Team USA played their first matchup of Paris 2024, defeating Serbia 110-84. Prior to the game, USA Basketball Director Grant Hill shared a picture of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, who recreated the iconic Team USA photograph of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird from the 1992 Olympics.
LeBron, Steph, and KD are the three faces of Team USA, with the aging trio still considered the three best players on the roster. Even if people didn’t consider them the best players, they’ve proven they deserve that respect by dominating whenever they step onto the court for Team USA.
Curry had even made his desire to replicate the photo clear.
Durant led all scorers in their win over Serbia, putting up 23 points on 8-9 shooting, and going 5-5 on three-point attempts. LeBron nearly put up a triple-double against Serbia with 21 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists on 9-13 shooting from the field. Curry had a relatively quiet game compared to his two star teammates, putting up 11 points on 4-8 shooting.
Then v Now.
The three greatest players of their generations.
Jordan/Magic/Bird
James/Curry/Durant pic.twitter.com/5seTe4XTJy
— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) July 28, 2024
When Jordan, Bird, and Magic went to the Olympics in 1992 as part of the original ‘Dream Team’, neither player emerged as Team USA’s best on-court weapon. Bird was barely playable at the end of his career with back injuries, while Magic had also taken a step back due to his personal health issues.
Jordan was clearly in his prime and was the best player on the court, but Team USA often ended up using him as a decoy to ensure others could get their numbers up. In contrast, against far tougher opposition, James and Durant had to take ownership of Team USA’s results and lead them to a tough win against three-time MVP Nikola Jokic’s Serbian national team.
Michael Jordan Told Larry Bird And Magic Johnson That Their Time Was Up In 1992
At the 1992 Olympics, Michael Jordan was a two-time NBA Champion and had cemented his status as the best NBA player in the world. But he went to Barcelona with two players with greater past resumes, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Despite Johnson and Bird’s status as all-time legends, Jordan sent them a message in front of their Team USA cohorts, as Johnson would later reveal.
“Larry Bird and I are on the bus. He says ‘I just want you two to know that there’s a new sheriff in town and his name is Michael Jordan’. And we had dominated the league, both Larry and I, with the Celtics and the Lakers, for the 80s. It was his turn. And so, he just sat back, had his cigar, and said ‘It’s my league now’. And you know what we did Jimmy? We said ‘You’re right’”.
Jordan ensured he lived up to his words, winning four more titles in the ’90s to surpass what both Magic and Bird were able to achieve.
Now, It’s just a question of who has the belief in themselves on the current Team USA squad to go up to LeBron, Durant, and Curry to say the same. We’d put our money on Anthony Edwards, but we will have to wait and see.
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