Michael Jordan was the crown jewel of the historic 1992 ‘Dream Team’. Team USA decided to send their best players from the NBA to represent them at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. And Michael Jordan was the central superstar for that team during the tournament.
Michael Jordan himself was well-aware of his role as the central superstar. And he even joked about it with his friends. During some footage captured in Barcelona, famous reported Ahmad Rashad asked Jordan who should take the last shot with the game on the line. Jordan looked perplexed, saying that it should obviously be him.
Rashad: “Game on the line, who would take the last shot?”
Jordan: “Me…That’s a dumb question.”
Jordan could have been joking, given that he and Ahmad Rashad were friends, and MJ felt comfortable around him. But it’s more likely that Jordan truly believed that, given what we all know about his mentality. Jordan had a ridiculous amount of confidence in himself and always knew that he would be taking the last shot for his team.
Led by Jordan, the Dream Team was wildly successful. They won all of their games and won the gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Jordan was the central superstar for the team, and he more than played his role. MJ was the star among the stars on that team, and he deserved to be.
But Jordan never let his superstar status inflate his ego. Coach K spoke about how Jordan was so respectful to him and never showed any degree of ego. But regardless of his ego, Jordan understood his role on the team and made sure that he lived up to expectations and got them the win when they needed to.
