“The only person that got drug tested every game was Karl Malone” - Grant Hill shares a hilarious reason no player wanted to be the leading scorer on Dream Team II

Despite never receiving the recognition it arguably deserves, the 1996 Team USA, dubbed 'Dream Team II,' showcased exemplary dominance en route to winning the gold medal at the Atlanta Summer Olympics. While Coach Lenny Wilkens' team consistently dominated their opponents, winning by a points differential of 31.7, this team was the only squad the USA ever sent (featuring NBA players) with its top scorer averaging less than 13 points per game.

Grant Hill provided an interesting insight into this theory, suggesting that players willingly let their foot off the gas to avoid getting drug tested after every game.

Grant Hill on Team USA members avoiding to score

Although Dream Team II's average victory margin was 15.2 points less than their predecessors, the seven-time All-Star asserted it was a deliberate strategy. During his appearance on 'All The Smoke' podcast, the 1995 ROY explained how every member of the player was desperate to avoid an hour-long drug test that took place after every game.

Since they all witnessed Karl' Mailman' Malone being regularly drug tested, the rest of the players adopted a more impartial approach to scoring.

"In the Olympics, nobody wanted to be the leading scorer because you got drug tested. The only person that got drug tested every game was Karl Malone. It was Karl Malone and whoever the leading scorer was. We figured it out after a couple of games, " Hill said . "So at the end of games, everybody's passing to each other because nobody wanted to shoot. And it looks like we're being real unselfish, but nobody wanted to score. It was crazy."

Hill's assessment seemed justified

In the 1996 Team USA, nine players shot over 50% from the field, and all except Scottie Pippen and Reggie Miller attempted less than 8 field goals per game. Notably, Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, who had team-high averages of 18 and 13 (third-best) points per game, respectively, in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, reduced their field goal attempts (Sir Charles from 10.4 to 5.4 and Mailman from 7.8 to 6.4) and averaged 12.4 and 8.4 points per game in 1996.

While many would believe that this adaptation highlighted their willingness to adjust roles for the team's overall success, Hill's assertion only suggests that no one wanted to participate in a tedious drug-testing process. However, one could only imagine the averages the players on this team would have logged had it not been for that fear.

Related: Grant Hill was confident Dream Team 3 would beat the original Dream Team: "I feel that we don't get the respect"