Many look at the 1992 Dream Team and say it was Michael Jordan 's squad. After all, Jordan was undisputedly the best player in the NBA at the time and the most recognizable hoopster on the planet.
However, Mike initially did not want to play for the team. The Chicago Bulls legend always said he had already won gold for the United States in 1984 and wanted others to experience playing in the Olympics.
It's unclear exactly what made Mike change his mind. However, Magic Johnson has always claimed he was tasked with getting Jordan and Larry Bird to play for the team.
"The only thing that David Stern and Rod Thorn asked me to do was to call Larry Bird and Michael Jordan and tell them they should play on the Dream Team," said Magic on ESPN's First Take in 2020 .
Convincing Bird was easy
The task of getting Bird to join the Dream Team was easy. The Boston Celtics legend was at the end of his basketball career and was dealing with severe back issues. All Magic had to do was tell Larry that he only had to play 10 minutes per game .
On the other hand, Mike was tougher to convince. Johnson said that he told Michael that the Dream Team would be so dominant that he could score 30 points at the half and watch the rest of the game chilling on the bench. He also told him he could spend his off days playing cards and golf.
Still, Jordan insisted that the Olympics were a closed door to him. Magic, however, did not take no for an answer.
"I'm working on him," the legendary point guard said in August 1991. "I even told him I'd give him a million dollars if he'd do it. But so far he hasn't changed his mind."
Related: Oscar Schmidt shares how beating Team USA after a miraculous 35-point second-half performance was ‘the best part of his life’
No Dream Team without MJ
One month later, USA Basketball announced the first 10 guys comprising the Dream Team. Magic and Bird were among the names on the list. Despite his previous declarations, Jordan's name was also on it.
During the Dream Team Documentary, MJ revealed that his biggest motivation was to spend time with the players he competed against. Jordan's Chicago Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen also said that Jordan only changed his tune when he realized that the Dream Team would be special, and he didn't want to miss being part of something historic.
Michael joining the squad officially made it the Dream Team. The 1992 squad could have had all the star power in the world, but it wouldn't have been the greatest team assembled if Mike hadn't been on that squad.
Related: "Showing the world that I could still play, even living with HIV" - Magic Johnson on why he agreed to join the Dream Team
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