Maccabi Tel Aviv and Monaco will open up their Euroleague quarterfinal series when they step foot on the Salle Gaston Medecin court, the same floor that the great Michel Jordan said was where he took part in the greatest game.

Hold it. Full stop.

Monaco? Basketball? Michael Jordan?

Did he forget about the Chicago Stadium, United Center and Madison Square Garden?

How about all of the other arenas he graced in North America whether it was where he won championships, broke scoring records or played the infamous “Flu” game in.

Wasn’t he a part of the some of the greatest games in these facilities?

How could it be that a tiny basketball arena attached to a soccer stadium in Monte Carlo in the Principality of Monaco was where the legendary Michael Jordan said, “[It was the] greatest game I’ve ever played in.”

But yes it is true.

Just days before the opening of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the Dream Team gathered in Monaco to put the finishing touches on their training camp ahead of the Games. Head coach Chuck Daly decided that before they begin playing the games for real he wanted to have the best of the best go head-to-head to see just how tough his squad really was and how serious they were going to take the challenge ahead.

Michael Jordan captained the White Team while a retired due to being HIV positive Magic Johnson led the Blue Team.

Together with Jordan was his Bulls sidekick Scottie Pippen, 3x NBA Champion and 3x League MVP in the Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird, 2x NBA MVP Karl Malone from the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks 11x All-Star center Patrick Ewing.

Magic’s team was comprised of 1993 MVP Charles Barkley, San Antonio Spurs center and 2x NBA Champion David Robinson, Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Chris Mullin and Duke star Christian Laettner. Both John Stockton and Clyde Drexler were injured and didn’t take part in the non-televised scrimmage that included 11 current Basketball Hall of Famers.

In Jack McCallum’s book, “Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever”, the legendary basketball scribe who was present with the squad, wrote about what went down in perhaps was the greatest pickup game of hoops.

Michael wanted to prove that he was the best, Magic wanted to show why he was the captain of the team and that led to a dramatic matchup that Jordan’s White Team prevailed 40-36. Having been in the hole 7-0 and then by 9 points, Jordan propelled his side to a 17-4 run to take the contest in which he scored 17 of his team’s points according to McCallum. Barkley led Magic’s squad with 11 points in what was a game that featured it all including some end-to-end all-star trash talk.

When asked by ESPN’s Michel Wilbon to describe the game, Jordan said, “Greatest game I’ve ever played in. All the beautiful things about the game of basketball were illustrated in that one particular game. If you culminate everybody in the Hall of Fame and every game they played in, and you envision a game being played, that’s how that game was played.”

The Dream Team spent close to a week in Monaco soaking up the sun and fun which included trips to the world famous Monte Carlo Casino, golfing on some of the greatest courses along with fine dining throughout the principality. Comradery was at its best, but when it came time to lace up their shoes and go up against one another, it was all business.

When Maccabi Tel Aviv and Monaco prepare to do battle on Tuesday night at the same locale that Jordan, Magic and the rest of the Dream Teamers did, it will be the likes of Lorenzo Brown and Wade Baldwin along with Mike James and Jordan Loyd who will be front and center.

This will be their chance to play in their own greatest game and perhaps relive some of those great moments in Monaco once again.