LeBron: We Would Beat Dream Team

July 27, 2012 / Basketball
http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/basketball/story/_/id/8205408/lebron-james-says-united-states-olympic-team-beat-1992-dream?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

&&codeblock4&&LeBron James has joined Kobe Bryant in saying that he believes this year’s Team USA Olympic basketball team could beat the 1992 Dream Team.

Days before the current U.S. squad takes the court in London, James made his boast in a recent television interview.

“As a competitor you never want to say that you will lose no matter who you are going against,” James told ABC News “Nightline” anchor Cynthia McFadden.


“The ’92 Dream Team paved the way for all of us… We understand what they did for our game, but we also are big-time competitors as well, so if we got the opportunity to play them in a game we feel like we would win too.
—LeBron James


James also showed his respect to the iconic 1992 team, which was led by Michael Jordan and included 11 future Hall of Famers. That team won its six Olympic games by an average of more than 43 points en route to capturing the gold medal.

“The ’92 Dream Team paved the way for all of us … We understand what they did for our game, but we also are big-time competitors as well, so if we got the opportunity to play them in a game we feel like we would win too,” James said.

James’ comments echoed those of Bryant, who two weeks ago made virtually the same proclamation.

“It would be a tough one but I think we would pull it out,” Bryant said at a news conference. “People who think we can’t beat that team for one game, they are crazy. To sit there and say we can’t, it’s ludicrous. We can beat them one time.”

Bryant’s comments received immediate and sharp rebuttal from some members of the Dream Team. Jordan told The Associated Press he laughed when he heard of Bryant’s comments.

“For him to compare those two teams is not one of the smarter things he ever could have done,” Jordan said.

President Barack Obama also weighed in on the topic.

“This is a generational thing,” Obama said during a halftime interview with ESPN2 as it broadcast an exhibition game between the U.S. and Brazil earlier this month. “I was around in ’92, I was a Bulls fan, so I’ve got to go with the original Dream Team.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


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