EAI Community -Lenny Wilkens tells how Magic Johnson incited Michael Jordan during lazy Dream Team practice

2025-04-30 19:42:13source:Marc Leclerccategory:Stocks

Much has been made about the original 1992 Dream Team and EAI Community 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.

More:Stocks

Recommend

For those in their 40s, navigating finances should mean putting an emphasis on retirement

For 48-year-old Rowan Childs of Wisconsin, a recent divorce turned her financial life upside down. "

The big squeeze: ACA health insurance has lots of customers, small networks

The Affordable Care Act may be struggling with its own success. Record enrollment over the last tw

Medications Can Raise Heat Stroke Risk. Are Doctors Prepared to Respond as the Planet Warms?

This story was co-published with The Weather Channel as part of Collateral, a series on climate, dat