This weekend in Springfield, the most exalted squad of basketball aptitude ever assembled will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The 1992 USA Olympic Men's Basketball team, more affectionately referred to as "The Dream Team," will take their place in the pantheon of hoop legends.
Until the '92 Summer Games in Barcelona, the United States was confined to collegiate athletes for representation. This was thanks to a FIBA rule which restricted American professionals from Olympic participation, yet allowed European and South American pros to compete. This limitation manifested itself in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, as the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, both comprised of paid athletes, finished ahead of the American amateurs. Public outcry demanded a level playing field, forcing FIBA to permit NBA involvement.
This amendment planted the seeds for what would materialize into a hurricane of hardwood-talent for the US, one that would blow away the world's competition. (In defense of FIBA, the US had won every Olympic contest with amateurs, save for the 1972 Munich Screwjob, until Seoul. And many basketball critics believe '88 would have produced ...
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1992 Dream Team Inducted Into Hall of Fame
August 16th, 2010 by WhatIfSports.com Leave a reply »
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