At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Gary Payton won the gold medal with Team USA. The NBA champion with the Miami Heat has now explained why that squad was superior to the Dream Team led by Michael Jordan.

Gary Payton playing with the Seattle SuperSonics on October 30, 2002.
© Otto Greule Jr/Getty ImagesGary Payton playing with the Seattle SuperSonics on October 30, 2002.

After winning the bronze medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, the United States set out to reclaim its place at the top of the basketball world.

This led to the formation of the iconic Dream Team, which was led by Michael Jordan and dominated the 1992 Barcelona Olympics to claim the gold medal.

Four years later, Team USA repeated the feat, and now, one of the standout players from that 1996 squad, NBA icon Gary Payton, is offering strong opinions about the comparison.

During a recent interview on the Knuckleheads Podcast, Payton was asked: “What’s your take? Could Dream Team 2 have beaten Dream Team 1?” The former Seattle SuperSonics point guard responded confidently.

 “Absolutely,” he said. “They were older, come on, man! And then we took six of their Dream Team I guys and put them on our team.”

Gary then elaborated on the process of assembling the 1996 roster. “You all gotta understand. DC (Derrick Coleman) and them were the ones who went to the qualifying thing and didn’t get on the Dream Team 2. Him, Shawn Kemp, and all of them—they got taken off.

Because, you know, they started acting crazy,” he explained. “Then they put us on there.”

He also reflected on the star-studded roster that took to the court in Atlanta. “We had a heck of a team,” Payton began.

“We had a young Grant Hill, we had a young Penny Hardaway, we had Reggie Miller, we had Mitch Richmond, then it was me, Shaq (O’Neal), John Stockton, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson. We had a heck of a basketball team.”

United States men”s basketball team line up after the decisive match against Yugoslavia at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

United States men”s basketball team line up after the decisive match against Yugoslavia at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

How did Dream Team II fare at the 1996 Olympics?

As Payton recalled, several players from the 1992 gold-medal-winning team, including Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, and John Stockton, returned to represent Team USA in 1996. However, legends like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson were absent.

In addition to Payton, who had just been named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year with the Seattle SuperSonics, the 1996 squad featured newcomers like Grant Hill, Anfernee Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, Reggie Miller, Shaquille O’Neal, and Hakeem Olajuwon.

The Dream Team II dominated their rivals throughout the tournament, winning every game by an average margin of 31 points.

In the final, Team USA faced Yugoslavia and once again showcased their superiority, claiming a decisive 95-69 victory to win the gold medal.

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Team USA also had fun in Atlanta

In the same interview, Gary Payton shared some behind-the-scenes memories from the 1996 tournament.

“We went to Atlanta during the Olympics, and we were out at the strip club every night and blowing everybody out,” the former guard revealed.

“We was doing that, Dream Team II. To make that and do that, that was one of the best things ever. The greatest year ever in my whole life that I’ve ever had.”