With basketball fans everywhere asking the question of would the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team” beat this years Gold Medal winning super team. 2K Sports hopes to be able to answer that question with the introduction of the 1992 “Dream Team” in this years NBA 2K13.

Since the dawn of time, sports fans have always pondered who was the greatest. Is Shaq better than Wilt? Is James better than Jordan? Is Kobe better than Jordan?  2K Sports and Jay Z hope to, at the least, somehow answer these questions with the power of video games by introducing a “Dream Team” mode in NBA 2K13. In this mode you can pit the 1992 “Dream Team,” featuring Michael Jordan, a broken and hobbled Larry Bird, and an on his way out Magic Johnson against, the super-team America sent to London this year to be a beacon of destruction in the international basketball scene.

“The fantasy matchup between the legendary 1992 ‘Dream Team’ and the 2012 USA Men’s national team has become one of the greatest sports debates of our time,” stated JAY Z, the Executive Producer of NBA 2K13. “In NBA 2K13, we’re giving fans the opportunity to play as two of the best teams ever assembled in sporting history, literally putting the debate right into their hands.”

One of the biggest achievements to go along with the “Dream Team” announcement is the appearance of Charles Barkley. After a no-show in last years edition of ‘NBA 2K,’ executive producer of the NBA 2K13, Jay-Z, is said to have convinced the big man to sell his likeness unlike last year when it was reported that Barkley was steadfast on not being in that, or any video game featuring his ‘Sir Charles’.

Scottie Pippen this time is no where to be seen. Appearing in the last two years of NBA 2K, Pippen was featured in the Jordan Challenge that accompanied ‘2K11’ and also was a featured all-time great in the Greatest of all-time challenge that accompanied ‘2K12.’ It is reported though that Pippen has no interest in being involved in this years edition of ‘NBA 2K.’

This is a surprise, when you consider the amount of influence and greatness the ‘Dream Team’ brought to America during 16 days in Barcelona. Consisting of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Christian Laettner, John Stockton and Charles Barkley, it is widely considered the greatest baketball team ever assembled. That was until someone asked Kobe Bryant if this years Olympic team could beat the ‘Dream Team.’ Thus setting off a storm of contrived arguments about whether or not the team with Jordan, Magic, David Robinson, and Charles Barkley could handle a team with the likes of Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Bryant, Russell Westbrook, and Chris Paul. Who knows. Both teams had different dynamics. The ‘Dream Team’ was a group of athletes at their pinnacle, and today’s team is scattered with established veterans and budding-newcomers.

Even though we’ll never truly know which team would win, the athletes that competed in them then and now are truly grateful to have the experience of Barcelona and England.

“The experience we shared in Barcelona is truly one of the highlights of my career,” said five-time NBA MVP and former NBA 2Kcover athlete Michael Jordan. “Being able to represent not only my country but basketball as a whole is an honor that I will never forget.”

And although still appreciative, players like Kevin Durant still ponder what would happen if the ‘Dream Team’ met this years’ super-squad for Team U.S.A.

“It was an incredible blessing to have been part of the 2012 USA Basketball National Team,” said Durant. “USA Basketball’s National Team legacy is incredible and so many of basketball’s all-time greats have been part of it, I’m just honored to be in that group. Like everybody, I can’t wait to see how our squad stacks up against the 1992 team in NBA 2K13.”

With this years installment of ‘NBA 2K’, 2K Sports has a lot to live up to. ‘2K11’ revolutionized basketball video games so much with the Jordan Challenge, it scared the video game Juggernaut known as EA from making any NBA games for the last two years. With ‘2K12’ 2K expanded upon the idea of a classic mode by introducing a broader spectrum of classic NBA superstars to choose from, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Clyde Drexler, Oscar Robertson, and Bill Russel. With these different players from different eras you were able to almost step into a time machine and go back to the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, and play as your favorite players from that era or even pit one of your favorite players of today against the players of yesteryear. One of the coolest things this mode offered was the way the game would immerse you in that era.

Per say you were playing a game as the 1966 Boston Celtics and you were playing against the 1966 Los Angeles Lakers. The presentation of this would be broadcast as it were in 1966 featuring black and white and even classic style commentary. Whereas ‘2K11’ let you step into the shoes of Michael Jordan, ‘2K12’ let you step into the shoes of every legend to ever play the game.

NBA 2K13 hopes to be able to expand on their success with it’s Dream Team Challenge mode.

“As executive producer, letting fans go head to head with these legendary USA teams was extremely important to JAY Z,” said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “We are excited to partner with USA Basketball, and share in JAY Z’s enthusiasm in making this a reality in NBA 2K13.”

Unlike the previous years, 2K Sports isn’t banking on gimmicks like the Jordan Challenge, or the All-Time Greats Challenge to show a quality product. This year ‘2K’ hopes to expand it’s quality in game play by getting rid of their classic “Isomotion” game play and introduce their new one-on-one system that involves the usage of the right and left stick as control over you moving the ball from left-to-right, as well as placing pin-point passes, whether it be a chest pass, or the newly introduced bounce pass which can be controlled by pressing left-trigger and A, ‘NBA 2K’ hopes to bring a brighter sense of realism to it’s game play. The left-trigger is also used to transition out of the one-on-one function and into a shooting form. 2K hopes to make the transition from dribbling and shooting as fluid as it can be in real-life.

2K13 will also feature for the first time Technical fouls being able to be called. Using the Kinect sound sensor, whenever you curse around it or call out things like, “that last foul was a load of horse-shit and this ref is a dick, I mean, I know it’s a video game, but seriously, that wasn’t a foul and this ref is an idiot.” Yeah that whole thing will get you a Tech now and cost you one point. Just like in real-life. 2K hopes to bring a realer appeal to this years NBA 2K13, all while trying to answer the question of who was the greatest American Olympic Basketball Team ever. It was the 1992 one by the way.

Editors Note: This article was updated by Cameron Heffernan after this post was put up. Late quotes came in that better illustrated what 2K plans with the ‘Dream Team’ as well as the impact of the ‘Dream Team’ on international basketball.