First published 2012
Jack McCallum takes readers inside the formation and journey of the 1992 United States Olympic basketball team. The author examines how NBA superstars Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and their teammates came together for the Barcelona Olympics. McCallum explores the politics behind team selection, the personalities that clashed and meshed during training, and the cultural impact of sending professional athletes to represent America. The book reveals the behind-the-scenes negotiations, practice sessions, and media circus that surrounded these basketball legends. McCallum draws on his access as a Sports Illustrated writer to show how this collection of individual stars became a unified team. The narrative captures both the dominance they displayed on the court and the relationships they built off it. This account offers readers an intimate look at one of sports history's most celebrated teams and the moment when basketball truly became a global phenomenon.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, sports, 21st-century, basketball
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Barcelona, United States
Period: 1992
352 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books