The 1992 Dream Team: Where Are They Now?
In 1992, what's arguably the greatest basketball team in the history of the game was created. With multiple Hall of Fame players, such as Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing, The Dream team dominated the competition at the Summer Olympics the year.
Years later, many of the players stuck around the game, coaching and doing various talk shows, while other are involved in charity organizations. Keep reading, because it's time to learn what The Dream Team is up to today.
Then: Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson had quite the Rookie season, playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and winning the finals and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. During the '80s, he helped the Lakers win four more championships. After a brief retirement, he came back in 1992 to play the All-Star game and join the Olympic Dream Team.
Winning gold with the greatest team ever created, Johnson left the NBA for a second time. That year, he formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a team that played exhibition games around the world.
Now: Magic Johnson
Today, Magic Johnson does a lot more than shoot hoops. He is a huge advocate for HIV awareness, traveling around the country, hosting seminars, and talking about the disease and the best ways to prevent it. He hopes to "help educate all people about what [HIV] is about and teach others not to 'discriminate against people who have HIV and AIDS.'"
But Johnson is an athlete at heart and didn't stray too far from his favorite game. He's part-owner of both the WNBA team the Los Angeles Sparks and the Major League Soccer team the Los Angeles Football Club.
Then: Michael Jordan
For Michael Jordan, everything began in 1984, the year he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls. It didn't take long for him to have a three-peat, winning the NBA finals in 1991, 1992, and 1993. At the time, he was pretty much the face of the NBA and The Dream Team, the incredible 1992 Olympic Men's Basketball Team.
Amazingly, after the Games, Jordan was set to retire from basketball. With his intense celebrity status, the former basketball star went on to have a stint in minor league baseball. It didn't last long, and in 1995 he returned to the NBA.
Now: Michael Jordan
After his first, second, and eventual final stint in the NBA, Michael Jordan went on to dabble in multiple different ventures. Aside from playing gold in many celebrity charity games, Jordan has become the majority shareholder of the Charlotte Hornets as well as a chairman of the organization.
Most recently, in 2020, the former NBA player announced that he and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin would be fielding a NASCAR team for the 2021 season. Soon after, it was announced that their team name would be 23XI Racing.
Then: Christian Laettner
Christian Laettner was the youngest member of the 1992 Dream Team. Fresh from college, Laettner was coming off two consecutive NCAA championship wins when he was asked to join the team with the likes of Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, and so many more iconic NBA stars.
Aside from the 1992 Olympics, Laettner was drafted to the Minnesota Timberwolves that year, marking the start of his 13-year career as a power forward and center in the NBA.
Now: Christian Laettner
After his time in the NBA, Christian Laettner went on to pursue many different ventures not related to basketball. Alongside his Duke teammate Brian Davis, Laettner got into real estate development in Durham, North Carolina.
More recently, though, he's been hosting youth basketball training camps. He even found himself on TV, working on a reality series that sees former Olympians working with struggling sports teams. For one week, Laettner worked with the Garinger High School boys basketball team.
Then: Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley was the token trash talker of the 1992 Dream Team. It might have had something to do with the fact that he played professionally as a Philadelphia 76er. Either way, it didn't stop him and the rest of the team from winning gold at the Olympic Games that year.
Sir Charles is considered one of the best players to come out of the league, an 11-time member of the All-NBA Team, an 11-time NBA All-Star, an NBA All-STAR MVP, and an NBA Rebounding Leader.
Now: Charles Barkley
After playing in the NBA from 1984-2000, Charles Barkley decided it was time to retire. And, unlike some of his former NBA colleagues, he didn't go on to coach a team. Instead, he set his sights on becoming an analyst on television.
Since 2000, he's worked at TNT, working on NBA coverage before the game and during halftime. He's won four Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Studio Analyst his work with the studio. Most recently, Barkley has hosted a six-episode unscripted series called American Race. It aired in 2017.
Then: Scottie Pippen
In 1992, Scottie Pippen was playing alongside Michael Jordan on the Chicago Bulls. That year, he also joined MJ and the rest of The Dream Team at the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona. Pippen remains the only NBA player to have an NBA final and an Olympic Gold medal in the same year, not once, but twice -- 1992 and 1996.
But he won the NBA finals more than two times. He actually has six rings. Pippen is also a seven-time NBA All-Star, an NBA All-star Game MVP, and an eight-time NBA All-Defensive First Team.
Now: Scottie Pippen
After his time in the NBA, Scottie Pippen stayed close to the game. From 2010-2020, he worked with the Chicago Bulls organization doing multiple jobs, including being a team ambassador, a senior advisor to Michael Reinsdorf, and even a public relations ambassador.
Most recently, he appeared as himself in the ESPN docu-series The Last Dance, a limited series revolving around the Chicago Bulls' 1997-1998 season. Currently, he is an analyst on the ESPN series The Jump.
Then: Larry Bird
Larry Bird was a two-time NBA Finals MVP and playing for the Boston Celtics when he was called to play for The Dream Team during the 1992 Olympic Games. Widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, "Larry Legend" appeared in three NBA championships and five NBA finals.
He retired shortly after the games, and the Celtics hung up his jersey number, 33, for good. Along with his Olympic gold medal from Barcelona, Bird is the only player to come out of the NBA with these awards: Coach of the Year, Executive of the Year, Rookie of the Year, NBA Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, and Most Valuable Player.
Now: Larry Bird
Larry Bird didn't stray too far from the game after his retirement in 1992. From 1992-1997, the Boston Celtics hired him as a special assistant in the team's front office. But in 1997, he accepted the head coaching position for the Indiana Pacers.
While he stepped down from the position after the 2011 season, he stayed with the franchise as the president of basketball operations. In 2017, he stepped down from that position. Currently, Bird is an advisor for the team.
Then: Chris Mullin
From 1985-2001, Chris Mullin played small forward and shooting guard for both the Golden State Warriors and the Indiana Pacers in the NBA. He was playing with the former team when he joined the Dream Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
A three-time Big East Player of the Year, Mullin was also a five-time NBA All-Star, an All-NBA First Team, and even had his jersey number, 17, retired by the Golden State Warriors upon his retirement from the NBA.
Now: Chris Mullin
After retiring from the NBA in 2001, Chris Mullin did venture away from the Golden State Warriors. He was brought on as a special assistant before being named Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. He also began dabbling in broadcasting and coaching opportunities.
He coached at St. John's University from 2015-2019. After leaving that position, it was announced that Mullins would take over as a pregame and postgame studio analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, discussing his beloved Warriors.
Then: Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler averaged a solid 10 points per game during the 1992 Summer Olympics, helping the Dream Team bring home a gold medal. Aside from the games, though, Clyde the Glide played a majority of his NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers as their shooting guard and small forward.
A ten-time NBA All-Star and NBA Champion, Drexler is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game. His number, 22, was retired by both the Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets.
Now: Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler stayed close to the game after retiring as a professional player in 1998. First, he began coaching, with his first job being the head coach for the Houston Cougars. He stayed with the university team until 2000, moving on to become an assistant for the Denver Nuggets.
Drexler has since left coaching behind him, and the two-time Hall of Fame inductee has taken up a seat in front of the camera as a color commentator for the Houston Rockets. He's also the commissioner for the BIG3, a 3-on-3 basketball league.
Then: David Robinson
David Robinson played for the San Antonio Spurs from 1989-2003. Nicknamed The Admiral, Robinson manned the middle alongside Patrick Ewing for the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. But his NBA career was far more than his time in Barcelona.
Widely considered one of the greatest centers in both college and NBA history, Robinson is a two-time NBA champion, a ten-time NBA All-Star, a four-time All-NBA First Team, and was even named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Now: David Robinson
David Robinson is one of those rare former players who didn't stay with the game after retirement. Instead, he journeyed into other ventures. In 2008, he formed the private equity firm Admiral Capital Group with Daniel Bassichis. Their goal is to gain financial support for The Carver Academy, a non-profit private school he founded in 2001.
Robinson is also co-owner of a San Juan, Texas-based Jaguar Land Rover dealership and is involved with multiple other charities.
Then: Patrick Ewing
Center Patrick Ewing played in the NBA from 1985-2002, spending a majority of his time on the New York Knicks. In 1992, he joined The Dream Team at the Summer Olympic Games, being a complete force in the paint and leading the team in blocks and rebounds.
While the two-time Olympic gold medalist never managed to snag a championship ring, he was still an 11-time NBA All-Star, an All-NBA First Team, and had his jersey number, 33 retired by the New York Knicks.
Now: Patrick Ewing
After leaving the NBA in 2002, Patrick Ewing went on to have a coaching career. Starting with the Houston Rockets, Ewing stayed on as an assistant from 2003-2006 before moving on to the Orlando Magic for the 2007-2008 season. Years later, in 2013, he took an assistant coaching position with the Charlotte Bobcats.
Since 2017, he's been the head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas, his former team. Most recently, Ewing led the Hoyas to the 2021 Big East Conference Tournament championship, winning and making it to the NCAA Division I Tournament.
