Scottie Pippen took to X to share a picture of himself with Team USA at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where they secured the gold medal. In the picture, the players can be seen posing with legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, with Scottie adding some goat emojis to call Ali the greatest ever.
🐐🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/gNXyisxUMH
— Scottie Pippen (@ScottiePippen) August 20, 2024
Scottie and the rest of the team clearly had a lot of respect for The People’s Champion, as they shared their gold medal with him and put it around his neck. It was an incredible sight to see such incredible athletes showing reverence to a legend, not just in the sport of boxing, but in all of sports.
1996 Team USA is one of the more underrated squads that doesn’t get talked about as much. Coming right after the legendary 1992 Dream Team, which Pippen was a part of, the 1996 squad had to deal with the pressure of playing at home court, which can elevate expectations, especially when they have the roster that they do.
But Team USA, led by Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, and Shaquille O’Neal, were able to dominate the competition and win the gold medal for Team USA, extending their winning streak and establishing the United States as the dominant force in the sport of basketball.
Charles Barkley led the team, averaging 12.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. Right behind him was David Robinson, who averaged 12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks. Reggie Miller averaged 11.4 points, 1.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 steals.
Scottie Pippen was also great, averaging 11.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks. Pippen and Barkley were trusted as the leaders of the team because of their experience with the Dream Team in 1992.
Is 1996 Team USA The Best Ever?
When talking about the best rosters that Team USA has ever assembled, 1996 is rarely mentioned. The focus is usually on the 1992 Dream Team, the 2008 Redeem Team, and most recently, the 2024 Team – which LeBron James dubbed ‘The Avengers’. But does the 1996 squad belong in that conversation?
According to Shaquille O’Neal, they do. Shaq recently noted that both the 1994 and 1996 Team USA rosters could handily defeat the 2024 Team USA squad that won gold in Paris. When one looks at the roster on paper, there is definitely an argument to be made for the 1996 squad.
Players like Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Reggie Miller, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Penny Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Grant Hill made up what can be considered a very underrated roster.
Perhaps what keeps this team out of the conversation of the best Team USA rosters ever is the absence of a player who is in the GOAT conversation. Teams like 1992, 2008, and 2024 had one or multiple players who can have a reasonable argument made for them being the greatest ever – whether that be Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, or Stephen Curry.
Nonetheless, the 2028 squad will look to take inspiration from 1996 Team USA, as they will have the same, unenviable task of defending their gold medal at home. The 1996 squad did in Atlanta, Georgia, whereas the 2028 Team USA roster will try to do the same in Los Angeles.
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