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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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4. David Robinson (29.8 pts, 13 rebs, 4.8 asts, 4.5 blks, 2.3 stls)

Only four NBA players have ever recorded a quadruple-double. David Robinson is one of the four. The Admiral was a blessed hybrid, fast  and athletic enough to run the floor like a forward, able to shoot from outside better than many guards, and big enough to dominate the low-post and protect the rim. When you have a free moment today, let your thoughts rest for a bit on how good Robinson really was.

He won an MVP award and finished top-3 five times. He was Defensive Player of the Year. He led the league in scoring in 1994, doing so in memorable fashion by scoring 71 points the final night of the season to pass Shaquille O’Neal atop the leaderboard (some morally-questionable San Antonio fouls late in the game extended the action and helped him seal the scoring title). Twice he led the NBA in rebounds and blocked shots. Three times he attempted more free throws than anybody. Twice he led the league in offensive win shares; three times he led it in defensive win shares. Every one of his career highs is an astonishing number for a 7-foot-1 human being.

Robinson was ahead of his time in many ways; his game would translate rather nicely to today’s style. His numbers already do, especially one modern statistic: over a four-year stretch, Robinson’s average PER was 30. A PER of 30 is considered “runaway MVP candidate.” Four years of runaway brilliance gets you as high as number four on the Dream Team rankings.

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