The 1992 Dream Team was a legendary squad full of incredible players that became all-time great stars in the NBA. That squad was surrounded by controversy since its conception, but that didn’t matter to them. They went to Spain, did their thing, and got an easy win in the Summer Olympics, not losing a single game.
They took every game very seriously, but everybody knew it was hard for them to get beat in Barcelona. They switched their focus to studying their teammates for the next NBA season. At least, that’s what Michael Jordan did. The Chicago Bulls legend took this opportunity to check on the flaws that his teammates had to take advantage of them later.
Moreover, he engaged in big debates with the legends of the prior decade, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. One of them was about the best player in the world, a title Michael wanted and believed belonged to him. During a recent edition of The Ringer’s ‘Icon Club,’ Jackie MacMullan talked about the incredible Dream Team, revealing some details about the players.
Michael himself told Jackie that he and Magic went at it trying to pick the best player in the world at the moment, with Pippen having his back against Johnson and Larry Bird, who dominated the 80s with their Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, respectively.
“We started talking about how we won back-to-back in the 90s. Magic wouldn’t let go. He got five championships, ‘Me and Bird, we were the 80s and blah blah blah.’ And then Pip [Pippen] was there to co-sign with me that these are the 90s, these are the new kids on the block.”
“And Magic wouldn’t let it go, and Bird looked at him and said, ‘Man, our time is over and done with. We gotta step aside and let them take over. And it took a while for Magic to let that go.”
This wasn’t a strange scenario for the six-time NBA champion. Michael took part in many challenges and arguments with his teammates, even starring in the most incredible game that we never saw when he led his squad against Magic’s, engaging in a huge battle in Europe.
In the end, Jordan told Johnson and Bird that the NBA was under new management and they agreed to that. The 90s belonged to MJ and his Bulls, who went six championships in eight years. He would become the greatest player of all time, taking the league that Magic and Larry saved to new heights.
