Jack McCallum's new book, "Dream Team," is an in-depth look at the players on the winning 1992 Olympic Men's Basketball Team, which included iconic athletes such as Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Larry Bird.

McCallum answers questions and signs copies of "Dream Team," a book that is a must for any basketball fan, 1 - 3 p.m. Oct. 13, 428 Main St., Bethlehem.

The award-winning sports writer who retired from the staff of Sports Illustrated magazine, chronicles the "Dream Team" success, the players' stories and creates a profile of the team's experience.

McCallum, who was present during the Barcelona Olympics, also documents the historic game, controversy with the players, and team connections.

McCallum drew his insider look through interviews with the players, observing the players on the court and watching their off-court interactions.

What allowed the team their success can be broken into three key attributes, McCallum says. "The number one thing is talent," noting "the amount of time they were together was a factor in their success. They also had the best coach: Chuck Daly.

"He was able to let them play but enforce enough authority and discipline where they took the mission seriously," McCallum says, praising Daly for his coaching skills. But even the best coach could not create as much success as the Dream Team saw.

"Out of the 12 players, 11 have [been inducted] into the Basketball Hall of Fame," says McCallum. "The best players in the world were able to hide their egos and get them meshed, working towards one goal."

The Dream Team won the Olympic gold, after having played together as the Olympic team for about 50 days. That time spent together as a team effectively changed the world of basketball, McCallum asserts in this book.

"I felt like it was the end of an era," McCallum says about witnessing the game in person. "While I considered myself fortunate to have been there, to me it's when I wanted to step away from [covering] the game because I have seen the greatest expression of it."

McCallum says he was most interested to discover the extent of how much team members learned from each other.

"That really stuck with me," says the Bethlehem author, who was surprised at how much the players admired and grew from their participation in the Olympics' Dream Team.