Every four years or if the occasional documentary reminds us, we indulge in the ultimate Olympic sport – who is better between the Dream Team and the Redeem Team? By all accounts, there wouldn’t have been a Redeem Team without the 1992 Team USA basketball team made up of NBA pros for the first time. The kind of inspiration an All-Star team led by Michael Jordan presented on the world stage got the ball rolling. Following that, international players improved, Team USA struggled, and the 2008 roster was all about redeeming the glory the 1992 team established.

Both were formed under very similar circumstances. Both gold-winning teams were led by the best NBA players of two separate generations. Everyone on the Dream Team had retired by the time of the 2004 Olympics when Team USA had a disappointing finish. Yet despite that generation gap, a fantasy Olympic matchup is always thrilling.

Dream Team’s face Michael Jordan vs Redeem Team’s captain Kobe Bryant

With European teams stacked with professionals, Team USA recalibrated by replacing the college players with seasoned NBA pros for the 1992 Olympics. Michael Jordan was the certified star of the team, having led the Chicago Bulls to back-to-back championships for the first time in franchise history. He, however, declined the captaincy of the Dream Team. Veteran stars, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird co-captained the team. MJ was billed as the public face of this roster.

In 2008, there was no doubt that Kobe Bryant was perfect to lead the young team. You could write volumes comparing their individual accolades. They were the same age – 29 – in their Olympic runs and in their prime. Their Olympic runs were starkly different but comparable.

Michael Jordan was the only one on his team who started all eight games. He’d average 14.9 points, 4.8 assists and 4.1 steals per game. One of the highlights was his 21-point game against Croatia led by future teammate, Toni Kukoc.

Bryant had his own teammates to contend with in Beijing like Pau Gasol. He averaged 23.5 minutes, 15.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game in all the eight games he started. Obviously, The Black Mamba beats His Airness by numbers. But only because Jordan set a way too high bar in 1992.

The Battle of the Forwards

LeBron James had taken on the alpha dog role in the 2012 team, which also had Kobe. 2008, though, was when he had to be Bryant’s sidekick and a third of the Redeem Big 3 with Dwyane Wade. In eight games, he averaged 15.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists. But as a forward, he doesn’t compare to Jordan the guard. His Dream Team counterpart was Larry Bird.

It was significant that Bird, edging to retirement, co-captained with his lifelong rival, Magic Johnson. He came off an NBA season with some of the lowest averages of his career. Yet the Barcelona Olympics was a final chance to go out in a blaze of glory. After laboring against Croatia, he torched Germany in the second game, making a team-high 19 points. Sure his entire Olympic numbers aren’t comparable to Bron but ’08 James didn’t have the resume of Bird, who was content retiring after Barcelona.

The leading forwards in 1992 were Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen. Chuck essentially declared himself the next best option after the two Bulls champions and backed some funny trash talk with 18.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, and set an Olympic field goal record of 71.6%, becoming the team’s leading scorer. Pippen was the Dream Team’s assists leader with 5.9, a big edge over the Redeem Team’s Chris Paul at 4.1.

Dwyane Wade’s efficiency vs Magic Johnson’s leadership

The Dream Team roster was announced in September 1991. Two months later, Magic Johnson announced his HIV diagnosis and retirement. But he kept his Olympic commitment and even convinced Bird to join the team despite his back issues. Sponsors dropped Magic after his diagnosis but the NBA community rallied around him. He found that camaraderie in the Dream Team. The co-captains limited their playing time but Johnson was most times the team’s glue. He also brought the most MVPs and rings to the team than the entire Redeem Team.

Usually, Dwyane Wade doesn’t draw a direct line of comparison to the 5x champion. By 2008, he had led the Miami Heat to its first title and was a couple of years from forming the Big 3 with James and Chris Bosh. But he was very much in his prime and adept at being an efficient role player. He averaged 16 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in Beijing, and was the scoring leader.

In the Netflix documentary, Wade expressed his motivation came from the 2004 humbling and he understood the Redeem Team’s motivation best. In spirit, he was comparable to Magic. But prime D-Wade and retired Magic are apples and oranges.

In semi-conclusion, numbers seemingly put the Redeem Team ahead. However, the Dream Team’s combined experience, IQ, and depth were not matched by any NBA player in 2008.

Editorial Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of EssentiallySports.