Thirty-three years ago, Grant Hill, who was a seven-time NBA All-Star, had to contend with that question.
In a scrimmage held in the lead-up to the Barcelona Games, he and seven other college players had recently defeated the Dream Team, the 1992 US men’s Olympic basketball team that featured players like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.
They were gathered together to regain some American prestige after squad USA lost five straight international competitions, and they were hailed as the best squad ever put together in any sport.
Coach Chuck Daly made it plain that the news of the outcome would not spread, presumably because he was concerned about what the media would think if they lost to some college students.
Hill’s journey started in the Duke University weight room, not long after he and his colleagues had won their second consecutive NCAA championship under the tutelage of famous coach Mike Krzyzewski.
“Coach K informed me that I was chosen to be a member of the Select Team, which would train and assist in getting the Dream Team ready in San Diego,” Hill recalled. I could not believe it. These were icons, and they were my idols. I grew up with these folks, and they encouraged me to play.
He went on to say, “I tried to model and shape my game after many of them, and then to have the chance to go out and compete against them at the age of 19 was just in awe of the experience.”
He told CNN that he had assumed that we would be used as practice dummies. “I had no idea what to anticipate. You know, would they include us in the drills and practice? Would we be present to bring them towels and water?”
Conspiracy Theories
The Dream Team crushed the competition in Barcelona 1992 and won gold at a canter after playing the Select Team again the next day and exacting their retribution in a 102–55 drubbing. But perhaps that would not have happened if Jordan and company had not discovered that anyone, even a group of youngsters, could beat them.
Coach K in the 2012 documentary “The Dream Team” was among those who speculated that Daly purposefully threw the game by benching Jordan for a large portion of the match and allowing the loss to occur. This was done to keep his players humble and remind them that they were not unbeatable.
As might be expected, Hill is not convinced by the notion, and a section of “We Beat the Dream Team” focuses on his cordial arguments with Krzyzewski.
Conversely, Tolajian wished to remain anonymous regarding his thoughts on the topic.
He grinned and said, “I want to keep that a secret so people may see the movie and decide for themselves.” “I try to tell it down the middle, but I have my own theories. I will admit that I believe there are excellent arguments on both sides.
“Since Chuck Daly is the only one who knows and he is no longer with us, I will let the supporters and viewers watch it and I welcome greater debate about it.”
However, there is one fact that cannot be disputed. The Dream Team was indeed defeated by Hill and his friends. They may now tell the entire world about it.
