Michael Jordan is considered the Greatest of All Time by many, acknowledging the greatness achieved by His Airness. He shaped the game for the better, brought more eyeballs, and did so while winning six titles with the Chicago Bulls. Yet some people still find flaws in him.

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas is one such person who recently made a shocking claim on his ‘NoChillGilZero’ podcast.

He revealed that Michael Jordan struggled throughout the 1992 Olympics in the renowned USA ‘Dream Team.’ Hardly anyone knows about it because the sports media back in the 90s were fans of these superstars, unlike the ones now who ask tough questions to the players.

“Imagine the USA ’92 team today, and looking at Michael Jordan’s box scores are talked about today from how he performed,” Gilbert Arenas said.

“In ’92, nobody knew MJ was struggling in the Olympics and shooting that bad against guys who were wearing AAU uniforms… We didn’t hear struggling. When you say give me the top 5 Olympian players, and you have people who select MJ as the SG, that’s how great the media was.”

He even highlighted that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson each lost four finals, but the media hardly mentioned it. He feels the same happened with Jordan during the ’92 Olympics.

“The media at that time was fan boys. To be media, you had to kiss the ring. There was no negativity in the early 80s, 90s. The game was glorified and pushed positively. They didn’t bash Magic/Bird/Kareem for losing in finals…The media now who’s telling you how great these players are, is the same media telling you how horrible today’s players are,” Arenas added.

The five-time NBA MVP averaged 14.9 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per contest while shooting 45% from the field across eight games in the 1992 Olympics. Interestingly, it was a tournament that Jordan wanted to skip as he was in the middle of a three-peat with the Chicago Bulls.

But eventually, he was convinced by his fellow stars and commercial sponsors. He still had the second-highest ppg for the team behind Charles Barkley while scoring 22 and 21 points in the final and the semifinals against Croatia and Lithuania, respectively.

Gilbert Arenas keeps Michael Jordan out of his All-Time USA starting five

Gilbert Arenas goes beyond all extremes as he once snubbed Michael Jordan from his All-Time USA starting five lineup. Although this was back in 2024, his emotions about His Airness seem to be the same.

Selecting his all-time USA starting five he went with, “Let me pick the top five. Give me Shaq. Can I name Durant and LeBron as my three and four?”

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In shooting guard, he raised a debate between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan and dismissed the latter, considering his performances at the Olympics.

“You could include Michael Jordan in the team, but let’s be honest. Did you see his performances at the Olympics? He wasn’t the Michael Jordan we know,” Arenas added.

“Can I put Melo second and Kobe first? Alright, I’ve got Kobe, Carmelo, LeBron, Durant, and Shaq,” Arena picked his final five.

Even then, none of it changes the indelible legacy left by Michael Jordan during his time in the big league and on the national team. He always gave his all and played for the badge.

But if we keep Arenas’ pick in mind, does MJ make it to your all-time USA starting five?