The Real Snub Of The 1992 Dream Team — Shaquille O’Neal
As the hype for the new documentary, The Dream Team, highlighting the USA Basketball 1992 Olympic Dream Team builds to its Wednesday night premiere on NBA TV, one of the biggest stories of that team is the omission of Isiah Thomas.
The documentary shows clips from the initial selection show and the immediate reaction of Thomas not being a part of the team.
“Isiah Thomas’ and my relationship has nothing to do with him being on this team. I think a lot of things are being blown out of proportion,” Michael Jordan said. Jordan and Thomas’ Bad Boy Detroit Pistons had a long-running feud/hatred. According to reports of an upcoming Jordan book, Jordan told USA Basketball and Chuck Daly that he would play in the Olympics as long as Thomas was not on the team.
“Did Isiah deserve to be on the Dream Team, no question about it,” Magic Johnson said. “When you think about a team, everyone must get along, everybody’s got to live together, they got to hang out together, and Isiah, and some of his competitive nature, rubbed some of the guys the wrong way, whether it’s Michael Jordan or Karl Malone.”
More than likely Chris Mullin took the spot that should’ve been given to Thomas, but Mullin is a Hall of Fame member himself.
The real snub of the Dream Team was Shaquille O’Neal.
The Olympic Committee decided to select one collegiate athlete to join this team and I assume the decision came down to College Player of the Year Christian Laettner and O’Neal, the two best prospects in that years upcoming draft.
At the time O’Neal was the clear cut #1 overall pick in that 1992 Draft after leaving LSU in his Junior year but Laetneer had a great career at Duke winning Back-to-Back National Champions and appearing in 4 Final Fours.
Laetneer was picked more as an award for a great college career as oppose to talent. He would go on to have a lackluster NBA career and O’Neal went on to be one of the best centers in the history of the game. Can you imagine a young backboard break Shaq on that team. Now that would’ve been a Really Dream Team.
