Following humiliation in the 2004 Olympics and the 2006 FIBA World Cup, the USA basketball team stunned the world in 2008. Under the leadership of Kobe Bryant, ‘The Redeem Team’ remained unbeaten in that year’s Bejing Olympics to face Spain in the final. During the gold medal game, the Los Angeles Lakers legend was able to assist his nation in fulfilling its dream, following advice from Dwyane Wade.
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After an emphatic 118-107 victory in the final match, the backcourt duo reflected on the entire game in a post-match interview. During that time, Kobe mentioned how he was trying to be more careful with his approach from the start of the clash. “Just trying to take what the defense was giving me. It was tough at the start of the game being in a foul trouble, trying to play cautious as such,” he stated.
Wade sensed it as Team USA led by nine points by the end of the third quarter. The 13x All-Star wanted Bryant to take over the court with his aggressive mindset as he let the 5x champion know of his desire. Kobe highlighted the interaction while mentioning Dwyane’s jersey number as a reference. The Black Mamba declared, “Fourth quarter rolled around, 9 came to me and said, ‘Hey man, let that Mamba loose’. And that’s what I was able to do”.
Wade’s words hit the 18x All-Star at the right time as he registered 20-3-6 in 27 minutes for his side. He became the highest assist provider on the court while becoming the third-highest scorer of Team USA in the entire Olympics. Dwyane also refused to be outshined as he scored the most points in the game with 27 alongside becoming the top scorer for his nation in the tournament.
A successfully executed plan by Kobe Bryant and the team management
A major reason behind the basketball team’s misery in the previous two competitions was down to a lack of influential senior figures. Team USA thus wanted to have the Lakers talisman on the roster alongside a few other experienced NBA players. The strategy paid off as Bryant’s attitude had a ripple effect on a young national team squad.
Kobe understood it better than anyone else as he did his level best to keep the bar high. So, all eyes were on him for the final match as it was time to lead by example. As always, the shooting guard thrived on the opportunity as he became hell-bound on setting an early tone. The 2008 MVP did so brilliantly by ‘running through‘ his Lakers teammate, Pau Gasol‘s chest.
Moments such as this made the rest of the roster root for each other with the prodigal LeBron James playing a key role. The small forward stepped up for the best interest of the entire team as he shared the burden of leadership with Bryant. Carlos Boozer pointed out precisely that as it showcased the unshakable bond between the players.
Team USA benefited from it as the success set the tone for the newcomers. They even won all of their following three campaigns because of it. In the end, all this became possible due to a competitive team culture that never carried forward their NBA rivalries to the national team setup.
