Magic Johnson was part of arguably the greatest team ever assembled, the 1992 Dream Team. That Team USA squad was packed with legends, and while that could lead to some ego problems, that didn’t happen with that group. Why? Well, Johnson revealed during an All Access event that Michael Jordan’s refusal to be the captain meant everyone stayed in line.
“Chuck Daly took care of the egos on day one when he called us into a meeting and said, ‘Michael Jordan’s gonna be the captain of the Dream Team,'” Johnson said. “Michael said, ‘No, I don’t deserve to be the captain. Magic and Larry [Bird] should be the captains.’ So when he did that, everybody had to leave their egos at the door.”
Jordan was at the peak of his powers in 1992. He had just led the Chicago Bulls to back-to-back NBA titles and was the reigning two-time MVP as well. Jordan was on top of the basketball world, and head coach Chuck Daly certainly wasn’t making a bad decision when he named him captain.
Sure, Johnson and Larry Bird had accomplished more in their careers, but both of them were in difficult situations at the time. Bird was well past his best and retired after the 1992 Olympics.
Johnson, meanwhile, had tested positive for HIV in 1991 and hadn’t played in the 1991-92 season as he announced his retirement. He had only returned for the Olympics in Spain.
So, there was no doubt about who the top dog really was, but Jordan paid respect to Johnson and Bird by stating that he wanted them to be the captains. The two icons would go on to lead a team that demolished the competition in record-breaking fashion.
Team USA won every single game and beat their opponents by an average margin of 43.8 points per game. The smallest margin of victory was 32 points in the gold medal game against Croatia, which is just absurd.
This is what happens, though, when you have such a massive talent advantage over everyone else. That roster had Jordan, Johnson, Bird, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, and Christian Laettner. That’s 11 Hall of Famers in total.
There is a good reason why the Dream Team is regarded by so many as the best ever. Former NBA star Tracy McGrady picked them over the 2024 Avengers as well.
Johnson had a blast playing the point guard position on a team with that much talent. This triumph gave him and Bird the only thing missing in their resumes: an Olympic gold medal.
While Jordan paid respect to the two legends, Johnson revealed he also hilariously let them know privately that their stint at the top in the NBA was over, and it was his time to shine.
“We’re in the dining room eating, and it’s just Larry and I,” Johnson said. “And this guy named Michael Jordan came up … he tapped Larry first then tapped me. He said, ‘I just want you two old guys to know that it’s a new sheriff in town.’ That’s when the Bulls was coming this way, and we were both going this way and and he was right. And we didn’t say nothing but okay.”
Jordan would go on to dominate by winning four more titles in the 1990s. He surpassed both of the icons, and Johnson now calls him the greatest ever.
