So who's better?
Dream Team I with Larry and Michael and Magic and Charles? They won their games by an average of 44 points while coasting unchallenged to an Olympic gold medal two years ago.Or Dream Team II with Kemp and Shaq and Zo and Reggie and K.J. and L.J? They have younger legs and just as much firepower.
"I know Charles Barkley and I joked about it during the season," said Shawn Kemp, Seattle's creative dunking specialist. "He thinks Dream Team I is better and could beat this team. But I think we're a little bit beyond what he thinks. I think this team has more speed."
Shaquille O'Neal put it this way: "They didn't lose ever. We want to play our game and do the same thing Dream Team I did."
But what about a game between the two teams?
"We'll beat them," O'Neal said.
Don Nelson, coach of the Golden State Warriors and the world championship team, said the first Dream Team was unique.
"I don't know if there will ever be another Dream Team I because we had some of the biggest stars to ever play in the game at the end of their careers," he said.
"It was a real special team because of that. I don't think you can look at Dream Team II other than to say that it's full of great players and quite a few of them are young and haven't reached their stardom or potential or have enough history behind them like Magic, Bird and the other guy (Jordan), the baseball player."
Dominique Wilkins, the oldest member of Dream Team II and a man who's not sure which NBA team he'll be slamming for next season, said the newest version would probably win in a matchup of the two greatest basketball teams ever assembled.
"It's much better than being on an All-Star team," Wilkins said after the team' first practice Wednesday in Chicago.
"It's unfair, however, to try and compare the two teams. You have different players. Honestly, though, I'd have to go with Dream II. These are my guys."
Nelson claims he's taking nothing for granted despite the superior physical ability of his team. He plans to run a tough five-day training camp at Moody Bible Institute near downtown Chicago. The team will play an exhibition game Tuesday in Charlotte against the German National Team and another July 31 against the U.S. Goodwill Games team in Oakland.
The World Championship tournament begins Aug. 4 in Ontario, Canada. The finals will be played 10 days later at SkyDome in Toronto.
Nelson said playing time could be a sensitive issue. He's dealing with 14 large egos and 14 millionaires, although Isiah Thomas and Tim Hardaway are out with injuries.
Dream Team II is rounded out by Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson, Derrick Coleman, Joe Dumars, Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle, Reggie Miller, Mark Price and Steve Smith.