The Team USA roster for the Paris Olympics is arguably the strongest the nation has assembled since the Dream Team in 1992. Since the day the roster was announced, a debate sparked about who’d win in a one-off game between the 2024 and the 1992 teams. Paul Pierce also weighed in on the subject on Undisputed and backed the current crop of superstars to take down the legends.
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The Dream Team boasted players like Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, and Michael Jordan among others. To this day, that star-studded unit remains the benchmark for any other international roster assembled.
However, Pierce believes that stylistically, they will be outplayed by the current Team USA and that’s their biggest weakness. He also noted that apart from Barkley and Jordan, most players on the team were old and at the tail end of their careers and would stand no chance against the current team. the Hall of Famer said,
“First of all, style of play would’ve been too much for this Dream Team. They couldn’t shoot the three and then…Who they had down low? David Robinson, Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley? We can counter that with Embiid, AD and Bam. I mean, pretty formidable defensive lineup against them.”
"This USA team would dominate the Dream Team." 👀
— @PaulPierce34 pic.twitter.com/WrWnmDVSHI
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) July 30, 2024
Pierce reiterated that the 2024 team has several three-point shooters whereas the 1992 roster wasn’t as efficient on that front, which would ultimately prove to be the difference.
While the consensus has been that either the Barcelona ’92 team or the Paris Olympics unit is the greatest, Isaiah Thomas reminded everyone that they were forgetting about another star-studded roster.
Isaiah Thomas picks his greatest international team of all time
The former Celtics star also shared his two cents on this debate on X and surprisingly picked the Beijing Olympics roster, dubbed the Redeem Team, as the best international unit ever. He posted,
“My son asked me if this years USA team is better than the dream team & the redeem team…. I said the redeem team is the best. They would beat the dream team fa shooooo and this years USA team.”
My son asked me if this years USA team is better than the dream team & the redeem team…. I said the redeem team is the best. They would beat the dream team fa shooooo and this years USA team
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) July 25, 2024
The 2008 team, led by Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, was tasked with restoring the nation’s reputation as basketball’s final boss after their embarrassing third-place finishes in the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2006 FIBA World Championship.
The Redeem Team did its job in style, bringing home the gold medal and establishing itself as one of the best international rosters ever. The 2008 unit is not as popular as the Dream Team or the Paris Olympics roster. However, it’s equipped with eight current and future Hall of Famers and could easily beat either team on their day.
