Current:Home > FinanceLenny Wilkens tells how Magic Johnson incited Michael Jordan during lazy Dream Team practice-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Lenny Wilkens tells how Magic Johnson incited Michael Jordan during lazy Dream Team practice
View Date:2024-12-23 16:42:15
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! (86)
Related
- In an AP interview, the next Los Angeles DA says he’ll go after low-level nonviolent crimes
- Miller and Márquez joined by 5 first-time World Series umpires for Fall Classic
- Judge finds former Ohio lawmaker guilty of domestic violence in incident involving his wife
- US military says Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of B-52 bomber over South China Sea
- Britney Spears reunites with son Jayden, 18, after kids moved in with dad Kevin Federline
- NHL suspends Ottawa Senators' Shane Pinto half a season for violating sports wagering rules
- Ottawa’s Shane Pinto suspended 41 games, becomes the 1st modern NHL player banned for gambling
- 5 Things podcast: Anti-science rhetoric heavily funded, well-organized. Can it be stopped?
- Trump ally Steve Bannon blasts ‘lawfare’ as he faces New York trial after federal prison stint
- Patrick Dempsey Speaks Out on Mass Shooting in His Hometown of Lewiston, Maine
Ranking
- Caitlin Clark's gold Nike golf shoes turn heads at The Annika LPGA pro-am
- Kris Jenner calls affair during Robert Kardashian marriage 'my life's biggest regret'
- Kris Jenner calls affair during Robert Kardashian marriage 'my life's biggest regret'
- North Carolina Republicans put exclamation mark on pivotal annual session with redistricting maps
- Fire crews on both US coasts battle wildfires, 1 dead; Veterans Day ceremony postponed
- NFL should have an open mind on expanding instant replay – but it won't
- Week 9 college football expert picks: Top 25 game predictions led by Oregon-Utah
- Special counsel accuses Trump of 'threatening' Meadows following ABC News report
Recommendation
-
Burt Bacharach, composer of classic songs, will have papers donated to Library of Congress
-
Rays push for swift approval of financing deal for new Tampa Bay ballpark, part of $6B development
-
Defense contractor RTX to build $33 million production facility in south Arkansas
-
Maryland Supreme Court posthumously admits Black man to bar, 166 years after rejecting him
-
Quincy Jones' cause of death revealed: Reports
-
What to know about Maine's gun laws after Lewiston mass shooting
-
NYPD tow truck strikes, kills 7-year-old boy on the way to school with his mom, police say
-
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas. If that happens, who will lead the Palestinians in Gaza?