This Date in NBA History (Aug. 8): Dream Team cruises to Gold Medal at 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona

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Dream Team at the podium after winning the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992

On Aug. 8 in 1992, Team USA defeated Croatia 117-85 to win the Gold Medal at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. 

It was the first time that NBA players were allowed to compete in the Olympics, following a decision by FIBA in April of 1989.

That squad went an unbeaten 8-0 in those Olympics, en route to regaining the gold medal for Team USA in the men's basketball category. 

Dream Team at the podium after winning the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992

Team USA's 12-man roster that went to Barcelona for the 1992 Olympics included 11 professional athletes from the NBA.

Here's a look at that illustrious and legendary roster:

Player Position
Magic Johnson Point Guard
John Stockton Point Guard
Michael Jordan Shooting Guard
Clyde Drexler Shooting Guard
Scottie Pippen Small Forward
Larry Bird Small Forward
Chris Mullin Small Forward
Charles Barkley Power Forward
Karl Malone Power Forward
Christian Laettner Power Forward
Patrick Ewing Center
David Robinson Center

Crossing the 100-point mark in every game, the squad dominated their games and won by an average margin of 43.8 points. 

The victory helped Team USA re-capture the gold medal, something they had failed to do in two of three and three of the five previous Olympics.

Game Date Opponent Result
Group A, Game 1 Jul. 26, 1992 Angola W, 116-48
Group A, Game 2 Jul. 27, 1992 Croatia W, 103-70
Group A, Game 3 Jul. 29, 1992 Germany W, 111–68
Group A, Game 4 Jul. 31, 1992 Brazil W, 127–83
Group A, Game 5 Aug. 2, 1992 Spain W, 122-81
Quarterfinal Aug. 4, 1992 Puerto Rico W, 115–77
Semifinal Aug. 6, 1992 Lithuania W, 127-76
Final - Gold Medal game Aug. 8, 1992 Croatia W, 117-85

The 1992 squad was elected as a unit to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 and to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017.

The legacy of that 1992 Dream Team goes way beyond their domination en route to the gold medal. It has been well-documented how future European basketball superstars like Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tony Parker were inspired by this elite collection of talent.

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