Kobe Bryant’s fiercely competitive spirit prioritized winning at any cost. Dwyane Wade recently reminded the NBA community of this while revisiting the Black Mamba’s antics from the 2008 Olympics. He reminisced about the moment when Bryant barged through Pau Gasol’s chest, garnering the fans’ attention.
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Shortly after UNITERRUPTED uploaded a clip of the iconic incident on X, Wade expressed his two cents. Sharing the video publicly, the 42-year-old paid tribute to the late great, writing, “Legendary,” in the caption before putting a snake emoji by its side.
Legendary 🐍 https://t.co/8zRE3YT7fs
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) July 25, 2024
The clip, featured in the 2022 documentary The Redeem Team, captured the 2008 Team USA Basketball roster’s preliminary-round game against Spain. Knowing the strength of their European rivals, Bryant aimed to set the tone from the start of the game. To do so, he planned to catch Spain’s leader and his then-Los Angeles Lakers teammate, Gasol, off-guard.
Before the game, he revealed his strategy to his then-Team USA teammates. Wade, who was a backup for Kobe, recalled, “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'”.
Despite Bryant’s bold declaration, his then-teammates, including Wade, failed to wrap their heads around this approach. However, their doubts faded when Black Mamba lived up to his words from the start. His aggressive play shifted the focus onto winning over everything else, leading to Team USA’s domination with a 119-82 scoreline.
A few days later, the teams faced off again in the final. This time, Bryant sealed the game with a crucial three-pointer. With just over three minutes remaining, his shot shattered Spain’s hopes while giving Team USA an eight-point lead. Eventually, this was decisive in the nation securing the gold medal with a 118-107 victory.
As a result, the clip undoubtedly brought back great memories for Wade. It also solidified Bryant’s greatness, prompting Wade to extend his gratitude toward the basketball legend.
DWade always had immense respect for Kobe
During his last year’s appearance on The Old Man and The Three, Wade revealed how Bryant’s success at an early age drove him. While discussing this period with JJ Redick, the 3x champion recalled how Black Mamba set the benchmark around the league, stating,
“When I got into the league, Kobe Bryant was the bar…He was 24 years old at the time I got in and he had three NBA championships…As a competitor, I knew that Kobe was the one for me. If I wanted to be great, I had to get on the level of Kobe Bryant…So it pushed me and he pushed me”.
So, his recent remarks further highlighted his viewpoint on Bryant while strengthening their connection. This is an exemplary NBA bond to this day, capturing the deeper relationships formed through the game.
