Long before the ’92 Dream Team, Michael Jordan made a name for himself as an Olympic athlete. Prior to his rookie season in the NBA, he led the U.S. men’s national team to a gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Jordan was the leading scorer for the Americans, averaging just over 17 points per game and was joined by future Hall of Famers Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin, both of whom would accompany him to Barcelona eight years later.
The team featured other future NBA players such as Sam Perkins and the late Wayman Tisdale, and was coached by Indiana’s legendary Bob Knight. That incarnation of Team USA went undefeated in the games at 8-0 and was the last American amateur squad to bring home a gold medal before professionals were allowed to compete in the Olympics in 1992.
It’s incredible to see just how developed Jordan’s skill-set was at such a young age. Beyond the off-the-charts athleticism, he had a nice soft touch on his shot and was already starting to perfect his patented turnaround jumper. His tenacious defense was another hallmark of his game that was on full display in Los Angeles. It was obvious even then that Jordan was going to be something special.
(h/t r/nba)
