The 1992 Dream Team

The rule change

For decades the Olympics kept professional basketball players out, and the United States sent college players. After the US settled for bronze at the 1988 Games, the international federation voted in 1989 to open the door to pros. The response was a roster nobody has matched since.

The roster

Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler and Chris Mullin were joined by Christian Laettner of Duke, the lone college player. Chuck Daly coached.

Bird was battling a bad back and Magic had retired months earlier after announcing he was HIV positive, which made his return all the more emotional.

Isiah Thomas was famously left off the roster, a decision that is still debated. Laettner got the college spot over Shaquille O'Neal, who was just finishing his career at LSU. Before the Olympics, the team crushed every opponent at a qualifying tournament in Portland, Oregon.

Not even close

The team won its eight games by an average of about 44 points. Opponents asked for photos and autographs, sometimes before tip-off. In the gold medal game the Americans beat Croatia 117 to 85, a team led by future pros Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc.

Some of the most intense basketball happened behind closed doors. A practice scrimmage in Monte Carlo, with Jordan's side against Magic's, became legendary among the players who were there.

Charles Barkley led the team in scoring at 18 points per game, and Michael Jordan led the defensive pressure that turned games into highlight reels. Chuck Daly reportedly never called a timeout during the Olympic tournament, because he never needed one.

Basketball goes global

Kids around the world watched the Dream Team and picked up a ball. Over the following decades the league filled with international stars, and by the 2020s players born outside the US were regularly winning MVP awards. Barcelona 1992 was the spark. For many fans, it is still the coolest team ever.

The players also became tourists, with Barcelona crowds following them through the city. The roster includes 11 Hall of Famers, and the team itself was inducted as a unit in 2010.

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