It’s the 1990s and NBA basketball is at its best, exciting players, great TV and press coverage and fierce rivalries have made the public more and more interested in the game. The 1992 Dream Team consisting of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Pat Ewing, Clyde Drexler… where are they now?
Here we tell you what they do and how each of them has fared today. Some are entrepreneurs, other actors, singers and many dedicated to commentary about the game. Meanwhile, others have completely stepped away from the show.
10 Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler, named one of the 50 greatest players in history, was a shooting guard who played for the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets between 1983 and 1998. Throughout his career, he always played with great intensity to average 20.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. He was elected to 10 All Star games and won the championship of the 1994-95 season with Houston. After his retirement, Drexler coached the Houston Cougars and spent two years as an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets. Finally, he has dedicated himself to work as a commentator for NBA games on television.
9 Dikembe Mutombo
Dikembe Mutombo was an outstanding player born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 25, 1966. The fourth pick in the 1991 draft by the Denver Nuggets who is considered one of the most intimidating centers in the history of the game. In his 18-year career he left extraordinary stats on defense: 10.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. He always showed his philanthropy and because of this, when he retired, he created the foundation that bears his name to help children in his native country. He was also the architect in the construction of a hospital in the outskirts of Brazzaville, capital of Congo. Today, at the age of 56, he is still dedicated to his foundation and the NBA affiliate organization Basketball without Borders.
8 Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen was the faithful squire of Michael Jordan, and great architect of the six championships of the dominant Chicago Bulls of the 1990s. This small forward born in Hamburg, Arkansas in 1965 and fifth pick in the 1987 draft by the Seattle Supersonics, is considered one of the three best defenders in history.
He wrote a book, Unguarded, was bankrupt due to a scam by his financial advisor, then worked as a special advisor for the Chicago Bulls, for which he wants to be coach. Pippen has been a commentator for ABC and ESPN. He is a partner in the Savage and Cooke distillery where he has even created a drink in honor of Jordan.
7 Shaquille O’Neal
At 50 years old, Shaquille O’Neal has made dozens of films and several musical appearances, demonstrating a rare audiovisual talent. He has been an excellent handler of money earned in his 19-campaign NBA career, and is an active investor who is now a partner in 155 Five Guys restaurants, 150 car washes, a shopping mall, a movie theater and several nightclubs in Las Vegas. He has also placed his money in the stock market, and smartly invested in none other than Google and Apple.
6 Patrick Ewing
The symbol of the New York Knicks in the 1990s was undoubtedly the 7’0″ Jamaican center Pat Ewing. No wonder, since he was a starter in all the games in which he saw action (1,039 to be exact) and finished his 17-season career with a total of 24,815 points scored and 11,607 rebounds. After his retirement, he spent 14 years as an assistant coach with the Rockets and the Wizards, and then in 2017, he took over the Hoyas, the Georgetown University basketball team in Washington DC, which is his current job.
5 Charles Barkley
Selected fifth in the first round of the 1984 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and with 16 seasons of service with the team, the Suns and the Rockets, Charles Barkley is another of our stars of the 1990s. With 1,073 games in his career, averaging 22.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, the Leeds, Alabama native managed to win the 1992-93 MVP.
Today, at 59 years old, he has already written three autobiographies, has several appearances in movies, and since 2000, built a great career as a basketball analyst for the TNT broadcast with its program, Inside the NBA.
4 Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon was a two-time champion in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, and the leader of an incredible Houston Rockets team that reached the pinnacle to everyone’s amazement. This Nigerian born in 1963 and first pick of the 1984 draft had an outstanding career in which he recorded 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.5 blocks per game, which gave him 12 All-Star game appearances, two rebounding championships and three blocking championships. A decent and well-respected man, today he lives between Houston and Jordan where he studies Islam with his family. He is a successful real estate investor and has a teaching academy for young pivots.
3 David Robinson
David Robinson is considered by many to be the best center of the decade and one of the greatest of all time. Robinson played his entire career with the San Antonio Spurs where for six seasons he formed a terrifying duo with the young Tim Duncan and earned two championship rings. Extraordinary rebounder (10.6 per game), incredible blocker (3.0 per game) and great scorer (21.1 points). Today he is a philanthropist, and a great entrepreneur, partner of a foundation called Admiral Capital, donating a percentage of the income to charity.
2 Horace Grant
Horace Grant has four NBA championship rings, he was a four time All-Defensive player, and he is considered as one of the best power forwards of the 1990s. Throughout his 17-year NBA career, Grant played with the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic and Seattle Supersonics, recording 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Now, Grant is a Goodwill ambassador and works with NBA Cares, bringing opportunities and special moments to kids around the world. Horace Grant lives in Arroyo Grande and loves to spend time with his family.
1 Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan was probably the greatest basketball player, not only of the decade, but in history, with mind-blowing stats and exciting achievements. Six championships with the Chicago Bulls, 10 scoring championships, five MVP awards, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, among other awards. Today, at 59 years old, the absolute dominator of the NBA is dedicated to his advertising contracts, owns the Washington Wizards, owns the Nascar 23XI Racing team, is a multiple investor and plays golf, a lot of golf.
