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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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12. Christian Laettner (18.2 pts, 8.8 rebs, 4.4 asts)

Christian Laettner was the lone collegian on the Dream Team, in part as an homage to the American Olympic tradition of having amateur ballers represent the country in the Games. There was controversy around Laettner’s selection — there was generally controversy around Laettner, period; there still is, including one fellow Dream Teamer’s wife having claimed he owes them $600,000 — as it came at the expense of more highly-regarded collegiate players, namely LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal and Georgetown’s Alonzo Mourning. Attempts to justify excluding those two big men came on the grounds that with Patrick Ewing and David Robinson manning the pivot, there was no need for a third center. Yes, there was actually a point in history where the center position was that loaded!

While Laettner the pro never approached the heights Laettner the collegian did, his NBA career was still an unqualified success story: he made the All-Rookie First Team alongside O’Neal and Mourning; an All-Star in 1997, he consistently put up strong scoring and rebounding numbers while hitting as many as 35 percent of his 3-pointers one year, and once even finished eighth in defensive win shares. Back in the primordial pre-positionless NBA, Laettner spent time at all three frontcourt positions, and was a key starter during three playoff runs with the Atlanta Hawks and two with the Detroit Pistons.   Compared to his Olympic teammates, Laettner’s career was the least impressive. Yet his is a resume 90 percent of NBA players and millions of fans would sign up for tomorrow.

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