“Angola is in trouble!”: Charles Barkley issued a warning before 1992 Dream Team’s first game

NBA legend Charles Barkley issued a stern warning before the 1992 Dream Team’s first group stage game against Angola 

Before the 1992 Olympics, FIBA lifted the rules that prohibited professional players from participating in FIBA events. This led to the USA assembling one of the greatest basketball rosters ever seen. They pulled in their entire might and got together the biggest stars from all around the country.

The roster consisted of Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Christian Laettner, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, and John Stockton. A gold medal victory was assured for the USA. The only question that remained was by how much margin.

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Before the first group stage match, Barkley was talking to the press. There, he showed no regard for their first opponent, Angola.

Charles Barkley and Team USA took down Angola 116-48

When you send the kind of disrespect Charles Barkley sent to your opponents, you’d expect them to put on a fight, right? Well, Angola, even if they tried, could not do anything. During the game, Chuck even roughed up a player, and elbowed him in the chest. This led to an intentional foul being called on Chuck, which resulted in free-throws, becoming the only point scored in the 46-1 run by the US.

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There was no match for the Dream Team. They beat their opponents by a margin of 43.8 points. They also become the first team in Olympic history to score above 100 points in each of their games. Their 117.3 average points are the highest in Olympic History to date.

Despite their brilliance, Chuck’s actions made Team USA look like the bullies, instead of being seen as the better, more skilled team.