Current:Home > reviewsLenny Wilkens tells how Magic Johnson incited Michael Jordan during lazy Dream Team practice -Aspire Money Growth
Lenny Wilkens tells how Magic Johnson incited Michael Jordan during lazy Dream Team practice
View
Date:2025-04-15 02:14:18
Much has been made about the original 1992 Dream Team and how competitive the practices were, considering the players probably knew weren't going to get much competition once the team set foot in Barcelona.
Hall of Fame coach Lenny Wilkens, who was an assistant on the Dream Team, tells of one instance when practice wasn't going as planned, and head coach Chuck Daly was starting to fume at the lack of intensity.
"For a coach, it was a dream come true to have that kind of talent. And they were always ready. ... And they challenged one another."
"Guys were going through the motions, one time," Wilkens said to host Bob Kendrick on the Black Diamonds podcast.
Wilkens said he called Magic Johnson over to discuss the practice.
"We don't have to be here all day. We can be here as short a period of time depending on how we perform," Wilkens said he told Johnson.
HALL OF FAME: How Dream Team influenced inductees
Johnson didn't need another word, telling Wilkens, "I got it, coach. I'll take care of it."
According to Wilkens, Johnson talked to a few of his teammates about how they were playing and then came to Michael Jordan.
"He started to get on Michael and that's all we needed," Wilkens said. "Michael went berserk."
Jordan's antics forced Daly to stop the practice, fearing that a team member would get hurt.
"We laugh about it to this day. I saw Magic not too long ago ... and he reminded me of it," Wilkens said.
Of course, the Dream Team, the first time USA Basketball used professionals in Olympic competition, steamrolled its opponents in Barcelona by an average of 44 points a game on the way to the gold medal.
veryGood! (235)
Related
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- An Indigenous Group’s Objection to Geoengineering Spurs a Debate About Social Justice in Climate Science
- Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan Breaks Silence on Kevin Costner's Shocking Exit
- Inside Clean Energy: Net Zero by 2050 Has Quickly Become the New Normal for the Largest U.S. Utilities
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Woman charged with selling fentanyl-laced pills to Robert De Niro's grandson
- Houston’s Mayor Asks EPA to Probe Contaminants at Rail Site Associated With Nearby Cancer Clusters
- At least 3 dead in Pennsylvania flash flooding
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- The Climate Solution Actually Adding Millions of Tons of CO2 Into the Atmosphere
Ranking
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Senators are calling on the Justice Department to look into Ticketmaster's practices
- 24 Bikinis for Big Boobs That Are Actually Supportive and Stylish for Cup Sizes From D Through M
- Trump skips Iowa evangelical group's Republican candidate event and feuds with GOP Iowa governor
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- This $23 Travel Cosmetics Organizer Has 37,500+ 5-Star Amazon Reviews
- Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick’s Son James Wilkie Has a Red Carpet Glow Up
- Reimagining Coastal Cities as Sponges to Help Protect Them From the Ravages of Climate Change
Recommendation
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Q&A: With Climate Change-Fueled Hurricanes and Wildfire on the Horizon, a Trauma Expert Offers Ways to Protect Your Mental Health
Arby's+? More restaurants try subscription programs to keep eaters coming back
One-third of Americans under heat alerts as extreme temperatures spread from Southwest to California
2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible Costars Give Rare Glimpse Into His Generous On-Set Personality
Shopify deleted 322,000 hours of meetings. Should the rest of us be jealous?
To be a happier worker, exercise your social muscle