Set Number: X155185 TK2 R1 F56

The 1992 Dream Team and 2008 Redeem Team typically dominate the conversation about the greatest Team USA men’s basketball team.

Kevin Durant apparently has a difference of opinion—albeit one he was only willing to share for a short amount of time.

Durant seemed ready to crown the 2012 team as the best of all time in a now-deleted tweet:

ClutchPoints @ClutchPointsApp

The USA Men’s Basketball team won the gold medal in the 2012 Olympics 10 years ago today.

Kevin Durant tweeted and immediately deleted his take on that 2012 Olympic team 👀 pic.twitter.com/o4XuMNQrcc

In terms of pure domination, there’s no question the Dream Team takes the cake. The United States obliterated the competition at the 1992 Olympics, winning every game by at least 32 points.

It’s also worth noting that 11 of the 12 players on the Dream Team are currently in the Hall of Fame. Neither the 2008 roster nor the one four years later can say it boasts 11 future Hall of Famers.

That said, it’s fair to wonder whether the 2008 or 2012 squads were actually better basketball teams than the 1992 counterpart. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were greatly diminished versions of themselves by the Dream Team era, and it’s fair to point out the international competition was significantly easier in 1992 versus 16 or 20 years later.

As far as the debate between 2008 and 2012 goes, it’ll likely depend on how you want to build a team. The 2008 squad was a Kobe Bryant outfit with versions of LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard that were great but still yet to reach their apex form. The team four years later featured arguably the best ever-version of James, along with Paul and Carmelo Anthony at the peak of their powers. Bryant took more of an elder statesman’s role, while Durant blossomed as the team’s leading scorer at age 23.

Given his 30-point masterpiece in the United States’ gold medal win over Spain, it’s easy to see why Durant might have a special place in his heart for the 2012 squad.

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