this was as the the first and only dream team in my view got ready to play Cuba in their first international game. they won 136 to 57, and it was not even that close. by the way, Drexler got the biggest pop because this was in Portland.
Imagine those lucky fuckers who had a ticket for this game. They got to witness history.Just the team introductions were worth the price of that ticket.
It's because right after Drexler's name got mentioned,the crowd was instantly going crazy so He has no choice but to pause the announcement for a moment.
Laettner deserved to be on the team. He was the best NCAA player at the time. He took Duke to the Final Four EVERY year he played for them (1989-1992/4 years) winning 2 NCAA championships. As for what happened to him, he averaged 17 points and 8 rebounds in his first 5 years in the NBA. He made the all rookie team. He made the all star team in 1997. He scored 11, 000 points in his career, which are 3,000 more than Duke Alum JJ Redick has so far. The selection committee ruled that 1 player had to be an NCAA player, they made the right choice. Everyone knew Shaq had more potential and would be the better pro, however, at the time Laettner was better and even Shaq has publicly admitted that.
George Wagner um laettner was great as a college player...that being said with it being mandatory to have 1 college kid he’s the obvious pick !shaq was no where near his skill and bullied the nba for way to long after yet his record against good big men was pathetic. If he couldn’t travel, offensively charge or bull over he was worthless! Laettner was 10x the player at the time...but comparing laettner college stats to this dream team is a joke. They could have put a junior college kid in there with this amazing team. Christian laettner was an after thought....yes I know this is 3 years later 🤣. Hope you’re healthy and well brother!
It’s already been nearly 28 years since the original dream team, and it’s crazy looking at all their ages....Almost all of them were in their mid to late 20s! They have lived longer since these Olympics than they lived before that!! That’s when you realize how short life really is!
I remember watching this on TV live, tears rolling down my face, thinking to myself "holy hell, every player on the other team is probably either intimidated, awestruck, or both, and they know they have no chance", lol...
True lol. It's a shame that the former Yugoslavia was broken up by this point, because if they had been able to compete with all of the players from those countries, they would've given the US a decently competitive game. I mean, it would've been Dražen Petrović, Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoč, Dino Rađa, Predrag Danilović, Žarko Paspalj and Jure Zdovc. That would've been a hell of a team.
2 years later, we'd also be treated with another dream team, this time in the courtroom. Cochran, Kardashian, Shapiro were among the 13 lawyers that defended OJ.
Who can forget that team... Let's hope we see again a team like this.. We all know that America has the best basketball team but they need to prove it like they did back then! Respect from Greece..
The top college player of his era, the best pick-and-roll duo in all the NBA, and several players who made their names associated with their respective teams at the time. This was the team that was needed to show the world that we were done with a team of college kids playing against pros from other countries.
CHRISTIAN LAETTNER 6,11 DAVID ROBINSON 7,1 PATRICK EWING 7,0 LARRY BIRD 6,9 SCOTTIE PIPPEN 6,7 MICHAEL JORDAN 6,6 CLYDE DREXLER 6,7 KARL MALONE 6,9 JOHN STOCKTON 6,1 CHRIS MULLIN 6,7 CHARLES BARKLEY 6,6 MAGIC JOHNSON 6,9 coach Chuck daly
man somebody need to release a video set of the whole things so kids today can see what real a%$ whipping feels like, domination, and entertaining like an all-star game really looks like
i can imagine if you playing those days against this guys u will be proud and u will pee on your pants in a funny way . What a presentation what a team
Chuck Daly Christian Laettner David Robinson Patrick Ewing Larry Bird Scottie Pippen Michael Jordan Clyde Drexler Karl Malone John Stockton Chris Mullin Charles Barkley Magic Johnson
Christian Laettner David Robinson Patrick Ewing Larry Bird Scottie Pippen Michael Jordan Clyde Drexler Karl Malone John Stockton Chris Mullin Charles Barkley Magic Johnson
Christian Laettner David Robinson Patrick Ewing Larry Bird Scottie Pippen Michael Jordan Clyde Drexler Karl Malone John Stockton Chris Mullin Charles Barkley Magic Johnson
I know Hakeem wasn't a US citizen at this time, but could you imagine him taking Ewing's spot, Shaq taking Leattner's spot (even though Laettner did have a more successful college career than did Shaq), and Isiah taking Mullin's spot!!
Isiah - No , Never, Nash PG position is already filled with playmakers Magic, John Stock, Larry and to some extent MJ Mullin - 1984 LA Games Champion already experienced and one of best 3 point shooter.
Just curious why was daly picked over pat riley or phil Jackson? I have no complaints about daly however. The greatest team ever assembled. What an honor it must have been to play for usa alongside all these legends. Was ewing hurt bc he is the only one in not in warmups & not dressed in the uniform.
The only player I would have switched out would have been Isaiah Thomas for Chris Mullen. Thomas deserved to be there, he led Detroit to the NBA finals in 1988,1989, and 1990. His beef with Jordan kept him off the team unfortunately.
Several players did not want him there, not just Jordan. Thomas had already gotten hurt anyway. Thomas dug his own hole and he continues to dig it to this day.
The only way this could have been more lopsided was if magic was in true game shape Larry was completely healthy and it was Shaq instead of Christian laettner playing. Of course that mercy made no difference. Still it's something to think about.
This could very well be the greatest team ever assembled although I would have liked to see the 1988 version had there been one or better yet a 1984 version. It's a shame that it took a decade of basketball laziness to make this happen along with moronic Olympic "professional" rules.
Even as a five year old I knew this team was special. Never again will there be a team as dominate, all you youngsters need to know the "redeem team" would get abused by this team!
A team to BEAT those legends should be formed by: Bill Russel, Kareem Abdul Jabba, wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Shakille Oneal, Tim Duncan and Stephen Curry. Whos gonna Win?
What a team, opponents had no chance. These guys together at their prime, not even the world stars of today couldve kept up with them! Not even a debate
I don't care what anyone says Christian latter did not belong on that team, professionals only why he was there is beyond me, he was not on there level no way no how. They didn't have to have a ncaa player someone made that up to help get him in.
