Olympic Dream Teams
The Olympics changed forever when professional athletes were allowed to represent their countries. Previously, the Olympic Games had been reserved for amateurs, but the rules changed for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, when professional athletes were allowed to compete.
Do What Coach Says
These 12 players need a makeover. The coach says they can join the team if they dress the way he likes. Look at the following statements and figure out who will be on the team. What fraction of the 12 players will make the cut?
Around the World
After inventing the game of basketball, Canadian doctor James Naismith lived to see it spread across the globe with the help of the YMCA.
1992 Dream Team
The United States chose 12 of the NBA's best athletes to compete in Olympic men's basketball. Ten of the players were later voted among the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History for the NBA's 50th anniversary in 1996. Michael Jordan, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin, and Christian Laettner all starred on the team. Chuck Daly, the Hall of Fame coach who had engineered the Detroit Pistons' back-to-back NBA championship wins in 1989 and 1990, helmed the Dream Team.
The 1992 Dream Team cruised to a 6-0 record in qualifying play in Barcelona. Even in the quarterfinals, Chris scored a team-leading 21 points to help eliminate Puerto Rico 115-77. The semifinals saw a 51-point U.S. win over Lithuania, and nine Americans scored in double figures. In the gold medal game, the United States beat Croatia by 32 points — and though the game was a blowout, it was the closest score of any game for the United States.
1996 Olympics: Atlanta, Georgia
The United States hosted the 1996 Olympics, so a new Dream Team had a chance to compete on their home soil. Charles, Karl, John, Scottie, and Davis were joined by Shaquille O'Neal, Reggie Miller, Hakeem Olajuwon, Gary Payton, Mitch Richmond, Anfernee Hardaway, and Grant Hill. Coached by Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, the Americans were once again head and shoulders above the rest. The United States pounded Yugoslavia in the gold medal game 95-69.
FUN FACTS
The Dream Team's margin of victory was much smaller in 1996 than in 1992. In 1992, the Dream Team won its games by an average of 44 points. It won its closest game — the gold medal game against Croatia — by 32 points. Compare that to 1996, when the Americans' average margin of victory was 32.3 points.
2000 Olympics: Sydney, Australia
By 2000, the NBA had more international players among its ranks than ever before, and leagues in other countries were beginning to gain strength. Though the U.S. team had a lot of talent, it was not as dominant as past Dream Teams. Gary returned as the sole Olympic veteran. He was joined by Alonzo Mourning, Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter, Allan Houston, Vin Baker, Antonio McDyess, Steve Smith, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and Tim Hardaway. Though the 2000 U.S. team was undefeated, five of the eight games were decided by a margin of 15 or fewer points. The American's closest call came in the semifinals, when they squeaked by Lithuania 85-83. They won the gold medal by beating France 85-75.
TIP - IN
Why don't the best NBA players always win gold medals at the Olympics? Because fundamentals and defense are the keys to international basketball. Also, many teams from other countries play together year-round, while the NBA players practice on the same team for only a few weeks to get ready for the Olympics.
2004 Olympics: Athens, Greece
In 2004, the Dream Team had the ultimate team player in NBA star Tim Duncan, but many of his teammates were known more for individual talent than team championships. Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown commanded a team full of young players. Promising up-and-coming stars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Carlos Boozer, Richard Jefferson, Amare Stoudemire, and Emeka Okafor joined NBA veterans Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Shawn Marion, and Lamar Odom. But the team never really came together.
Inflated Basketball
The first time basketball players made money was in 1896. The team couldn't play in their usual space, so they rented a hall, charged admission, and split the profits. They each got $15. That would be the equivalent of $375 today! The amounts on the balls are in 1896 dollars. If $1 is worth 25 times what it was in 1896, how much would the items cost today?
FUN FACTS
Many players who can't make an NBA team can often make a living playing the game they love by going overseas to play in professional leagues. The pay and level of competition is a little lower than it is in the NBA, but they get to play basketball and learn about different cultures.
Puerto Rico beat the Dream Team soundly, 92-73, in the opening game of the Olympics. The United States won close games with Greece and Australia but fell to Lithuania in its fourth game. An easy win over Angola got the U.S. into the medal round, and in the quarterfinals the Dream Team beat Spain 102-94. But in the semifinals, Argentina, a team that focused on playing fundamentally sound team basketball and good defense, beat the U.S. 89-81, eliminating the United States from gold medal competition. The Americans defeated Lithuania in the third-place game to win the bronze medal.
2008 Redeem Team
For the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, the United States assembled a team with talent the likes of which hadn't been seen since the original 1992 Dream Team. Dubbed the Redeem Team, its players promised to return to the fundamentals that had made the United States so dominant in the past.
James, Wade, Anthony, and Boozer returned, joined by Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, and Deron Williams. Under the direction of Mike Krzyzewski, Duke's legendary Hall of Fame coach, the Redeem Team did exactly what it set out to do. It won every game by double digits, beating Spain in the gold medal game 118-107, and proved that the United States was once again the team to beat.
