Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant continues to stick by his statement that the 2012 Team USA would be able to come out on top against the 1992 squad led by Michael Jordan and 10 other NBA Hall of Famers. Kobe has received a lot of criticism for his comments, but says these comments were taken out of context.
Recently, President Barack Obama chimed in on the debate and said that the ’92 Dream Team was the superior team. Kobe was asked about Obama’s comments and the five-time NBA champion agreed to part of the statement made by the President according to Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times:
“He’s right. They are a better team,” Bryant said. “The question was ‘Can we beat them?’ Yes we can. Of course we can.
With no way to end this debate, since these two teams never being able to square off on the court, the talk of which team is better and who might win in a seven-game series will continue throughout the 2012 Olympics.
Despite the comments by Kobe and LeBron James about the current squad winning at least one game against the Dream Team, the consensus around the country and the world is that Jordan’s squad was the better all-around team.
The size, length and physicality that the Dream Team brought to the table would’ve been the difference. It’s hard to see Kobe and company dealing with the likes of Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing and David Robinson without Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh. Even if those two perennial All-Stars were on the squad and healthy, the edge would still be in the Dream Team’s favor.
The current Team USA squad fighting for a second consecutive gold medal is faster and arguably more athletic, but that might not be enough to get past a roster filled with Hall of Famers and players that won a combined total of 23 NBA titles.