Barkley fondly recalled the '92 'Dream Team' and slammed the '96 squad in the same breath. "For the whole couple months, [the 1992 team] got along like it was the greatest thing in the world. Nobody had an ego," he said. "In '96, guys started complaining about playing time—guys started [saying] 'well I should be starting.' And I'm like 'wait a minute, y'all [aren't] even that good compared to the team I used to be on.'"
He didn't mention names, although he did state that several members of the '96 team, which won the gold medal in Atlanta that Olympiad, didn't even show up for practice out of disgust for their playing time. "It was not a lot of fun hearing guys ***** and complain all the time about who should be starting," Barkley said "...In '96, it was a nightmare. Guys complained about playing time and starting the whole time. I hated it."