"I want to see how everybody else will practice and compete in that environment with no cameras" - Michael Jordan reveals his motivation for joining the Dream Team

The biggest and most important task of USA Basketball when forming the Dream Team was to get Michael Jordan to commit to the squad. MJ, heading into the 1992 Olympics, was already a back-to-back NBA champion after his Chicago Bulls beat the LA Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers in consecutive years. They knew that once the league’s best player gave his nod to the request, the rest of the team would quickly be formed.

Although Jordan had already decided to join the team, he declined to give his answer yet, waiting for news on who will join the historic team. Once he found out about the superstars he would be playing with, he finally informed the Team USA selection committee of his decision to participate.

In Jackie MacMullan’s the Icons Club, she recalled the time the six-time champion divulged his biggest reason for committing to the legendary team:

“Look, my only reason for going was to see how the other guys compete. I heard about it. You read about it. I know how I practice. I want to see how everybody else will practice and compete in that environment with no cameras.”

At that time, Magic Johnson had already retired due to an HIV infection, while Larry Bird was battling crippling back problems. The rest of the team, though, featured NBA superstars who Jordan predicted would be serious challengers to his aim of winning more championships.

Jordan’s statement and reason for joining were every bit as consistent as his well-chronicled nature. Not only was he supremely skilled, but he relentlessly looked for every possible way to gain an advantage over his rivals. The onus of working out together to compete in the Olympics gave him the golden opportunity to scout his potential foes.

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Michael Jordan beat several teammates on the Dream Team to rule the 1990s

MJ's dominance in the 1990s included high-profile wins over several Dream Team teammates. [Photo: Sporting News]

After the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the Chicago Bulls completed a hat trick of NBA titles by beating MVP Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns. Michael Jordan, who was the Finals MVP, wasn’t really worried about the Suns and the Dream Team’s leading scorer.

Jordan’s time spent with Barkley gave him an insight into “Sir Charles” the competitor. Jordan surmised that Phoenix wasn’t a serious challenge because, as MJ would later say, their best player didn’t have the “worth ethic” to beat him.

The five-time MVP would then add to his legacy by winning back-to-back titles against the legendary Utah Jazz pair of Karl Malone and John Stockton. Utah’s superstars were also a part of the 1992 Olympic team that scrimmaged, practiced and competed with Jordan.

Whether Jordan gained an advantage over the iconic duo on his way to two more titles is up for debate. But, the fact is, he was an unforgiving competitor who likely used everything he knew in leading his Bulls to their dynastic reign in the 1990s.