The Redeem Team was the most stacked US Men’s Basketball Team since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. They were assembled to win the gold medal in Beijing and redeem the nation’s reputation as the sport’s final boss. However, talent alone wasn’t all it took for Team USA to complete their quest. On a recent episode of The Wine Down, Dwyane Wade reminisced about Doug Collins’ sage advice to the roster.
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Wade revealed that during the team’s training camp in Las Vegas, the college basketball legend visited the roster and spoke about the USA’s infamous gold medal match against the Soviet Union in the 1972 Munich Olympics. The Heat icon said,
“Doug came in and spoke to us as a team and you know, talked to us about the journey and so forth and so on. Just to be a part of it.”
In the final between the two undefeated juggernauts, Team USA took a one-point lead in the game’s dying moments, seemingly securing the win. However, the last three seconds were played three times by running the clock back until the Soviet Union took the lead.
Many suspected that the Soviet Union officials strong-armed the organizers to ensure their team won the contest. Collins’ revelation filled the Redeem Team with a sense of duty, who thrashed the competition in Beijing and returned home with the gold medal.
Upon landing on home soil, players visited the college basketball icon and honored him by putting the medals around his neck. Wade’s entire experience in Beijing was one of the most gratifying moments of his career. He also reminisces about that trip to China fondly as he got to share the court with Kobe Bryant
Wade recently reminisced about a legendary Kobe moment
In the Redeem Team documentary, Wade and his teammates spoke in detail about an iconic moment involving Bryant. They revealed that before their game against Spain, the Lakers icon told them that on their first defensive possession, he would shoulder barge into his teammate and close friend Pau Gasol to send a message to their opponents. Recalling what transpired, Wade said,
“He said, ‘First play of the game, I know what they are gonna run’. He knew Pau was gonna be the last screen. He said, ‘I’m running through that motherf***er’.”
The three-time NBA champion reposted the moment on his X profile with the caption, “Legendary,” with a snake emoticon as an ode to Bryant. The Heat legend and the rest of the young stars on the Redeem Team learned a lot from the Hall of Famer. They continue to hold memories of the late icon dear to their hearts.
