“Spring Break in the Ghetto”: Charles Barkley Once Hilariously Assessed 1992 Dream Team During Practice

Chuck Daly, the Head Coach for the 1992 Dream Team, once called Charles Barkley the best-performing player of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. While Sir Charles had a dominant outing in the tournament, he was better remembered for his off-court shenanigans. Barkley even kept his bombastic personality while carrying out his national team responsibilities, and his interactions with the media often left the paparazzi wanting more.

The USABMT landed in Barcelona in the summer of 1992, and their first matchup in the group stages was against the central African country of Angola. Before the two teams matched up, Barkley headed a press conference after USAB practice and answered a few questions. When asked about the country of Angola, and if Barkley knew anything of them, the 6-6 power forward said,

“I dont know anything about Angola, but Angola is in trouble.”

The entire tournament was more or less a vacation for the majority of Team USA’s roster, and the team’s average margin of victory of 44 points went on to show just that. So when the media questioned Sir Charles on what it felt like to play easier competition, alongside stars like Michael Jordan, Barkley jokingly told the paparazzi during his post-practice comments that,

“I don’t worry about playing basketball; that comes naturally. I just want to have fun. David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan: this is like spring break in the ghetto.”

Putting on a show of inside and outside shots, three-pointers, and crowd-pleasing dunks, Barkley led the tournament in scoring and even chipped in some effort on the defensive end of the ball. He posted an average of 18 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.6 interceptions per game on over 71% shooting from the field. Barkley even outshone his then-best friend Michael Jordan with his performances. But MJ didn’t mind sharing the spotlight with Barkley during the Olympics, even if it lasted only a little bit.

Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley are no longer acquaintances

The Olympics and USAB camps are notorious for being a breeding ground for NBA friendships and trade talks. Back in the 90’s while it was rare for players to demand trades to team up with friends, the bonds made were still as solid. Barkley and Jordan are two legends who also credit the strengthening of their friendship to their time together under the USA banner, and remained friends for many years after their 1992 appearance as teammates.

Unfortunately, the duo’s friendship didn’t last forever, as comments from Barkley about Jordan’s management of his Hornets team on national television drove a divide between the duo. Sir Charles’s critique was seemingly too harsh for MJ, as Barkley mentioned during his 2023 sit down on the show “60 Minutes” that No.23 had indeed broken off the friendship due to his comments.

But the former Suns player also made it clear that he won’t be the first one apologizing this time, and let 60 Minute’s correspondent Jon Wertheim know that MJ “had his number” if he wanted to mend the duo’s relationship.