When these young players first arrived, the big brothers of Team USA were full of confidence. It’s said that Jordan even warned them, "Welcome to the NBA, kids."
As a result, in their first practice match, the careless and overconfident Team USA was badly beaten by the college team, losing the contest.
Learning from the lesson, Team USA came back the next day with real intensity and competition, fiercely teaching those young players a lesson.
After the training camp ended, they went to Portland, the place that had just left Jordan feeling sad and lost.
Upon arrival, the atmosphere of the entire team changed, becoming somewhat heavy.
At the opening ceremony, Magic Johnson stood at the front of the lineup, holding the American flag, with a characteristic smile on his face.
Johnson had emerged from the shadow of AIDS, proving that America is truly a paradise for the rich.
Had it been any other country, a celebrity like Johnson contracting AIDS due to promiscuity, and having just married with his wife newly pregnant, he wouldn’t even be able to appear publicly, let alone participate in the Olympics.
However, Johnson could make TV appearances to talk about his journey, participate in various activities as an ambassador for the fight against AIDS, and successfully got selected for the American Olympic team.
He hired the most professional team of AIDS treatment experts, who crafted a detailed and professional treatment plan for him to live as normal a life as possible.
Johnson’s many years of savings, endorsements, and team shares ensured he could continuously invest in his health.
America is rampant with AIDS, and naturally, it is also the best place for AIDS treatment.
Like the rock superstar, lead singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury, who got sick when research on AIDS was still in its infancy, he didn’t receive timely and professional treatment and died in November 1991 from pneumonia caused by AIDS.
People were worried Johnson would also die early from AIDS like Freddie, and Johnson was concerned too, but he remained optimistic, as research and treatment of AIDS in America had already made great strides.
Walking behind Johnson was Larry Bird, who specifically returned for this Olympics, enduring his painful back through training just to step onto the Olympic court.
Bird never played in the Olympics, and it was the last regret of his basketball career. As a symbolic figure in American basketball in the ’80s, he had to participate no matter what.
When Team USA appeared, the audience screamed, and the sound system started playing the American national anthem.
Each player’s name and photo appeared on the big screen at the top of the arena; it was an awe-inspiring and strong lineup.
There was no Team USA game on the opening night, with two matches between Argentina and Panama, Cuba and Canada.
In the afternoon, the players went to Memorial Coliseum for venue adaptation training and received interviews from journalists, which was officially arranged as a media meet-and-greet.
A large number of journalists flocked in with numerous questions, like the one many were concerned with: What is it like for Bird to play with Johnson?
As time passed, people almost forgot that just a few years ago, the NBA was still in the Magic vs. Bird era, and it quickly turned into Gan vs. Joe.
"I don’t know, he hasn’t passed the ball to me yet." Bird joked casually.
Johnson sat right next to Bird, complaining that when he first entered the league, Bird wouldn’t even speak to him.
Bird replied, "I told you, in your face."
The two laughed heartily together, and Bird seemed to be in a good mood, constantly joking with the journalists.
It was apparent that life after retirement was pleasant, and participating in the Olympics was a relaxing and enjoyable task.
The team was so strong that there was no worry about winning or losing; the important thing was the experience, the participation, and the fun.
Early on in his NBA career, Bird was always cold to journalists and sometimes even rude.
Now, as he aged and withdrew from competitive professional play, he had become much more amiable and funny.
But on the other side, Karl Malone during the interview was aggressive, of course, not towards the journalists.
When asked how he saw this Olympics, Malone first considered Russia as the biggest enemy—the Soviet Union no longer existed.
"We’ve been working hard in training just to prove ourselves in the Olympics and make up for the failure four years ago. Back then, the Russians beat our team, and I watched as they lifted the coach on TV as if they had beaten the best American players. Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous."
David Robinson, next to him, agreed with Karl Malone’s view, as he genuinely experienced the 1988 defeat, although his tone was much gentler.
"Losing the Olympics made me frustrated, and now the opportunity has come. In this team, you can’t hold back; everyone is highly competitive, especially you can’t make mistakes, or they’ll kill you. There’s really a lot of pressure; Michael is fast, and Karl is strong. If you’re not careful, you’ll fall to the ground."
Talking about the 1988 loss, Robinson said it was one of the worst defeats in his basketball career.
Compared to these two’s deep-seated grudges, Charles Barkley was the happiest and most outspoken person.
"I have two wishes for the Olympics: First, I hope to eat as much Spanish food as possible. I hear their ham and cheese are amazing. Hope I won’t be disappointed. Second wish, I want to play against China Team. I want to blow out Ah Gan! I want to blow out his team, blow him out!"