Michael Jordan was one of the key players on the original USA Dream Team, which won the gold medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. That’s why it was no surprise that his name was mentioned two years later with the World Championship nearing.
“I’d done it before,” Jordan said via the New York Times in 1993. “I didn’t have anything to prove.”
For flag and country
Mike, who was only 28 years old at the time, could have been considered again to be part of Dream Team II, which would compete in the 1994 FIBA World Championships in Toronto. When asked if he would consider another stint with the United States Men’s national team, MJ gave his honest take on the matter.
“I don’t know if the clubs will want them to do it. You see those of us who played getting the nagging injuries, getting banged up so early in the season. You have to give some of that to playing in the Olympics,” the 1985 Rookie of the Year stated.
Despite Jordan’s skepticism, Dream Team II gathered some of that era’s big names. Leading the list were Reggie Miller, Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, and Dominique Wilkins, among others.
Given the star power of the 1994 United States Men’s team, the Americans won the gold handily once more. O’Neal led the way for the U.S., averaging 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest.
Looking at the resume after all of the members concluded their careers, this team was stacked from top to bottom and is one of the better squads Team USA has ever assembled.
Who was better?
With two different teams from the United States showing their dominance, comparisons could not be avoided. Someone who was pretty vocal about it was Miller.—he believed that Dream Team II was better. However, Jordan begged to disagree, believing the 1992 squad would defeat their 1994 successors in a hypothetical matchup.
Regardless of who did it better, Team USA always made it a point to send the best team possible to the Olympics and the World Championships. Considering other countries boast talented players, it was a must to send the NBA’s best. However, that still depended on the availability and willingness of these star players.
