"The weakest on this team were Magic & Bird" - Gilbert Arena breaks down why 1996 Dream Team tops Michael Jordan's 1992 Olympic squad

The 1996 Dream Team doesn't get talked about that much as it didn't garner the attention that the 1992 Dream Team had. Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas recently talked about why the '96 team was a better overall squad than the one with Michael Jordan.

Both USA teams captured gold medals at the Summer Olympics. However, Arenas pointed out that the '96 iteration of the Dream Team (Dream Team III, as Dream Team II competed in the 1994 World Championship) was a better group of players compared to the famed '92 team, which also boasted Hall of Fame players.

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"Dream Team II is the best assembled talent," Arenas said. "The '96 team is the best talent that we've ever put together.

"We gon' say the Dream Team first. You got MJ, (Scottie) Pippen, (Charles) Barkley, Pat (Ewing), (Karl) Malone, Clyde (Drexler), (John) Stockton, David (Robinson), (Chris) Mullin. Those are the All-NBA players, those nine. The weakest, on this team was Magic (Johnson), (Larry) Bird and Mullin. ... The three I didn't name at the end, they weren't All-NBA players."

Lastly, Arenas broke down the 1996 Dream Team.

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"The Dream Team II. Barkley, Penny (Hardaway), Malone, Hakeem (Olajuwon), (Shaquille) O'Neal came off the bench, Hakeem came off the bench, both of those averaged 29 and 12 that year. Gary Payton subbed in for Vin Baker. Pippen, David Robinson, John Stockton. The weakest on this team was Grant Hill, Reggie Miller and Mitch Richmond. All 12 was All-NBA players that year."

There are those who might disagree with the former Washington Wizards All-Star due to the fact that the 1996 Dream Team didn't have Michael Jordan on their roster.

MJ being on the roster was one of the reasons the 1992 squad was even famous in the first place. Still, knowing which team is better overall is up for debate.

You might also be interested in reading this: Why did Joel Embiid choose Team USA? What we know so far about Sixers’ star’s Paris Olympics decision

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Charles Barkley brought up the trio of Jordan, Magic and Bird to encourage his 1996 Dream Team teammates

Charles Barkley was one of the few players who played for both the '92 and '96 teams. While practicing with the '96 team, he berated his teammates for being selfish in always wanting the ball.

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"It was one big ego fest,” Barkley said. “Guys actually boycotted practice because they weren’t happy with their playing time. It was ridiculous. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Michael and Magic and Larry shared the ball. They shared the spotlight. And because of that, it was the experience of a lifetime. You guys are a bunch of selfish jerks."

Chuck's pep talk worked and the 1996 Dream Team ended up winning the gold medal.

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