Old School Pic of the Week 9.27

This week has very important historical significance in the world of basketball. 20 years ago, USA Basketball selected its national team to compete in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. In case you were unaware, that 1992 Olympic team (better known as the Dream Team) would go on to win its eight Olympic contests by an average margin of nearly 44 points en route to a gold medal.

So of course this week's installment of the Old School Pic should be Charles Barkley dunking on a member of the Angolan national team or something of that nature?

Pshhhh. NOPE!

This post is dedicated to the 1992 Dream Team's most notable snub, one Isiah Lord Thomas III. Here he is wearing a fur coat on the banks of Lake Michigan, probably thinking about what the weather is like in Barcelona.

Court adjourned.

Old School Pic of the Week: 8/2

Unlike the NFL, that just reached a labor agreement, things aren't exactly looking up for professional basketball the at the moment. Both the NBA and the NBA Player's Association (NBPA) have filed complaints to the National Labor Relations Board claiming the opposing party has not "bargained in good faith." The NBA then filed another lawsuit in federal court that seeks to void existing player contracts if the union chooses to decertify and countersue.

It is easy to lose faith that NBA action will soon return when use of jargon like decertification and countersue outnumber the dunks, screens, or passes.  But all hope is not lost, and this week's photo proves it. 

This shot from the 1988 NBA Finals shows heated rivals Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas setting aside their differences and finding harmony in the sweet, sweet game of basketball. NBA and NBPA, I hope you're taking notes.

*Potentially Ominous Sign: In the years since this photo, Magic and Isiah's relationship has soured considerably. Both Thomas' rumored questioning of Magic's sexuality and Magic's emphasis on keeping Isiah off the 1992 Dream Team have fueled the quarrel. Let's hope the NBA situation ends more cordially.

Court adjourned.