Many documentaries have told the story of the 1992 Dream Team. Legends of the game such as Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan comprised the first team of professional basketball players to compete and win gold in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.
Sports fans are aware of the dominant victories and the impact the Dream Team had on the world of sports but the story of college players defeating The Dream Team in a scrimmage has not been fully told until now.
Director and co-producer Michael Tolajian has brought this story in his new documentary “WE BEAT THE DREAM TEAM” which will premiere tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. The documentary will show viewers the story of the “USA Select Team” comprised of the best college players from that era, including Grant Hill, Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway, Bobby Hurley, Jamal Mashburn, Allan Houston, Rodney Rogers, and Eric Montross.
In an interview with the Hoopsology Podcast, Tolajian explains that Grant Hill, as managing director of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team preparing the 2024 Team USA men’s basketball squad for the Paris Olympics, was the appropriate choice to narrate the documentary and share how the scrimmage with the Dream Team changed their basketball lives.
“So once I realized that I said, this is how we’ll tell the story through Grant’s eyes and kind of flashback,” Tolajian said. And then Grant had said how much all the other guys on the Select Team who he stayed close with; how eager they were to tell their side of the story. So knowing we had our storyteller knowing we had this rare footage, I knew I had the ingredients to tell a fun tale.
With AAU transforming the relationship between younger players and current NBA stars, the environment in 1992 was very different, as the standout players didn’t have a relationship with the best players in the league. So when the 1992 USA Select Team faced off with the Dream Team it was most of their first time meeting and playing against their heroes.
“Like it was mind blowing for those guys. It’s not like today where these guys are palling around and get to know each other. So people need to remember that’s why these guys were in awe. And yeah, it’s different now that a lot of these younger guys are part of USA Basketball. They’re part of the junior national teams.”
Tolajian was able to get access to various footage of the scrimmage but he also used artwork to help expand the narrative and create a “comic book” feel of the documentary.
“I thought this was a great opportunity,” Tolajian stated. “So I had seen some artwork by this artist named Walker TKL. He does a lot of NBA, some really cool stuff. We reached out to him, told him about the project, and he was like, I’d love to work on it. So collaborated with Walker and we came up with those scenes where animation really drives it.”
The audience will get to hear new interviews with players from the 1992 USA Select Team and they will also get the perspective of the scrimmage from 1992 USA Select Team coach Roy Williams; Dream Team player Christian Laettner; Dream Team assistant coach Mike Krzyzewski; 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team players Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton; and 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team head coach Steve Kerr.
Once fans view the entire documentary, Tolajian believes viewers will take away the belief in overcoming tough challenges in the face of overwhelming odds.
“So most importantly, I want people to be entertained,” Tolajian says. “I mean that’s the main thing. But then the whole theme of ‘Nothing’s impossible,’ right? Even when the odds are stacked against you, if you’re prepared and you believe in yourself, on any given day you can achieve something special. And that’s the central theme of this story and I hope that’s a bigger message or theme that people can take away.”
The author of this article is Justin Goodrum. He is a sportswriter, podcast host, and producer of the Hoopsology Podcast. Justin currently resides in Denver, Colorado. He has a degree from the University of New Mexico in Journalism.
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