By Jonah Sharf
On August 8, 1992, the legendary USA Men’s Basketball team—the “Dream Team”—defeated Croatia 117-85 to win the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The team consisted of some of the most legendary players of all time, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, and Karl Malone, among others. The 32 point final game against Croatia, while an incredible margin, was actually the closest game the Dream Team played throughout the entire Olympics. Croatia’s team had some notable players of their own, such as Drazen Petrovic and Jordan’s future Chicago Bulls teammate Toni Kukoc. The team marked the first time professional players were allowed to represent the United States internationally, and many consider it to be the greatest collection of basketball talent ever.