Craig Miller on why Charles Barkley was Dream Team's best ambassador in Barcelona: "People gravitated toward him"

The Dream Team is fondly remembered for many reasons. They were the first squad to feature all NBA players and completely dominated the games, winning by at least 40 points in 75% of their games. However, one of the most notable things was how Charles Barkley became the best player on a team full of basketball icons.

Tackling initial fears

Barkley almost got shown the door from the tournament for elbowing an Angolan player in the USA's very first game. "The Round Mound of Rebound" was always one of the most colorful and unpredictable characters in basketball. This is the same guy who was notorious for high-stakes gambling and getting into more than a few controversies, like the time he accidentally spat on an eight-year-old girl.

Despite all that, Barkley was all business when it came time to suit up for the Olympics. Craig Miller, the communications director of USA Basketball, even said Chuck was the star of the show during the tournament.

"I got Charles,"Miller said of the 11-time All-Star. "I love Charles. He is one of the all-time greats; he truly is. I've done nine Olympics; he's probably among my top five guys to be with… he was the best ambassador for the United States at that time, and people loved him. They just gravitated toward him, and he was on good behavior."

Before the Dream Team's first game at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Chuck boldly said he didn't "know anything" about Angola, but they were in trouble, and he wasn't wrong—Team USA won the game 116-48. However, Barkley shoved one player and elbowed another, earning a technical that snapped a 31-point U.S. run in that game. This was not exactly the image Americans were hoping for in their Olympic debut featuring NBA stars.

Related: John Stockton recalled when Isiah Thomas called his dad amidst Dream Team drama: "I don't know if I would be big enough to do that"

Barkley was on his best behaviour

After that first-game scuffle, Charles turned on another switch to his personality. The then-Philadelphia 76ers star was often seen mingling with fans on the streets, enjoying the spotlight both on and off the court.

Barkley quickly became the symbol of the U.S. men's basketball team, unstoppable in games and larger-than-life outside of them.

"He wasn't going to stay in a hotel locked down where other guys, I remember, weren't willing to really venture out or weren't able to really venture out," Miller added.

Interestingly, Barkley was one of the last players added to the star-studded team, and his fiery personality had some worried he might cause trouble. Instead, the legendary forward emerged as the leading scorer, putting up 18.0 per game and charming everyone off the court as the squad clinched the gold medal.

Related: "He was like the Pied Piper" - Bill Walton on the leadership that Charles Barkley brought to the Dream Team