Patrick Ewing talks about his Dream Team experience - "If it wasn't for that Dream Team, a lot of players in the league now would play soccer"
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It would be an understatement to say that the Dream Team had a profound impact on the endorsement and development of basketball worldwide. With the NBA’s most popular players, such as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson, representing the stars and stripes in the 1992 Barcelone Olympics, the whole world tuned in and saw how basketball was played at its prime.
However, the world not only watched but also took inspiration from that collection of legends to push themselves to pursue and eventually excel in the sport. According to the Dream Team center’s Patrick Ewing, being part of the squad was a special experience he would cherish until he’s old and grey.
Global impact on the world of basketball
Back then, soccer, or football as the world knows it, was the global game; it still is, but thanks to the Dream Team’s performance in 1992, basketball caught up pretty fast. The ’92 Olympic Team’s dominance on the court and their larger-than-life personalities off the court made them global icons.
This was evident in the years that followed as foreign players began making their mark in America. From Dirk Nowitzki to Yao Ming to current superstars like Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic, these international players were, in one way or another, inspired by the Dream Team and helped grow the popularity of basketball in their own countries.
“I think that if it wasn’t for that Dream Team, a lot of the guys that were in the league now from all these other countries, they would have been playing soccer, still football, as everybody else calls it,” Ewing asserted.
The greatest experience of his career
The 7-foot center had a 17-year career that spanned 1,183 games—most of which were spent leading the New York Knicks. And while all those seasons are worth remembering, the former Georgetown star stressed that his eight-game stint with the Dream Team in Spain was the greatest experience of his basketball career.
“It was one of the greatest experiences of my career, just being around all those guys, all those great players,” the 11-time All-Star shared on “The Mark Jackson Show.”
While the result of the basketball competition was a foregone conclusion, the Dream Team still did their best to provide the fans with a memorable show. Ewing, one of the team’s two centers, finished the tournament averaging 9.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. However, what the man in the middle remembers most about that trip was the moments he shared with his star teammates when the cameras were off.
“I think everyone took a backseat to each other because, you know, everybody has—we all have our ego; we all think that we are just as good or better than each other. But we all did what we needed to do so that we could be the team that we showed,” Ewing stated.
Every member of that unforgettable squad has a story about that experience. But for Big Pat, the time he spent with his teammates and their families was the highlight of that trip.
“I developed some great friendships, you know, with those guys. With Larry, me and Chris (Mullin), we’ve been friends from, you know, from ’84. And then playing against each other with Georgetown and St. John’s,” Ewing remarked. “But just being around all those guys, talking trash with Michael, Larry, Magic, you know, and the jokes and the card games, and all the things that happened, our families being around each other, it was a great experience.”
Over three decades have passed since the Dream Team set foot in Barcelona. However, the impact of their presence and performance still resonates today, paving the way for foreign players to dream of playing in the NBA.