92' Dream Team

The 1992 United States Of America olympic basketball team is arguably the greatest sports team in the history of team sports. Unlike the previous olympic teams, the appeal and amazing charisma displayed on the court was secondary to the mass appeal and acknowledgment the team received off the court. The team was headline by 3 all time greats of the game, Michael Jordan, Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, and Larry Bird. Along with 8 members of the NBA's greatest players; Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, Clyde Drexler and college basketball best player; Christian Laettner, the equation resulted in total domination.

The 'Dream Team' served as more than just a dominant team, but also the bridge that helped introduce the world outside of the U.S to the game of basketball. Although the margin of victories was an astonishing 44 point average, some opponents would try to capture the moments of defending Jordan, Bird and Magic on camera through fanatic fans. The team went on to capture the gold by beating all 8 opponents with the final game being the closest with an easy 32 point victory.

Off the court, 'The Dream Team' sent the city of Barcelona into pandemonium similar to the Beatles in the 60's. USA Coach Chuck Daly described the pandemonium as "Traveling with the 'Dream Team' was like traveling with 12 rock stars, thats the only thing i can compare it to". Simple moments such eating at the local city resturant to making appearances at the other events during the olympics were captured. Paparazzi Queen, Lindsey Lohan would be jealous with the amount of coverage the 'Dream Team' received. In true celebrity form the team stayed in a high class hotel, along with police escorted arrivals to the game site and media coverage during simple walk through practices.

This summer the 2008 Olympic Basketball team headline by Kobe Bryant and Lebron James will attempt to replicate the greatness of the greatest team ever assembled. Although players 1-12 are not on the same level as the 92' team, the coverage may help build an argument in their favor, from their political stance on the upcoming election to the relief efforts in China. Only time will tell if 2008 USA mens basketball team will be known as the resurgence of the 'Dream Team'.