NBA fans have been getting excited about an upcoming special on the Dream Team that won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The documentary, called “The Dream Team,” airs Wednesday night on NBA TV and features the story of what many consider to beat the greatest team ever.
GQ posted an “oral history” of the Dream Team to help get people prepared for the documentary, and it’s loaded with great info. It talks about how competitive the players on the team were, what it was like for them traveling, and it had a few great anecdotes about Charles Barkley that are definitely worth sharing.
For instance, did you know that Chuck was one of the last players selected for the team because of his attitude/personality?
Rod Thorn (Team USA selection committee): Charles Barkley was one of the last guys put on the team. You wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly, that everybody represented the way you wanted them to represent. And there were some who, frankly, were worried about Barkley. But then he ended up being the leading scorer.
Barkley was also apparently the only player who felt comfortable going out in public in Spain despite the crowds.
Charles would walk down Las Ramblas, and people would say, “Charles, what are you doing for security?” And he’d show you his two fists and say, “This is my security.” He was like the Pied Piper. He’d have this huge group of people following and yelling and smiling and taking pictures. And he loved it.
Barkley was involved in an incident with a player from Angola that received plenty of publicity. He elbowed one of his opponents in retaliation for taking a hit to the back of the head, and had no sympathy for the inferior team.
The entire piece posted by GQ is a must-read if you’re a big NBA/Dream Team fan. The documentary will undoubtedly be the same for those who want to relive history.
