When the 1992 Dream Team assembled in Barcelona, they weren’t just rewriting basketball history, they were also rewriting the rules of off-court fun. And according to Charles Barkley, one nightly ritual stood out: intense, beer-fueled card games featuring some of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball.
In a recent appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, Barkley shared a laugh-out-loud story about playing cards with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Scottie Pippen during the Olympics. The games lasted for hours, and Jordan, unsurprisingly, brought the same competitive fire to the table that he did to the hardwood.
“Michael tries to buy the pot,” Barkley said. “He didn’t realize we were all rich. Like, okay, we all got money, dude. Yeah. He always tries to buy the pot. Like, ‘I’ma raise you.’ Like, we got money too, fool”.
Barkley described the atmosphere as electric, with cases of beer flowing and egos checked at the door. Despite the fierce competition during practices, the players genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.
“Magic, Michael, me, and Scottie played cards every night for three, four, five hours,” Barkley recalled. “We had so much fun. We went through a couple of cases of beer every night”.
Even Larry Bird and Patrick Ewing formed an unlikely friendship during the trip, earning the nickname “Harry and Larry” and custom shirts to match.
While the Dream Team was busy dismantling international competition, winning games by an average of 44 points, their downtime was just as legendary. Barkley led Team USA in scoring with 18.0 points per game, while Jordan averaged 14.9, though Barkley insists MJ played better overall.
