Book Blog

Universally recognized as the greatest basketball team ever assembled, the 1992 United States men's Olympic team genuinely earned the nickname "The Dream Team" by their performance on and off the court.  Amazingly, it wasn't until 2012's "Dream Team" by Jack McCallum that the full story of that experience was told. 

McCallum is a long-time sportswriter and author who has long been recognized as one of the greats in his field. This book is an instant classic offering everything a basketball junkie like me can appreciate - from little personal anecdotes to the broad historic perspective on the impact that team had on the popularity of basketball worldwide. 

What makes this book special is the fact that McCallum himself traveled with this team every step of the way and later was able to procure interviews with everyone - from the players and coaches to the FIBA organizers who originally thought of allowing NBA players in the Olympics. 

McCallum is an enjoyable read and he works through the selection process, preparatory practices, qualifying tournaments, and finally the Olympic games themselves. He skillfully blends in biographical sketches of each of the players too, capturing their personalities and what made them individually great. 

My favorite part of the book is his minute-by-minute breakdown of what's now become a famous inter-squad scrimmage right before the Olympics in Monte Carlo. The scrimmage, like all practices, was video recorded, but copies of the game are extremely rare. McCallum had the connections to get his hand on a copy and he details the ultra-competitive pick-up game that pitted Michael against Magic, Ewing against Robinson, and Barkley versus Malone.

My memories as an 11-12 year old kid are crystal clear. I remember initially desperately hoping that my hero, Larry Bird, would be selected even though his health was deteriorating. I remember them demolishing every opponent but doing so in such a poetic and beautiful way. This team had plenty of egos but never played selfishly. Reading this books account confirms what had stuck in my memory. It was the greatest game being played at the greatest level.

The way we remember things and the way they actually happened are not always in line. Thankfully in this case, it was as spectacular as I thought it was.