Current:Home > MyLenny Wilkens tells how Magic Johnson incited Michael Jordan during lazy Dream Team practice -Wealth Pursuit Network
Lenny Wilkens tells how Magic Johnson incited Michael Jordan during lazy Dream Team practice
View
Date:2025-04-14 03:22:06
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! (74)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Israel and Hamas extend their truce, but it seems only a matter of time before the war resumes
- Heidi Klum Shares Special Photo of All 4 Kids Looking So Grown Up
- One Tree Hill’s Bethany Joy Lenz Reveals Where She Found “Safety” Amid Exit From Cult Life
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- “Carbon Cowboys” Chasing Emissions Offsets in the Amazon Keep Forest-Dwelling Communities in the Dark
- Live updates | Israel and Hamas extend truce, agree to free more hostages and prisoners
- Women falls to death down a well shaft hidden below rotting floorboards in a South Carolina home
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- With suspension over, struggling Warriors badly need Draymond Green to stay on the court
Ranking
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- New documentary offers a peek into the triumphs and struggles of Muslim chaplains in US military
- South Korea delays its own spy satellite liftoff, days after North’s satellite launch
- Trump expected to testify in New York civil fraud trial Dec. 11
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- How much should you tip? How about nothing? Tipping culture is out of control.
- As Dubai prepares for COP28, some world leaders signal they won’t attend climate talks
- Panama’s Supreme Court declares 20-year contract for Canadian copper mine unconstitutional
Recommendation
Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
Panama’s Supreme Court declares 20-year contract for Canadian copper mine unconstitutional
One Tree Hill’s Bethany Joy Lenz Reveals Where She Found “Safety” Amid Exit From Cult Life
North Korea restores border guard posts as tensions rise over its satellite launch, Seoul says
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Philippine government and communist rebels agree to resume talks to end a deadly protracted conflict
Russell Westbrook gets into shouting match with fan late in Clippers loss
Security guard fatally shot at New Hampshire hospital remembered for dedication to community, family