Longtime NBA Insider Says Michael Jordan Was Not Best Player On 1992 Dream Team

Shandel Richardson | Dec 27, 2024

Jul 3, 1992; Portland, OR, USA: FILE PHOTO; USA dream team guard John Stockton - David Robinson - Michael Jordan - Magic Johnson - Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley on the bench against Puerto Rico during the 1992 Tournament of the Americas at Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images / Imagn Images

Michael Jordan was considered the best basketball player in the world at the time.

For one summer in 1992, he took a backseat to another NBA superstar. Many felt Charles Barkley was the man attraction when the Dream Team stormed through the Olympics in Barcelona.

"He dominated the Olympics," longtime NBA insider David Aldridge said on an appearance on the Bomani Jones podcast. "If they had an MVP of the Olympics, he would've been the MVP."

This was the first year NBA players were allowed to participate in the competition. The team featured the likes of Karl Malone, John Stockton, David Robinson and Chris Mullin. It went as expected, with the United States winning many games by blowout.

"On the Dream Team, Charles Barkley was the best player on that team," Aldridge said. "It wasn't Michael. It wasn't Karl Malone. It wasn't Stockton. It wasn't David Robinson. Charles Barkley, he was the best player on that team by far."

SHAQ SPENDS BIG BUCKS ON FEET

Shaquille O'Neal never passes up a chance to slam Barkley.

O'Neal recently appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon to explain why he spends much as $1,000 on monthly pedicures. His reasoning involved a Barkley reference.

"Because I feel sorry for the young lady that's doing my feet," O'Neal said. "My feet look like Charles Barkley's face."

Basketball players arguably have the worst feet of any professional athlete. It's mainly because they play dozens of game each year. It takes a toll on their toes. For O'Neal, he started maintaining his feet after he first painted his toenails.

"One time I had a toe injury and my mom put nail polish on it," O'Neal said. "And I had 40 points. So then when I covered all the rest of my toes, I was averaging 40 points for the season. I was like, `You know what, I'm just gonna start painting my toes.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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