Team USA coach Steve Kerr recently addressed the high level of competition in the Paris Olympics men’s basketball tournament

NBA reporter Brian Windhorst got involved in the 1992 Dream Team versus the 2024 Team USA debate on Monday’s First Take.

The panel compared the two great basketball sides after Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green’s suggestion that LeBron James and Co. would dominate Michael Jordan’s crew.

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Brian Windhorst addressed Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green’s ‘aggressive’ take in the 1992 Dream Team vs 2024 Team USA debateCredit: ESPN

Green said that LeBron James and Co. would dominate Michael Jordan’s 1992 crewCredit: ESPN
Green said he would “take the 2024 team, seven days a week” in a recent episode of his podcast.

He predicted that the Paris 2024 group would best the Dream Team in five out of seven games.

The Warriors star claimed that Jordan’s side wouldn’t be able to cope with the versatility and star power of coach Steve Kerr’s men, noting that “the game is better now.”

Reporting from Paris, Windhorst said that the Dream Team is “unimpeachable” as he commented on Green’s take.

The NBA reporter noted that the debate requires a careful look at nuance before pointing out that the 1992 crew included many players at the end of their respective careers.

Those included Boston Celtics icon Larry Bird, who would retire after the Barcelona Games, and Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who was in retirement after an HIV diagnosis until his comeback in 1996.

Windhorst suggested that “there is a case” for the 2024 team to be labeled a better team when considering the strength of the entire roster, but not necessarily if comparing the starting 5s.

“Draymond was a little aggressive for my taste in that,” he said of Green’s prediction that the current version of Team USA could beat the Dream Team five times out of seven.

“I’m not ratifying that take.”

First Take’s Kendrick Perkins slams Team USA coach Steve Kerr for ‘embarrassing and disrespectful’ Jayson Tatum decision
However, Windhorst said that the Paris-bound hoopers were still writing their story with three games left in the tournament – while competing against many All-NBA players on opposing teams.

He then emphasized the depth of the 2024 crew again by noticing Kerr had the luxury of benching 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid early into the Paris Games.

Embiid was pulled from Team USA’s opening 110-84 win against Serbia as the Philadelphia 76ers star struggled when matched up with Nikola Jokic.

He then watched the entire 103-86 victory over South Sudan from the bench.

‘Ego and other BS’

USA’s basketball team for the Paris 2024 Olympics faces “disaster

According to DailyMail.com, the team could face “embarrassment” in their pursuit of Olympic gold this summer.

They quoted a source as saying, “They will never hear the end of it if they lose, they are supposed to be the best in the world, so act like it and don’t let ego and other BS take over what should be automatic.

“The ego that lies within the team, everyone is out for their own and not for the team as a whole.

“That can and will be a disaster if they all don’t change the thought process, they have to play like a team.”

USA’s team this year is one of it’s most star-studded in history, with the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant all part of the roster.

The Americans entered the knockout stage of the Olympic tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.

They will face Brazil in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, August 6.

If victorious, the USA will then square off with either Serbia or Australia for a spot in the final.

France, Canada, Germany, and Greece landed on the other side of the bracket.

Kerr acknowledged the high level of competition for the men’s basketball gold, noting a lot can still happen in the tournament.

“In the spirit of the Olympics and the marathon/sprint metaphor that I’ve used, now that we’ve been through it, I would call it the 800 meters,” he said ahead of the Brazil matchup, via ESPN.

“We’re running really hard, but it’s not the 100 meters.”