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Ranked by greatness: The 1992 Dream Team

By Matthew Miranda

1992: Michael Jordan (L), Magic Johnson (M) and Clyde Drexler (R) of Team USA, the Dream Team, sit on the bench during the men's basketball competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Icon Sportswire)
1992: Michael Jordan (L), Magic Johnson (M) and Clyde Drexler (R) of Team USA, the Dream Team, sit on the bench during the men's basketball competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Icon Sportswire) /
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On the 25th anniversary of the original Dream Team’s gold medal victory, we power rank the loaded roster.

Maybe the most impressive achievement of the greatest basketball team ever was reaching a level of dominance that remains as awe-dropping now as it was 25 years ago. The 1992 U.S. Men’s Basketball Team, “The Dream Team,” stormed through the Olympics undefeated on its way to the gold medal. The average score over six games was 113-73. They weren’t even that close. When your opponents are asking for your autographs before the game, that’s rarefied air.

The accolades, in retrospect, remain mind-boggling. Twelve players. Eleven honored with individual induction to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Dream Team itself named to the Hall in 2010. 15 NBA MVPs. 23 championships. Innumerable selections to All-NBA teams, All-Defense teams, All-Star teams. The average Dreamer’s career lasted 16 seasons, and most of those years they played every game — and played both ends, too. With all the honors and awards and successes, it’s tempting to try and evaluate them against one another. Scottie Pippen vs. Clyde Drexler? Charles Barkley vs. Karl Malone? David Robinson vs. Patrick Ewing? Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson? It’s seemed a knot of Gordian entanglement to try and definitely rank them by individual greatness. Until now.

Behold: all twelve original Dream Teamers, in order from the outskirts of the pantheon to the head of the table. For fun and perspective, we’re including their career-highs in various categories. Rank them yourself, then see how your list compares. With this group, ranking them is akin to watching them play: you really can’t lose.

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