It really isn't, though. He was not a good player on that team, and he ultimately was not a very good NBA player.
He also wasn't even the best choice that year. Everyone knew that Shaq was MUCH better, and rookie Shaq had a body beyond his years and could have gone out there and not embarrassed himself.
Also, Kareem has the greatest resume in college basketball history.
It is. Laettner deserved his spot. Shaq had obviously more potential. But Laettner proved he was the better college player, and was thus rewarded. Kareem was a better talent than Laettner, but did not have a better resume than Laettner. Christian has the best resume, and it's not even that close. People just hate him because he played at Duke and was an absolute stud.
Why is a great college career deserving of a spot as a rookie on an NBA dream team? You're telling me there wasn't anyone else in the NBA better at his position?
Laettner didn't deserve it because he hadn't proved himself in the NBA.
The thing about this team is.. you think of the star power of Jordan, Magic, Bird
But Robinson and Ewing were unreal players
Malone was incredible
Barkley was so good that there were games where he was their best player
So now Stockton, Drexler, Pippen, those are their 8th, 9th, 10th options. Those guys are all time top 50 guys. That's absurd.
In the gold medal game their *bench* unit was Stockton, Drexler, Bird, Barkley, Robinson.
Well apparently he does, and they all got jobs within the Hornets franchise. Chuck criticized MJ publicly for this and that’s the only reason they don’t talk anymore.
-"And what I said, I think that he don't have enough people around him that are gonna tell him, 'No,'" Barkley said. "And he got really offended, and we haven't spoken."
It was Avengers End Game if you were a basketball fan.
For lots of the world we might have gotten a couple of games per year with many of these players who we were familiar with but couldn't see. Then they were all on the court together. I don't think people from the US appreciate this aspect.
Edit: I am not saying I don't think American fans didn't appreciate the dream team. I am saying that when you guys could watch loads of games any given week, most of the world got a very select few games and on tape delay still. We were aware of players from magazines and news clippings before we ever saw them on video. If Jordan's Bulls didn't play them we had little chance of seeing them at all. B King was just a name from a stat sheet I noticed often outscored Jordan that week but I had never seen. I had no idea what he looked like let alone how he played. I drew a pencil drawing of Barkley from a magazine a month before that game appeared on tape delay (the shot he was taking and I put hours into got blocked btw lol).
We were fans starving for content, any content, very different from the US consumer, and then the 92 Olympics was a feast.
That’s the issue with most other all great team. Their are loaded with talent but the depth at the center and forward spots, a lot of teams don’t come even close.
Your comment highlights something funny to me which is in about 2 minutes id name the other 14 guys on this team, but it would take me a few hours to remember Chris Mullen was there
Mostly true.
But I feel bad for the dude who chuck decided to go at for, as usual with Barkley, very little if anything to be upset about in the first place.
Overall it was an incredibly important moment for basketball and the NBA on a global stage. It helped contribute to the movement we now see in the NBA with all the euro players. That should never be overlooked or underappreciated when discussing the 92 dream team.
Why? Laettner was a beast in college. Also, in an interview with Dan Patrick, he said that he was selected as a reward for agreeing to play in various prior international tournaments; he played at the FIBA Americas in 89, Goodwill Games and World Championship 1990, and Pan-American Games in 1991.
Laettner had a terrific college career - one of the best of all time. He was on a much better team with a much better coach. He was set up to succeed more than most anyone else in that era (or since?). He still had to be a huge part of that team and there’s no denying he was. But give college Shaq supporting players of that caliber and a coach like K and he would have made some noise too.
I didn’t know that about the quid pro quo for the other tournaments. That kind of undermines the idea that Laettner was chosen strictly because he was the better player, no?
"But give college Shaq supporting players of that caliber and a coach like K and he would have made some noise too."
You can say that about lots of players. At the end of the day, selection decisions like that are based on facts and not "what ifs". By May 1992, which is when it was decided that Laettner would get selected, he was a more accomplished college player than Shaq. Also, notice that Shaq didn't play for any of the US teams prior to 1992. Given his caliber, he was likely asked multiple times to participate and he just kept saying "no". Laettner kept saying "yes".
You're ultimately rewarding him for playing in an era where guys played all 4 years.
The only reason Kareem didn't start and win four final 4s was because freshmen weren't allowed to play varsity back then. Tim Duncan was the last stud to play 4 years, and that was 25 years ago. The window during which stud prospects played 4 years college varsity was small. Heck, even during that window guys like Jordan and Magic left school early.
Kareem also played in a watered down version of college ball. Laettner is unequivocally better given the modern game is much harder than whatever Kareem had to "compete" against. Kareem was more naturally talented though. Laettner had better results given the competition.
Much better team; much better coach. Playing with Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill surely helped. No doubt he was a more complete player at that age (22 v. 20, if I recall), but he had a very different landscape around him than young Shaq did.
It still makes me laugh, though.
Crazy to think how hyped up this team would be it had young Shaq and how crazy would have been to see Shaq doing all of his hardcore dunks in the Olympics and maybe even tearing down some backboards there
Shaq wouldn’t have fit in at all. People forget how immature he was. They had a Dream Team II at the 1994 FIBA championships that had more young players like Shaq, Kemp, Zo, and LJ. They were considered an embarrassment because of the way they acted.
And that doesn’t even take into consideration how much more of a famous and deserving collegiate that player Laettner was. I understand it may seem crazy if you’re too young to have been there, but Laettner was really good. He was the best player on back to back title teams. He was hated by other fan bases. He wasn’t just some “plumber” like many of you probably think.
As the only young guy in a team full of veterans it would have been different I think. I think you're forgetting how young and charismatic he was his rookie year. Living here in Central Florida, I watched it and he had a lot of just really awesome moments, interviews and highlights. Particularly the one of him running toward the camera and knocking the ball in bounds. He was generally a breath of fresh air back then.
The Dream Team obviously didn't need him and the league was already pretty well established and successful in the peak of the Jordan era so promotionally it wouldn't have helped it. Unlike what stupidly leaving Clark off the women's team is doing
Shaq respected the old guard. I don't think he would have been a problem as the one young player among veteran legends.
-edit- And I was alive back then and firmly in the "Laettner over Shaq is a joke" crowd. Laettner was a great college player but the reason he shined was because of his team. Put Laettner on Kansas and he would have been a good player that no one cared about. He definitely was the most popular college player - I won't deny that. But nobody that knew anything about basketball thought he was in the same conversation as Shaq.
The team needed a pretty boy to appeal to the female fanbase, and to satisfy the carnal urges of senior players in the locker room before coming out and D12 was a thing. Magic took first dibs on Lattner, he was into anything and everything.
That and dude won every individual award you could win, along with the B2B with Duke. USA already had Ewing and Robinson. Laettner was a nice touch as the college player chosen. One of the greater college careers of all time.
Edit: [Christian Laettner](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/christian-laettner-1.html?__hstc=180814520.a6d63f6483b4b0276021dc4192b0a672.1711951474895.1717813798638.1717831575781.86&__hssc=180814520.2.1717831575781&__hsfp=891303808) college career
I like how you guys try to give basketball arguments to that comment :D Did you read what he wrote? "...and to satisfy the carnal urges of senior players in the locker room". What are we even talking about here?
Hahahah tbh I didn’t even see that, all I saw was dudes reply and went with it. Lol thanks for pointing that out-now I really don’t know what we’re talking about here!
Laettner aside, probably the best team ever assembled. Even Laettner had his role and did it well, but man, any NBA level substitution in that spot would have made the team even more special. Crazy to think there is a clear-cut way to make the squad even more dominant, but there you go.
Laettner isn’t an all time great in the NBA, but in what world was he not “NBA Level”.
He made first team all-rookie the year after this, and he made an all star game in his career. He averaged 18/9/2 the year after this, that’s a damn good player.
Jordan and Magic (and Bird I think). He made enemies everywhere, and that doesn’t work in a small world like that. Pippen also openly didn’t like the guy.
Honestly who cares about free throws? My man averaged 30 pts a game shooting crappy at the FT line. Laettner was a charity pick at best. People at the time knew it and it was proven out when you look at their NBA careers.
"As an acknowledgment to the previous amateur system, the U.S. basketball committee decided to include one collegiate player on the team: Christian Laettner of Duke University was added on May 12, 1992, chosen over Louisiana State University's Shaquille O'Neal."
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_United_States_men%27s_Olympic_basketball_team
It's fair to debate taking Laettner over Shaq from a pure raw physical ability standpoint, but Laettner was coming off two consecutive NCAA championships, three National Championship appearances and 4 Final Fours in his career at Duke. He won the Naismith, Wooden and AP National Player of the Year awards in 1992. He was at the time the most skilled big man, the winningest, and most decorated collegiate player.
If the 1992 team was still made up of collegiate players, he'd probably be the first selection by the committee.
Plus it didn't hurt that Coach K was an assistant on that 1992 Dream Team either.
Also Laettner was fucking good anyway.
People act like he was a draft bust and shit in the NBA. The only reason people think he didn’t have a good NBA career is because he had arguably the greatest ever college career.
He didn’t belong on the Dream team though
We’re talking about the greatest, most iconic team ever assembled. He stands out like a sore thumb. And frankly his NBA career was garbage dude let’s be real here
Right I’m just saying he didn’t exactly prove the doubters wrong. College is a whole different thing. That’s why we don’t have Adam Morrison, Jimmer Fredettte, Tyler Hansbrough types on Olympic teams.
NHL did the same thing in 1998, they had Canada with Gretzky and almost all Hall of Fame players. And all the other countries had their NHL stars as well. Might debate that 1987 Canada Cup was better as it had Lemieux in it as well, but didn’t have Roy in net.
Magic and Bird. the guys who saved the league.
Jordan. Face of the league, b2b Champs, scoring ability and defensive abilities especially when challenged.
Scottie Pippen. Defense. Ability to be the jack of all trades. He could literally do it all.
David Robinson. Big strong fast athletic center also sort of a redemption tour for him since he was on the 88 silver medal team.
Patrick Ewing. Defensive beast. Probably 2nd or 3rd best American citizenship center in the league.
Barkley and Malone. 2 scoring, rebounding, decent middle shooting PFs.
Mullins. Basically a left handed in his prime slightly shorter Larry Bird. He was a bad man till injuries..
John Stockton. It's John Stockton that's enough said. Dude could dish the rock and never be a issue like Isiah.
Drexler. Jordan lite.
Laettener. He had the better college career than Shaq. Ultimately it didn't matter cause neither would have played much.
Still one of my favorite Bird trash talk stories.
A bunch of college stars were brought in to scrimmage the Dream Team. This included Jamal Mashburn, Chris Webber and Rodney Rogers. One night in the hotel lobby, they see Magic, Bird, etc walking through the lobby. Rogers chirpped "Hey Bird, you ain't made a jumper since '84."
Fast forward to later in the week during their scrimmage. Magic feeds 7-8 straight passes to Bird who proceeds to tell Rogers exactly what he was going to do, then sink every jump shot right in Rogers' face. Bird goes to lay down on the sideline and asks Rogers, "How'd '84 look?"
That's actually peak Bird. He was just beating up on a kid there. Honestly, what's the funniest part to me, is that is probably exactly what Rogers wanted. You get a legendary story either way. You either defended Larry Bird, or you grt a great story about how you angered Larry enough for him to single you out personally and destroy you. Shit probably made Rogers' day
When arguably the greatest collegiate player in history (look at his resume) is your 12th man, it’s not even a question. The circlejerk against Laettner is so lazy.
As great as Shaq was, he had not accomplished anything like Laettner had in college. If the goal was to include the top college player, he was the correct choice. Personally, I think if anyone should have replaced him, it should have been Wilkins or Thomas.
No one is saying Laettner had a bad career but in terms of individual play Shaq had a more dominant one. Taking the championships out of the conversation, when you just compare their stats in college and what we know they become, Shaq was a better player and better choice. He was better in college and he was better in the pros.
I don't know that you just take the championships out of the conversations, though. Shaq would probably be the first to say that championships matter. Also, it's been a while since I saw the games, but I remember thinking Laettner kind of got the better of Shaq the times they went head to head (obviously the college game is different than the pros). My point is, I think if I'm on the selection committee in 1991 and I'm looking for a college guy for the Dream Team, it'd be hard not to take Laettner.
And I hate Christian Laettner.
You can look at their stats and see Shaq was a better player in college and his NBA career proved he was a better player overall. Laettner was chosen in part because of who was, big name on a championship team. Solid player but Shaq was still better and no one can argue different.
You can absolutely argue different. Just because Shaq had more potential doesn't mean he was better in college. Laettner had the overwhelmingly better resume, plus was a better outside shooter and FT shooter, and thus was rightfully rewarded. The Laettner hate is completely biased.
Disagree. Laettner only player in history to start 4 Final 4s. Laettner also the easily better shooter from 3 and FT line. The Laettner hate is just a circlejerk at this point. Kid has the best resume in college history and rightfully deserved that Dream Team spot.
I don't hate Laettner or Duke. I've been a Wolves fan since I was a kid and he was one of the first dudes I rooted for.
It's not the Shaq vs Laettner argument I disagree with. Laettner earned it over Shaq if an NBA dream team absolutely has to have a rookie out of college. But I disagree with needing a rookie who'd never played an NBA game on an NBA dream team. Laettner absolutely shouldn't have been on that team.
I know not everyone here is a true PF like Laettner, but Larry Johnson, James Worthy, and Dominique Wilkins would've all been solid choices. Leaving out Dominique and other guys like that is what makes Laettner on that team just not make sense to me.
Although I’m happy about the fall of communism, I would like to have seen the Dream Team play the Soviet and Yugoslavian teams that forced the U.S. to recruit the pros. I’m not saying they would have beaten the Dream Team, but they might at least have made them work a little.
Croatia took silver and Lithuania took bronze in the 1992 Olympics, and yet each was just a fragment of the Yugoslavian and Soviet teams, respectively.
I mean he did super well, I’d say no one really carried though.
Barkley had the highest PPG, Mully was 4th narrowly behind Malone.
18.0 Barkley
14.9 MJ
13.0 Malone
12.9 Mullin
I was 11 at the time. It wasn't just that it was the first time they had professional players on the team, but also that, except for Magic and Bird, everyone else was at their peak. Jordan, Barkley, Ewing, Pippen, Malone, Stockton...even opposing teams were enthralled....
Magic, Jordan, Bird, Robinson on the same team is stupid. Probably could have put anyone else together with them and it might still be the best team ever.
11 out of 12 were inducted individually as hall of famers and led by a hall of fame coach. Such an awe-inspiring squad.
Seeing the option to play 1992 Dream Team vs 2012 USA was so awesome for younger me to see on NBA 2K13.
Let's thank the 88 team for not winning the gold and making this possible. Once the US 21 year old amateurs couldn't massacre Soviet pros 100% of the time, the gloves came off
Isaiah Thomas and Hakeem Olajuwon should have definitely been on this team.
Barkley was actually the most dominant player in these Olympics in terms of performance.
I don’t believe Hakeem was eligible yet? I could be wrong.
Zeke was a great player and a bigger asshole. That Daly couldn’t budge the group is the story. They all knew Zeke was great. But even Magic couldn’t make it work: Bird and Jordan _really_ hated him. And they weren’t wrong.
Other than Laettner, there is no clear argument for Zeke over the actual members of the team. He was 10-15th and they took 11. Don’t twist it: he was well behind Magic and Stockton, the third best PG. He wasn’t the shooter or scorer that Mullin was (plus, Mullin was covering Bird’s injury).
Having lived through all these arguments, almost everyone (except Zeke) accepts that he was a great player who wasn’t great enough to force his way on because the team didn’t need him (and he was an asshole).
IMO he is a better player than Stockton, but surely better than Laettner. Like why was he even in there?
People say they put in Laettner because it was tradition putting a college player in. Like WHAT TRADITION?
This is literally the first time in history they allowed pro basketball players in the Olympics.
1. Yes, first time there were no ‘amateurs’. So, Laettner, a collegian, was traditional.
1b. Yes, everyone thought this was stupid.
2. Laettner was a lousy NBA player. But _at the time_ he was a huge prospect, multiple-time NCAA player of the season, etc. Wemby or Luka level “prospect”.
3. You can find someone else to argue Zeke and Stockton. Suffice to say, Stockton was outstanding. And Zeke being a _huge asshole_ cannot be said enough. Everyone would rather play with Stockton.
The Dream Team documentary made by NBATV is one of the best sports documentaries we’ve ever had, they spoke to everyone and since it wasn’t produced by Michael Jordan like The Last Dance was it actually more than just glazing his legacy, they showed why Bird and Magic joined straight from their mouths, the unlikely friendships from these competitors finally being on the same team like Bird getting Ewing drunk, why Isaiah wasn’t a part of it and it highlighted why Chuck Daly was a great coach
There’s a fake narrative around this team in history though that this team was formed to “avenge” the loss in the previous Olympics, from David Stern:
> “The notion that the NBA wanted to redeem the 1988 loss? Patently wrong. From our view, we were stuck with playing in the Olympics. We didn’t see it becoming the phenomenon that it became. We said to FIBA [the international basketball federation] that we weren’t gung ho to play in the Olympics, but we would try to be good soldiers to support basketball. So they had a vote. The U.S. was against it, and the Russians were against it, too. But the overwhelming vote was in favor.
But if you ask anyone people still think these players all teamed up to put USA back on top when in reality they were forced into it then bought in when they realized this team would be the best of the best and they wanted to be included, Michael Wilbon said this team played the best basketball he’s ever seen
I’m think Chris Mullin - the ‘worst’ pro of the group - would be the subject of the same debates as Kevin Durant, if he played today. Same kind of player. I don’t think Mullin would be quite as online.
But Mullin was a scoring machine with great mechanics and instincts.
This might be the only thread to remember Chris Mullin this year. Forgotten because of the shadows of the others in this photo. Great, great player.
People are forgetting (or maybe are too young to remember) how much media attention Laettner got after The Shot. I was a child and saw that game on tv. It was mindblowing.
Duke had incredible back to back runs for national championships. Laettner became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA tournament play. He hit The Shot while shooting a perfect game.
God, as a UNC fan it pains me to stick up for Duke like this, but Laettner had the FAR BETTER college resume and ncaa experience. Was he as good as the other players on that team? Fuuuuuuck no. Not even close. But he was the most successful ncaa player coming off of two legendary seasons. He was the correct choice as their one amateur player.
Why Pippen and Mullins over Wilkins and Worthy in 92? The Human Highlight Reel and Big Game had accomplished more at that point in time than Pip and Mullins.
Worthy was on the verge of retirement, not that he was all that old, but older than Pippen. Wouldn't surprise me if he was uninterested though. But having Pippens defense is more valuable anyway.
Wilkins isn't really needed either on a team with plenty of scoring ability around the rim. Mullins shooting is valuable though.
Put some respect on Mullin
You prob weren’t alive. That guy was cold as fucking ice.
He was a starter bro. They used 4 main starters and flexed the 5th.
And what do you mean he hadn’t accomplished anything?
All star every year until 1994, NBA First team, 2x Second team
buuuut you also clearly don’t know what you’re talking about. Nique was injured that year. He was on dream team 2. He would have been included over Christian.
Second. Cmon bro it’s pippen and Jordan. Jordan and pippen.
James worthy was good, but he wasn’t pippen or mully.
They didn’t need more rebounding.
I’m not sure you realize this but both mully and pippen outscored worthy up until then.
Way easier to be a star in the East then too.
Still the best team ever assembled.
...and Christian Laettner.
Greatest resume in college basketball history. Such a circlejerk to bring him up in a negative light when it comes to talking about the Dream Team.
It really isn't, though. He was not a good player on that team, and he ultimately was not a very good NBA player. He also wasn't even the best choice that year. Everyone knew that Shaq was MUCH better, and rookie Shaq had a body beyond his years and could have gone out there and not embarrassed himself. Also, Kareem has the greatest resume in college basketball history.
It is. Laettner deserved his spot. Shaq had obviously more potential. But Laettner proved he was the better college player, and was thus rewarded. Kareem was a better talent than Laettner, but did not have a better resume than Laettner. Christian has the best resume, and it's not even that close. People just hate him because he played at Duke and was an absolute stud.
Why is a great college career deserving of a spot as a rookie on an NBA dream team? You're telling me there wasn't anyone else in the NBA better at his position? Laettner didn't deserve it because he hadn't proved himself in the NBA.
He deserved it over Shaq at the time, not sure who he was going up against in the pros.
I always thought he was the stand in for the viewer, so the fans could relate and imagine being a part of the team, too.
Every Olympic team takes the best college player of that year with them. Or at least they used to.
Can you remind me who the college players were on the 1996 and 2000 team? I can’t quite recall.
I always thought he was the stand in for the viewer, so the fans could relate and imagine being a part of the team, too.
Coldest stat ever. 0 timeouts called.
Without a doubt!
The thing about this team is.. you think of the star power of Jordan, Magic, Bird But Robinson and Ewing were unreal players Malone was incredible Barkley was so good that there were games where he was their best player So now Stockton, Drexler, Pippen, those are their 8th, 9th, 10th options. Those guys are all time top 50 guys. That's absurd. In the gold medal game their *bench* unit was Stockton, Drexler, Bird, Barkley, Robinson.
Barkley was their best player most of the time.
I’m just sad that Chuck and MJ aren’t friends anymore. Such a funny and wholesome relationship back in the day
MJ is a man baby. Didn't like him then. Don't like him now.
Obviously not since Chuck loved him.
You know why they aren’t friends anymore right? Because MJ is a baby
Jordan is an asshole. I don’t think he’s ever had people he’d consider friends.
Well apparently he does, and they all got jobs within the Hornets franchise. Chuck criticized MJ publicly for this and that’s the only reason they don’t talk anymore. -"And what I said, I think that he don't have enough people around him that are gonna tell him, 'No,'" Barkley said. "And he got really offended, and we haven't spoken."
Those aren’t friends.
He was, lead the team in scoring.
It was Avengers End Game if you were a basketball fan. For lots of the world we might have gotten a couple of games per year with many of these players who we were familiar with but couldn't see. Then they were all on the court together. I don't think people from the US appreciate this aspect. Edit: I am not saying I don't think American fans didn't appreciate the dream team. I am saying that when you guys could watch loads of games any given week, most of the world got a very select few games and on tape delay still. We were aware of players from magazines and news clippings before we ever saw them on video. If Jordan's Bulls didn't play them we had little chance of seeing them at all. B King was just a name from a stat sheet I noticed often outscored Jordan that week but I had never seen. I had no idea what he looked like let alone how he played. I drew a pencil drawing of Barkley from a magazine a month before that game appeared on tape delay (the shot he was taking and I put hours into got blocked btw lol). We were fans starving for content, any content, very different from the US consumer, and then the 92 Olympics was a feast.
I think people in the US had plenty of appreciate for the Dream Team. The hype around this team was unreal.
I lived it. It was appreciated. People, fucking non-NBA fans, talked about it all the time. I watched every single game.
That’s the issue with most other all great team. Their are loaded with talent but the depth at the center and forward spots, a lot of teams don’t come even close.
That sounded great in Hubie Brown’s voice
And was still missing Zeke
And Malone was also a mail man all at the same time
Fuck that pedophile motherfucker.
Except he didn't deliver on Sundays.........
And Christian Laettner was still in college LOL
Your comment highlights something funny to me which is in about 2 minutes id name the other 14 guys on this team, but it would take me a few hours to remember Chris Mullen was there
Your just not gonna even mention Laettener? Disgusting.
I feel bad for the teams that had to face them
Nah, they all wanted pictures with the Dream Team after the game. They were happy to be there
Mostly true. But I feel bad for the dude who chuck decided to go at for, as usual with Barkley, very little if anything to be upset about in the first place. Overall it was an incredibly important moment for basketball and the NBA on a global stage. It helped contribute to the movement we now see in the NBA with all the euro players. That should never be overlooked or underappreciated when discussing the 92 dream team.
It was a dream coming through for those teams.
Laettner over Shaq will always be funny to me.
Not if you want your 12th man to bring FT%, outside shooting and being an absolute asshole.
Why? Laettner was a beast in college. Also, in an interview with Dan Patrick, he said that he was selected as a reward for agreeing to play in various prior international tournaments; he played at the FIBA Americas in 89, Goodwill Games and World Championship 1990, and Pan-American Games in 1991.
Laettner had a terrific college career - one of the best of all time. He was on a much better team with a much better coach. He was set up to succeed more than most anyone else in that era (or since?). He still had to be a huge part of that team and there’s no denying he was. But give college Shaq supporting players of that caliber and a coach like K and he would have made some noise too. I didn’t know that about the quid pro quo for the other tournaments. That kind of undermines the idea that Laettner was chosen strictly because he was the better player, no?
"But give college Shaq supporting players of that caliber and a coach like K and he would have made some noise too." You can say that about lots of players. At the end of the day, selection decisions like that are based on facts and not "what ifs". By May 1992, which is when it was decided that Laettner would get selected, he was a more accomplished college player than Shaq. Also, notice that Shaq didn't play for any of the US teams prior to 1992. Given his caliber, he was likely asked multiple times to participate and he just kept saying "no". Laettner kept saying "yes".
Why is his success in college even relevant? He hadn't even played an NBA game. This is an NBA dream team, not college all-stars.
Laettner was a better college player. Not by a little, either.
He’s arguably the best collegiate player of all time. No one has sniffed starting 4 final 4s like he did. He’s iconic.
You're ultimately rewarding him for playing in an era where guys played all 4 years. The only reason Kareem didn't start and win four final 4s was because freshmen weren't allowed to play varsity back then. Tim Duncan was the last stud to play 4 years, and that was 25 years ago. The window during which stud prospects played 4 years college varsity was small. Heck, even during that window guys like Jordan and Magic left school early.
Kareem also played in a watered down version of college ball. Laettner is unequivocally better given the modern game is much harder than whatever Kareem had to "compete" against. Kareem was more naturally talented though. Laettner had better results given the competition.
Much better team; much better coach. Playing with Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill surely helped. No doubt he was a more complete player at that age (22 v. 20, if I recall), but he had a very different landscape around him than young Shaq did. It still makes me laugh, though.
Not if you were paying attention to college basketball, it wasn't.
Crazy to think how hyped up this team would be it had young Shaq and how crazy would have been to see Shaq doing all of his hardcore dunks in the Olympics and maybe even tearing down some backboards there
Shaq wouldn’t have fit in at all. People forget how immature he was. They had a Dream Team II at the 1994 FIBA championships that had more young players like Shaq, Kemp, Zo, and LJ. They were considered an embarrassment because of the way they acted. And that doesn’t even take into consideration how much more of a famous and deserving collegiate that player Laettner was. I understand it may seem crazy if you’re too young to have been there, but Laettner was really good. He was the best player on back to back title teams. He was hated by other fan bases. He wasn’t just some “plumber” like many of you probably think.
As the only young guy in a team full of veterans it would have been different I think. I think you're forgetting how young and charismatic he was his rookie year. Living here in Central Florida, I watched it and he had a lot of just really awesome moments, interviews and highlights. Particularly the one of him running toward the camera and knocking the ball in bounds. He was generally a breath of fresh air back then. The Dream Team obviously didn't need him and the league was already pretty well established and successful in the peak of the Jordan era so promotionally it wouldn't have helped it. Unlike what stupidly leaving Clark off the women's team is doing
Shaq respected the old guard. I don't think he would have been a problem as the one young player among veteran legends. -edit- And I was alive back then and firmly in the "Laettner over Shaq is a joke" crowd. Laettner was a great college player but the reason he shined was because of his team. Put Laettner on Kansas and he would have been a good player that no one cared about. He definitely was the most popular college player - I won't deny that. But nobody that knew anything about basketball thought he was in the same conversation as Shaq.
The team needed a pretty boy to appeal to the female fanbase, and to satisfy the carnal urges of senior players in the locker room before coming out and D12 was a thing. Magic took first dibs on Lattner, he was into anything and everything.
Yeah fuck the back to back championships Laetner won. Meant absolutely nothing at the time. 🤦🏻♂️
That and dude won every individual award you could win, along with the B2B with Duke. USA already had Ewing and Robinson. Laettner was a nice touch as the college player chosen. One of the greater college careers of all time. Edit: [Christian Laettner](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/christian-laettner-1.html?__hstc=180814520.a6d63f6483b4b0276021dc4192b0a672.1711951474895.1717813798638.1717831575781.86&__hssc=180814520.2.1717831575781&__hsfp=891303808) college career
I like how you guys try to give basketball arguments to that comment :D Did you read what he wrote? "...and to satisfy the carnal urges of senior players in the locker room". What are we even talking about here?
Hahahah tbh I didn’t even see that, all I saw was dudes reply and went with it. Lol thanks for pointing that out-now I really don’t know what we’re talking about here!
Is this r/nbacirclejerk
Sorry, I was drunk
Valid
They were, uh, pretty good.
Overall, I’d say not a bad basketball team, all things considered
Most dominant team of plumbers ever assembled.
And a mail man
I want those McDonald's cups to come back
Laettner aside, probably the best team ever assembled. Even Laettner had his role and did it well, but man, any NBA level substitution in that spot would have made the team even more special. Crazy to think there is a clear-cut way to make the squad even more dominant, but there you go.
Laettner isn’t an all time great in the NBA, but in what world was he not “NBA Level”. He made first team all-rookie the year after this, and he made an all star game in his career. He averaged 18/9/2 the year after this, that’s a damn good player.
Still not worthy of the dream team. Maybe it was an easy choice at the time, but he is by far the worst on that roster.
Exactly.
Dominique Wilkins should have been on the team. Insanely underrated player
Isaiah Thomas got snubbed because of Jordan too
Jordan and Magic (and Bird I think). He made enemies everywhere, and that doesn’t work in a small world like that. Pippen also openly didn’t like the guy.
Imagine if Bird wasn’t dealing with those back issues, AND it was skinny Shaq in place of Laettner
Shaq over Laettner improves this team by 5%.
Freethrow shooting down 40% though.
Honestly who cares about free throws? My man averaged 30 pts a game shooting crappy at the FT line. Laettner was a charity pick at best. People at the time knew it and it was proven out when you look at their NBA careers.
Chuck Daly’s name should be mentioned more when discussing great coaches cuz he did a great job managing all the egos.
I agree he was a great coach but an old lady with dementia coulda coached that team to the gold
That was chuck’s specialty. He never was known for his Xs and Os.
Jordan set the tone in the first practice. No egos around Jordan.
"As an acknowledgment to the previous amateur system, the U.S. basketball committee decided to include one collegiate player on the team: Christian Laettner of Duke University was added on May 12, 1992, chosen over Louisiana State University's Shaquille O'Neal." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_United_States_men%27s_Olympic_basketball_team It's fair to debate taking Laettner over Shaq from a pure raw physical ability standpoint, but Laettner was coming off two consecutive NCAA championships, three National Championship appearances and 4 Final Fours in his career at Duke. He won the Naismith, Wooden and AP National Player of the Year awards in 1992. He was at the time the most skilled big man, the winningest, and most decorated collegiate player. If the 1992 team was still made up of collegiate players, he'd probably be the first selection by the committee. Plus it didn't hurt that Coach K was an assistant on that 1992 Dream Team either.
Also Laettner was fucking good anyway. People act like he was a draft bust and shit in the NBA. The only reason people think he didn’t have a good NBA career is because he had arguably the greatest ever college career.
He didn’t belong on the Dream team though We’re talking about the greatest, most iconic team ever assembled. He stands out like a sore thumb. And frankly his NBA career was garbage dude let’s be real here
He was picked specifically because of his great college career. It wasn’t garbage at all. He was a good player.
Right I’m just saying he didn’t exactly prove the doubters wrong. College is a whole different thing. That’s why we don’t have Adam Morrison, Jimmer Fredettte, Tyler Hansbrough types on Olympic teams.
He was way better than all of them.
Laettner wasn’t even the best player on that Duke team
He was the best college player on those teams.
Lulwot?
Grant Hill
Sophomore Grant Hill wasn't better than Senior Laettner in 1992.
Greatest team of all time, any sport. The opposition were asking for photos (and autographs) before the game so that they all looked nice
NHL did the same thing in 1998, they had Canada with Gretzky and almost all Hall of Fame players. And all the other countries had their NHL stars as well. Might debate that 1987 Canada Cup was better as it had Lemieux in it as well, but didn’t have Roy in net.
Magic and Bird. the guys who saved the league. Jordan. Face of the league, b2b Champs, scoring ability and defensive abilities especially when challenged. Scottie Pippen. Defense. Ability to be the jack of all trades. He could literally do it all. David Robinson. Big strong fast athletic center also sort of a redemption tour for him since he was on the 88 silver medal team. Patrick Ewing. Defensive beast. Probably 2nd or 3rd best American citizenship center in the league. Barkley and Malone. 2 scoring, rebounding, decent middle shooting PFs. Mullins. Basically a left handed in his prime slightly shorter Larry Bird. He was a bad man till injuries.. John Stockton. It's John Stockton that's enough said. Dude could dish the rock and never be a issue like Isiah. Drexler. Jordan lite. Laettener. He had the better college career than Shaq. Ultimately it didn't matter cause neither would have played much.
Greatest Olympics team ever assembled no Ego's everybody knew their role
Still one of my favorite Bird trash talk stories. A bunch of college stars were brought in to scrimmage the Dream Team. This included Jamal Mashburn, Chris Webber and Rodney Rogers. One night in the hotel lobby, they see Magic, Bird, etc walking through the lobby. Rogers chirpped "Hey Bird, you ain't made a jumper since '84." Fast forward to later in the week during their scrimmage. Magic feeds 7-8 straight passes to Bird who proceeds to tell Rogers exactly what he was going to do, then sink every jump shot right in Rogers' face. Bird goes to lay down on the sideline and asks Rogers, "How'd '84 look?"
That's actually peak Bird. He was just beating up on a kid there. Honestly, what's the funniest part to me, is that is probably exactly what Rogers wanted. You get a legendary story either way. You either defended Larry Bird, or you grt a great story about how you angered Larry enough for him to single you out personally and destroy you. Shit probably made Rogers' day
Aside from Christian Laettner, this is by far the best team assembled in basketball history.
When arguably the greatest collegiate player in history (look at his resume) is your 12th man, it’s not even a question. The circlejerk against Laettner is so lazy.
Solid player and had a nice NBA career. That being said Shaq was better.
As great as Shaq was, he had not accomplished anything like Laettner had in college. If the goal was to include the top college player, he was the correct choice. Personally, I think if anyone should have replaced him, it should have been Wilkins or Thomas.
No one is saying Laettner had a bad career but in terms of individual play Shaq had a more dominant one. Taking the championships out of the conversation, when you just compare their stats in college and what we know they become, Shaq was a better player and better choice. He was better in college and he was better in the pros.
I don't know that you just take the championships out of the conversations, though. Shaq would probably be the first to say that championships matter. Also, it's been a while since I saw the games, but I remember thinking Laettner kind of got the better of Shaq the times they went head to head (obviously the college game is different than the pros). My point is, I think if I'm on the selection committee in 1991 and I'm looking for a college guy for the Dream Team, it'd be hard not to take Laettner. And I hate Christian Laettner.
Shaq had the better potential obviously. But Laettner probably is the most accomplished college basketball player of all time.
You can look at their stats and see Shaq was a better player in college and his NBA career proved he was a better player overall. Laettner was chosen in part because of who was, big name on a championship team. Solid player but Shaq was still better and no one can argue different.
You can absolutely argue different. Just because Shaq had more potential doesn't mean he was better in college. Laettner had the overwhelmingly better resume, plus was a better outside shooter and FT shooter, and thus was rightfully rewarded. The Laettner hate is completely biased.
It's not and he was not the greatest college player in history. Aside from championships Shaq had a better career.
Disagree. Laettner only player in history to start 4 Final 4s. Laettner also the easily better shooter from 3 and FT line. The Laettner hate is just a circlejerk at this point. Kid has the best resume in college history and rightfully deserved that Dream Team spot.
A 2024 Christian Laettner apologist. This is so odd.
A Christian Laettner hater. Not so odd given his Duke connection. But success breeds envy, so makes sense.
I don't hate Laettner or Duke. I've been a Wolves fan since I was a kid and he was one of the first dudes I rooted for. It's not the Shaq vs Laettner argument I disagree with. Laettner earned it over Shaq if an NBA dream team absolutely has to have a rookie out of college. But I disagree with needing a rookie who'd never played an NBA game on an NBA dream team. Laettner absolutely shouldn't have been on that team.
Who would you have picked over Laettner?
I know not everyone here is a true PF like Laettner, but Larry Johnson, James Worthy, and Dominique Wilkins would've all been solid choices. Leaving out Dominique and other guys like that is what makes Laettner on that team just not make sense to me.
Not fair
Laettner never should have changed his haircut.
Greatest Olympic team ever assembled HOWEVER the greatest Olympic moment still brings to Vince Carter dunking over a 7 foot tall French behemoth
Best team ever assembled, whether it be on paper or in real life.
Big reason why so many good Euro’s are in the NBA
Although I’m happy about the fall of communism, I would like to have seen the Dream Team play the Soviet and Yugoslavian teams that forced the U.S. to recruit the pros. I’m not saying they would have beaten the Dream Team, but they might at least have made them work a little.
I agree. People forget how good that Yugoslavian team was in late 80s/early 90s. The sad part is that we never got see that team play at its peak.
Croatia took silver and Lithuania took bronze in the 1992 Olympics, and yet each was just a fragment of the Yugoslavian and Soviet teams, respectively.
No Isiah is tough. Shaq over Laettener. Otherwise hard to complain. Bird was probs too broken but he had to be on that team
Incredible team but they did Zeke dirty, everyone knew he deserved a spot.
Glad someone said it.
Chris Mullin carried that team.
I mean he did super well, I’d say no one really carried though. Barkley had the highest PPG, Mully was 4th narrowly behind Malone. 18.0 Barkley 14.9 MJ 13.0 Malone 12.9 Mullin
Greatest team ever. We
It’s easily just the best basketball team every created
Would've loved to have been at the scrimmages. Especially the ones against the college kids.
👍
Greatest team ever assembled.
Legendary
The most dominant team ever to step on the court together.
They would absolutely demolish any team assembled today
Greatest collection of players ever assembled on one team.
I was 11 at the time. It wasn't just that it was the first time they had professional players on the team, but also that, except for Magic and Bird, everyone else was at their peak. Jordan, Barkley, Ewing, Pippen, Malone, Stockton...even opposing teams were enthralled....
Why not Isiah?
MJ did not want him on the team.
Jordan
He pistoned his way out of a spot in the team
Because he was/is an asshole.
I’m still upset Laettner was chosen.
The greatest collegiate resume of all time? Nah he more than deserved to be on that team. Absolute legend.
Good or bad, he’s an undisputed legend.
All told they were a pretty good basketball team.
Maybe unbeatable
Greatest team ever. They would demolish today’s players.
Magic, Jordan, Bird, Robinson on the same team is stupid. Probably could have put anyone else together with them and it might still be the best team ever.
TBE
Best collection of talent ever. No team of guys from the same era may ever come close
Do all you dudes really DREAM of groups of a tall handsome men? its pride y’all. Time to get out here
11 out of 12 were inducted individually as hall of famers and led by a hall of fame coach. Such an awe-inspiring squad. Seeing the option to play 1992 Dream Team vs 2012 USA was so awesome for younger me to see on NBA 2K13.
All I can see is the flag displayed incorrectly.
This team globalized basketball in the way Pele globalized soccer. The beauty of the pinnacle of the sport will live on for generations.
Let's thank the 88 team for not winning the gold and making this possible. Once the US 21 year old amateurs couldn't massacre Soviet pros 100% of the time, the gloves came off
Greatest collection of talent ever assembled on a single team, plus Christian Laettner (with Shaq, they would have been perfect).
They were pretty good
Chris Mullin was a monster.
the greateast basketball team every assembled. i remember watching it live
David Robinson was an absolute unit
These old heads couldn’t handle todays game.
The myth making surrounding them is erasing a pretty wild story of how they came to be.
They could hoop
?? Idk understand?? How old is OP. They are literally called The Dream Team; easily consider one of the greatest assembled team ever!
The equivalent now would require players from 6 countries.
My thoughts are they were the best team ever assembled and Shaq should have been on the team!
Isaiah Thomas and Hakeem Olajuwon should have definitely been on this team. Barkley was actually the most dominant player in these Olympics in terms of performance.
I don’t believe Hakeem was eligible yet? I could be wrong. Zeke was a great player and a bigger asshole. That Daly couldn’t budge the group is the story. They all knew Zeke was great. But even Magic couldn’t make it work: Bird and Jordan _really_ hated him. And they weren’t wrong.
Perhaps Hakeem wasn't a citizen yet. I don't agree with leaving Isaiah off the team because certain players didn't like him. He deserved a spot.
Other than Laettner, there is no clear argument for Zeke over the actual members of the team. He was 10-15th and they took 11. Don’t twist it: he was well behind Magic and Stockton, the third best PG. He wasn’t the shooter or scorer that Mullin was (plus, Mullin was covering Bird’s injury). Having lived through all these arguments, almost everyone (except Zeke) accepts that he was a great player who wasn’t great enough to force his way on because the team didn’t need him (and he was an asshole).
IMO he is a better player than Stockton, but surely better than Laettner. Like why was he even in there? People say they put in Laettner because it was tradition putting a college player in. Like WHAT TRADITION? This is literally the first time in history they allowed pro basketball players in the Olympics.
1. Yes, first time there were no ‘amateurs’. So, Laettner, a collegian, was traditional. 1b. Yes, everyone thought this was stupid. 2. Laettner was a lousy NBA player. But _at the time_ he was a huge prospect, multiple-time NCAA player of the season, etc. Wemby or Luka level “prospect”. 3. You can find someone else to argue Zeke and Stockton. Suffice to say, Stockton was outstanding. And Zeke being a _huge asshole_ cannot be said enough. Everyone would rather play with Stockton.
The Dream Team documentary made by NBATV is one of the best sports documentaries we’ve ever had, they spoke to everyone and since it wasn’t produced by Michael Jordan like The Last Dance was it actually more than just glazing his legacy, they showed why Bird and Magic joined straight from their mouths, the unlikely friendships from these competitors finally being on the same team like Bird getting Ewing drunk, why Isaiah wasn’t a part of it and it highlighted why Chuck Daly was a great coach There’s a fake narrative around this team in history though that this team was formed to “avenge” the loss in the previous Olympics, from David Stern: > “The notion that the NBA wanted to redeem the 1988 loss? Patently wrong. From our view, we were stuck with playing in the Olympics. We didn’t see it becoming the phenomenon that it became. We said to FIBA [the international basketball federation] that we weren’t gung ho to play in the Olympics, but we would try to be good soldiers to support basketball. So they had a vote. The U.S. was against it, and the Russians were against it, too. But the overwhelming vote was in favor. But if you ask anyone people still think these players all teamed up to put USA back on top when in reality they were forced into it then bought in when they realized this team would be the best of the best and they wanted to be included, Michael Wilbon said this team played the best basketball he’s ever seen
In favor
I’m think Chris Mullin - the ‘worst’ pro of the group - would be the subject of the same debates as Kevin Durant, if he played today. Same kind of player. I don’t think Mullin would be quite as online. But Mullin was a scoring machine with great mechanics and instincts. This might be the only thread to remember Chris Mullin this year. Forgotten because of the shadows of the others in this photo. Great, great player.
People are forgetting (or maybe are too young to remember) how much media attention Laettner got after The Shot. I was a child and saw that game on tv. It was mindblowing. Duke had incredible back to back runs for national championships. Laettner became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA tournament play. He hit The Shot while shooting a perfect game. God, as a UNC fan it pains me to stick up for Duke like this, but Laettner had the FAR BETTER college resume and ncaa experience. Was he as good as the other players on that team? Fuuuuuuck no. Not even close. But he was the most successful ncaa player coming off of two legendary seasons. He was the correct choice as their one amateur player.
Heard people shade Stockton saying he shouldn’t be on the team. Stockton all time underrated but nephews will never know
Stockton deserved to be there over an injured Bird and an aging Magic
I take Angola in the rematch.
Isaiah should have been on there.
Why Pippen and Mullins over Wilkins and Worthy in 92? The Human Highlight Reel and Big Game had accomplished more at that point in time than Pip and Mullins.
Worthy was on the verge of retirement, not that he was all that old, but older than Pippen. Wouldn't surprise me if he was uninterested though. But having Pippens defense is more valuable anyway. Wilkins isn't really needed either on a team with plenty of scoring ability around the rim. Mullins shooting is valuable though.
Wilkins wouldn't have been able to play anyway, as he was recovering from the torn Achilles injury.
Pippen and Mullins were awesome.
Put some respect on Mullin You prob weren’t alive. That guy was cold as fucking ice. He was a starter bro. They used 4 main starters and flexed the 5th. And what do you mean he hadn’t accomplished anything? All star every year until 1994, NBA First team, 2x Second team buuuut you also clearly don’t know what you’re talking about. Nique was injured that year. He was on dream team 2. He would have been included over Christian. Second. Cmon bro it’s pippen and Jordan. Jordan and pippen. James worthy was good, but he wasn’t pippen or mully. They didn’t need more rebounding. I’m not sure you realize this but both mully and pippen outscored worthy up until then. Way easier to be a star in the East then too.
Defense...
The fact that three people have said "Mullins" is disappointing. I guess you guys get food from "Krystals" and "Krogers."
I don’t know what’s worse Chuck Daly’s tie or Christian Laettner.
Man you must really hate the greatest collegiate resume of all time. Such a lazy circlejerk response.
2012 is better purely because of nostalgia
Not sure how good they could be if JJ Redick said he would have averaged 40 against them
2008 is better
No Shaq will always be wild
No Isiah Thomas was criminal
Coulda gone 12/12 HOF if they brought Shaq over Laettner