Despite boasting a plethora of NBA talent and young stars, Team USA couldn’t live up to the task in this year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Notably, the standard is always quite steep for the Americans, considering they usually have the best — or most of the best — players on Earth.
That’s even more evident when you compare this team with the one they had 32 years ago.
As pointed out by Ballislife on Twitter, today marks the 32nd anniversary of the original Dream Team, a squad so dominant that it beat every single one of its rivals by an average of 44 points.
That’s why fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on this legendary squad being assembled.
Literal dominance
— Lebron in 1 𝕏 (@Lebronin1) September 21, 2023
The real and only Dream Team I know
— Not Uncertain (@notuncertain_) September 21, 2023
I would think Isiah over John Stockton and should’ve been Shaq over Christian Laettner
— Cassius 🇭🇹🗽🏜 (@ralphiebelair) September 21, 2023
If the last two were IT and Shaq, it would’ve been the perfect roster for 1992.
— Dieter Ismagil (@dieterismagil) September 21, 2023
32 Years ago and still the best team ever
— ً (@EveryBuiId) September 21, 2023
To make things even more surprising, the Dream Team could’ve been even better, as Clyde Drexler made the team over Isiah Thomas, and Duke star Christian Laettner got the nod over Shaquille O’Neal.
The team also featured the likes of Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and the one and only legendary Michael Jordan.
NBA players nowadays don’t take their commitment to Team USA that seriously unless it’s the Olympics.
USA Basketball has often overlooked the FIBA Basketball World Cup, sending younger and less experienced players while saving the big guys for the Summer games.
Hopefully, for them, the team they send to Paris in 2024 will be able to replicate what the Dream Team did three decades before them.
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