented the U.S.A. James talked about each of them coming together for the goal of winning a gold medal. The team before, made up of college stars, took bronze in 1988 and this team was brought together to fix that.
And they did bring home a gold medal, in unparalleled fashion. Their closest game was a 32-point victory in the gold medal match against a pretty good Croatia team that featured NBA players Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc and Dino Rada.
"I remember them stepping up on that podium," said Clippers guard Chris Paul. "Seeing M.J.'s smile and everything like that is something I'll never forget."
Laettner still has his gold medal and says it "looks real nice in the office," but his memory is of "reestablishing our dominance to the way we feel it should be."
But, what would be different if they were just another team that won a gold medal like so many before and since. What is the lasting impact?
"The global impact that they've had on the game," said Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. "They really made the game, or started the process of making the game as global as it is today."
Nationally, James said that they set the standard and paved the way for the Olympians today.
