Joe Kleine was the Sacramento Kings' 6th overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft after a standout career at the University of Arkansas. However, Kleine never lived up to his draft position and finished his 15-year NBA career with averages of 4.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Perhaps the highlight of his NBA career was winning an NBA championship with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1998. Interestingly, Joe also played with Jordan on the 1984 U.S. men's basketball team, which ended up being the last U.S. amateur team to win in the Olympics .
Kleine spoke about playing for that '84 Olympic team during an interview with the Field of 68 Podcast in 2021.
"I still don't know how I made that team," said Kleine. "Seriously, to this day, I don't know how the hell I made that team. I mean, I worked hard, but."
Barkley's loss was Kleine's gain
The 1984 U.S. men's basketball team is one of the most talented but underrated U.S. teams of all time. It was composed of collegiate basketball players and led by future 1992 Dream Team members Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Chris Mullin.
The lineup was so loaded that coach Bob Knight surprisingly dropped future NBA Hall of Famers Karl Malone, John Stockton, Joe Dumars, and Charles Barkley from the lineup. Barkley was one of the last cuts, and Kleine believes Chuckster did not make it, which opened up a spot for him on the team.
"I thank Charles every day for letting me make the team and get my gold medal," added Kleine.
Related: "Every time he'd run up the court everyone would feel sorry for the guy" - Clyde Drexler claimed Magic Johnson was gifted a spot on Dream Team
Chuck claimed that Knight didn't want him
During the tryouts, Jordan and Barkley stood out. Chuck led the aspirants in points and rebounds, but as he said, Knight was a 'di**' who didn't like him and didn't want him on the team. Meanwhile, the legendary coach claimed that Barkley's lack of defense turned him off.
"The word interesting 'is a good word to apply to Barkley," said Knight via the Chicago Tribune. "He's an extremely talented player. He's got to become a much better defensive player. He has to work at sharpening what he does. If he can, he has an excellent chance. If he can't, he's not going to make the team."
Knight never made it known that it was Kleine who took Barkley's spot on the 1984 team. But Sir Charles' ouster made it easier for Joe to make the team. Chuck would later play for Dream Teams I and II to win two gold medals.
Related: Patrick Ewing on how good the 1984 Team USA was: "You look at that team; we could have beaten any team barring the Dream Team"
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