• Gilbert Arenas has made a shocking claim about the 1992 Dream Team
• Arenas believes the Dream Team shouldn’t have selected Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Christian Laettner
• He suggested Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, and Shaquille O’Neal as preferable options
The 1992 US Olympic Dream Team is arguably the greatest roster ever put together in basketball. Led by Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson, the Dream Team dominated their way to a Gold medal and are very fondly remembered.
Their status as the greatest team ever hasn’t been questioned before, but Gilbert Arenas has suggested a way to make them better. He’s done so by saying Magic, Larry, and Christian Laettner shouldn’t have been selected.
(Starts at 11:53)
“The only A team that the U.S. ever put together or tried to put together was the ‘92 team. But you can find three or four players that like ‘no.’ With the ‘92 team, you got Christian Laettner, you got Magic, and you got Larry Bird that shouldn’t have been there.”
He picked Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, and Shaquille O’Neal as replacements.
“But you were supposed to have Magic and Bird, but you know, by those years, they weren’t who they were. Larry Bird’s back was gone. Magic was, uhm… But if we would’ve had Shaquille O’Neal, Dominique, and Zeke, that’s a whole different. That probably would be the best team ever.”
The team would never have been put together if living legends like Magic and Bird didn’t participate. Michael Jordan also played a crucial role in the formation of the team, but most agree that co-captains Magic and Bird were the ones that made it happen.
Magic averaged 8.0 points and 5.5 assists on 18.0 minutes per game over six appearances. Bird averaged 8.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 18.0 minutes per game over eight appearances.
The Dream Team Needed Magic Johnson And Larry Bird
The one point Arenas hit on the head was that Shaq should’ve been selected over Christian Laettner. It was a controversial decision then and looks really bad in hindsight.
Isiah Thomas’ attempts at getting into the team are well-documented, and many believe that he deserved a call-up based on his on-court performances then. Dominique Wilkins was in contention anyway, but it’s hard to say the team missed his presence, given what they achieved.
Magic and Bird’s presence is why the team is considered as legendary as it is. There is no Dream Team without them, so it’s crazy to insinuate the team was better off without the legends just because they were at the end of their careers.
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