Karl Malone’s ‘Dream Team’ Collection Sells For Over $5M At Auction
May 26, 2023, 2:51 PM | Updated: May 27, 2023, 8:54 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Many believe that the 1992 USA Basketball ‘Dream Team’ is the greatest basketball team ever assembled.
Utah Jazz legend and ‘Dream Team’ starter Karl Malone was well aware of the greatness surrounding him. During the 1992 run, Malone asked for a game-worn jersey and pair of shoes from almost every player on the roster.
Karl Malone ‘Dream Team’ Auction
An article from ESPN highlights Malone’s collection and what sold for the most at auction.
In 1992, Karl Malone went around to his Dream Team teammates and asked for a pair of game-worn shoes and jerseys.
Last night, they sold for $5.38 million 😳https://t.co/Np6fqUjXyw
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 25, 2023
The item that sold for the most was, unsurprisingly, Michael Jordan’s notorious No. 9 signed game-worn jersey.
Jordan’s jersey and shoes sold for nearly $3.5 million.
BREAKING: the Michael Jordan 1992 Olympic “Dream Team” Game-Used, Photo-Matched, Signed, Inscribed Jersey has sold in our Dream Team Auction.
Final sale price: $3,030,000 🏀🐐 pic.twitter.com/dZY9U2gZDB
— Goldin (@GoldinCo) May 25, 2023
Malone also sold memorabilia from the likes of Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, and David Robinson.
About the 1992 USA Basketball ‘Dream Team’
In recent years, USA Basketball has struggled to get the top talent to play in the Olympics. This is partly because many of the NBA’s best players are foreign-born. Others choose to focus on rehabilitating and preparing for the upcoming NBA season.
This hasn’t always been the case. After FIBA voted to allow professionals to partake in the Olympic festivities, the USA came out with a vengeance. The 1992 ‘Dream Team’ was made up of 11 future hall-of-fame players and three hall-of-fame coaches.
Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, and Christian Laettner all made the cut.
30 years ago today, USA Basketball released the initial roster for the Dream Team featuring MJ, Magic and Bird.
Greatest team ever assembled? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/h9wtxZWo76
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 22, 2021
The ‘Dream Team’ won by an average of 44 points as they steamrolled past every team on their way to a gold medal. The closest a team got was in the semifinals when Puerto Rico only lost by 38 points. The biggest blowout came in the first game when the USA beat Cuba by 79 points.
Charles Barkley led the team in scoring with 18.0 points a game. Malone and Ewing led in rebounds with 5.3 each.
The entire team was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and the FIBA Hall of Fame.
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Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.
