The American constellation, which delighted the fans' eyes during the Olympic Games in Barcelona, was not only a sporting phenomenon. It is a sociological, cultural and psychological phenomenon. However, the team that pushed basketball to the heights of popularity was not crystal clear. She faced various difficulties on her way to get gold.
When in 1990 the English, proudly describing themselves as the "Fathers of Football", dropped out of the battle for the world championship, Gary Lineker - once a great striker, today a valued television expert - said: "Football is a game in which 22 men run behind the ball, and in the end Germany wins anyway ” .
He was right - it was Franz Beckenbauer's players who won in the Italian fields. However, they did not dominate football. Actually, nobody did it. Each great representation, be it Austria in the 1930s or Hungary 20 years later, or Brazil led by the famous Pelé - charmed with their game to finally give way to someone else. It was the same with Germany. However, there are disciplines in which the winner has been pointed out in the blind for decades, usually before the competition begins. One of them is basketball and Olympic tournaments.
Injured US hegemony
James Naismith - the Canadian physician who created the game - could not have imagined that it would become global over time. The visionary was still alive when in 1936 basketball made its debut at the Olympic Games in Berlin, and the first champions were the Americans. He died three years later. He was no longer able to see how the "Fathers of Basket" had mastered the sport.
The next games were played only after the war, in London in 1948. US players once again ruled the British dance floors. By 1988, Americans had won nine of the twelve Olympic tournaments. They swallowed the bitterness of failure in 1972, when in Munich, after an extremely controversial final match, they were defeated by the USSR. None of the participants in that meeting received the Olympic silver medal - the Yankees felt so badly hurt.
James Naismith - the Canadian physician who created the game - could not have imagined that it would become global over time.
Eight years later, due to a political boycott, the Americans did not appear in Moscow, and in Seoul in 1988, for the first time in history, they did not advance to the finals, ultimately taking third place. To make matters worse, the Soviets - their greatest rivals - enjoyed gold in South Korea. In the United States, that bronze medal was perceived as a failure. There was a lot of talk about the need for a rematch. Preferably one that the world has not seen.
Fight for NBA professionals
The Olympic Games - at least in principle - were supposed to pay tribute to amateurs. In the 1980s, the sport was heavily commercialized, it also created intercontinental heroes, who more and more often appeared in advertisements of well-known producers. Their popularity generated unprecedented profits. She also popularized the disciplines they represented.
After the defeat in Seoul, the Americans pressed FIBA activists to allow such professional basketball players to participate in the games . They appealed to the feeling of injustice, because European players, playing in the professional leagues of their countries, had no problem with going to the competition. They were treated like amateurs.
After the defeat in Seoul, the Americans pressed FIBA activists to allow such professional basketball players to participate in the games
On the side of the Americans was the secretary general of the federation, Borislav Stanković, who understood that the possible consent of the authorities would give the NBA players a chance for the Olympic scalp - the best and most popular basketball league in the world. Their participation in the Olympic tournament not only increased its rank, but also its popularity. However, these were not the only arguments of the supporters of the revolution.
For decades, the Olympic amateurism of athletes from the communist bloc has been a farce. In most of these countries, athletes were employed in bogus state jobs, but did not appear at work . Instead, they were to train regularly and win - to the glory of the communist authorities!
When on September 28, 1988, the US Olympic team, composed of students, lost the semi-final match against the USSR, the bubble burst. Here are the creators and dominators of the game have been humiliated. And it is in unfair circumstances, although earlier - during a series of victories - invisible. The pressure on FIBA and the IOC has never been so great. In April 1989, these organizations came under pressure. Professional basketball players have been given the green light. They could take part in the Games.
If he's going, I'm not going
The selection committee, headed by Rod Thorn, began its work. Thorn didn't take a long time to call who to call first. He grabbed the phone and dialed Michael Jordan, the absolute star of the league and the guy who was the most important piece of the puzzle. The chairman presented his vision to "MJ". The Chicago Bulls star listened and asked questions. The most interesting was who he would play with in the team. The activist was supposed to hear:"Rod, I don't want to play if Isiah Thomas is to be in the band."
Thomas was the star of the Detroit Pistons. At the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, "Bad Boys" took their toll on Jordan. They played hard and uncompromising basketball, some experts claimed that it was downright dirty and aimed at the best players of opposing teams . Michael became a victim of Isiah and the company, which is why he did not like him much. Additionally, in 1991, after the final match of the Eastern Conference, the defeated Detroit players did not shake hands with their Chicago competitors, showing them disrespect. But time has shown that not only Jordan did not want to play with Thomas. For the sake of the team, the Pistons star stayed home.
Thorn didn't take a long time to call who to call first. He grabbed the phone and dialed Michael Jordan's number
The selection continued. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were convinced to play in "Dream Team" - the name was first used in February 1991 on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" magazine. Although both players had health problems, they made the decision to join the project immediately. A few years earlier, their rivalry fueled the NBA league, and despite being rivals on the court, they held each other with great respect. When Johnson found out about the complete line-up, he said:“The thing that touched me most was that I would end up playing in the same band as Larry Bird. We've both always dreamed of it. ”
In May 1992, the world finally got to know the "Dream Team". Its members - apart from the aforementioned Jordan, Johnson and Brid - also included:Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler and the only university player - Christian Laettner. The group was headed by coach Chuck Daly.
How did the conglomerate of selfishness become a team?
It may seem that Daly and his staff were given the job of their lives - they only had to organize training and take care of their players. The reality turned out to be brutal. The first class convinced the coach that he had a basketball constellation in front of him, in which the ego of each of its members is more important than the good of the team . Everyone wanted to be the best. Score decisive throws.
There were clashes during training, which were the aftermath of league matches. Jordan fought Jonson for the first prize, often provoked by him. Karl Malone and Charles Barkley focused on their internal war, in which the title of the best strong winger in the world was at stake. The media also looked for the conflict between Daly and Jordan. After all, the coach was driving the Detroit Pistons before, and the Chicago boys had a hard time with them. The sensations turned out to be nonsense, and both men joined the turtleneck, which they loved.
On June 24, the team lost a sparring match with the NCAA league representatives. This group lacked what is most important in team sports - chemistry. The stars, convinced of their greatness, were outplayed by intimidated students. Years later, members of the coaching staff claim that in that meeting, Chuck Daly deliberately made frequent changes to the squad, changed tactics and kept Jordan on the bench for a long time. He gave up this match. If that's true, it was a brilliant move. Due to the defeat, the trainer gained something more - control over the players. He convinced them that they were only human. He got used to losing. Effect? A day later, the team took a heavy rematch on the students.
Magic recalled:"In Portland, our opponents asked to pose for souvenir photos before each game, but the most amazing thing was that this also happened during the match."
The first serious test for the "Dream Team" was the American championship in Portland. At the turn of June and July 1992, the representatives of the USA outclassed the competition, but it was not the sport dimension that stuck in their memory the most. Magic recalled:
In Portland our opponents asked to pose for souvenir photos before each game, but the most surprising thing was that this also happened during the match. The guy was dribbling the ball and suddenly stopped in front of his bench so the other guys could snap a good photo.
The twelve chosen ones, eleven of whom will later go to the basketball Hall of Fame, realized that they were not only a sporting phenomenon, but also a cultural one. Admired by fans, journalists and opponents.
Before the Olympic tournament, the team registered in Monaco. She trained, played sparring games and enjoyed the charms of Monte Carlo. In one of the halls there, there was a clash between the Blue, led by Magic Johnson, and the White - led by Michael Jordan. Experts say that during this skirmish there was a generational change of guard, and constantly accosted and provoked by Magician Michael proved that he is the best in the world . Anyway, after the final whistle, Jordan walked over to Johnson and Bird and said, "Hey Magic! There's a new sheriff in town! ”
All three were about to burst out laughing. A complete, unified and unified team was born in Monaco. It was there that many years of friendships and mutual respect were created. The combination of all this with great sports skills made the fans in Barcelona witness an amazing show. A spectacle the world has never seen before or since.
The most beautiful team performance in the history of the Olympic Games
The plane with the "Dream Team" landed in the Catalan capital on July 24, 1992. The interest the basketball players met exceeded all expectations. People lined the streets along which the players traveled. They screamed as soon as any of them came into sight. They pushed through with posters or pieces of paper in hand to get an autograph. It all looked like collective psychosis.
The US representatives were accommodated in a luxury hotel, and not - like the rest of the Olympics participants - in the Olympic Village. It was about security. Their activities were kept up-to-date in the press and television. A press conference was held before the Americans' first game. Many questions were directed by journalists towards Barkley - a cheerful and very direct boy. "We have a desire for revenge for 1972 and 1988 in our hearts. I don't know where Angola is, but I know Angola has a problem. ”
Charles was right. From the first duel, with Angola, the "Dream Team" crushed other opponents. On the way to the finals, players from the United States defeated:Angola, Spain, Germany, Brazil, Croatia, Puerto Rico and Lithuania. They played like a note, beating rivals with an average advantage of nearly 45 points.
On August 8, 1992, in the fight for the Olympic gold, they met with Croats. On the black market, the ticket for this match was said to cost $ 3,000! The first minutes of the game were very even, and at one point, the team of Toni Kukoč and Dražen Petrović took the lead (25:23) quite unexpectedly. This fact only made Jordan and company angry. When the last siren sounded, the scoreboard was 117:85. For Americans.
On August 8, 1992, in the fight for the Olympic gold, they met with Croats. On the black market, the ticket for the match was said to cost $ 3,000!
The ceremony of awarding gold medals had an irrational element. When the Spanish announcer invited the winners to the top step of the podium, Michael Jordan hid his face in his hands, Magic Jonson hugged every friend he met, and the usually cheerful Charles Barkley - he stood like a statue. They, the best players in the best league in the world, the giants of basketball - no they were hiding tears. Scottie Pippen, about the moment he picked up the gold medal, said:“I was shivering. It was a reward that I thought would never happen to me. Doing it at a party like this, with this group of players - it's something I'll never forget. ”
"Dream Team" has become a permanent fixture in the minds of fans as the best team in the history of sport. Regardless of the discipline. Each new team of basketball players sent from the USA to the Olympic Games must face its legend.
But the phenomenon of that band goes far beyond the American continent. After the Barcelona Olympics, the popularity of basketball around the world exploded. Teenagers, infatuated with the "Dream Team", began training in the hope that one day they would find their way to the NBA. In Poland, we also dealt with a "basket-boom", an example of which is the huge popularity of the TV program "Hey, hey, this is the NBA" or the fashion for market caps with visors decorated with the crests of the teams of this league. What "Dream Team" did for basketball was, is and will remain immortal.
Final USA - Croatia match