And then in February of 1989 FIBA allowed for professional athletes to play in the Olympic games and “The Dream Team” that is known for American basketball started coming together in 1991; which since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, team USA has only missed the gold once (That is 7 Olympic appearances for those who aren’t strong in Spanish).

You know what else happened in 1991?

The dissolution of the Soviet Union. I’m no rocket surgeon, but I’m pretty sure Larry Bird and Karl Malone had a hand in helping the Russian coup take place. So let that be a lesson to all you youngsters out there when talking about USA basketball dominance.