In the mid-2000s, United States Olympic basketball was arguably at a low point.
Team USA had won only the bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics after losing to Argentina in the semifinals. It was the first time the squad had failed to win the gold since professional players were allowed to participate.
To make matters worse, it finished third at the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
An overhaul was needed, but, more than that, it was clear something was missing. Not all of the best players in the NBA were present in Athens in 2004.
That missing piece turned out to be late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who was recruited onto the team that headed to Beijing for the 2008 Olympics.
That team won the gold over Pau Gasol and the Spanish squad in the final, 118-107. Bryant led the way with 20 points and six assists, including several clutch plays in a close fourth quarter.
To commemorate the team and its amazing accomplishment, Netflix released a trailer for an upcoming documentary entitled “The Redeem Team.”
The Redeem Team (led by Kobe Bryant @KingJames @DwyaneWade & @carmeloanthony) is the untold story of the 2008 US Men’s Olympic basketball team who had everything to lose — and everything to prove.
The Redeem Team premieres October 7 pic.twitter.com/6YPv9pihkn
— Netflix (@netflix) September 13, 2022
As it turned out, Bryant’s leadership and championship experience helped transform Team USA back into a winner.
The documentary will focus on how executive director Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski molded a bunch of big-time individual superstars into one cohesive unit with the help of Bryant.
That cohesive unit represented the United States at the Olympics with class and enthusiasm while establishing it as the world’s preeminent power in basketball once again.
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