After Team USA lost at the 2004 Olympics in Greece, people were unable to win, so they made fun of the team. The 2008 Olympics were an opportunity to redeem Team USA, with a team called the redeem team representing a country hosted by multiple superstars.
Prior to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, Team USA formed a team worthy of playing against the 1992 Dream Team. This team was called the Redeem team, their mission after the 2004 defeat.
Young players like LeBron James and Dwight Howard made headlines for the team, but there was a need for a veteran spark outside of Jason Kidd. That was when Kobe Bryant entered as the team’s biggest star and a true Alpha dog. Everyone on the team knew they had to respect Bryant.
After playing laughs at the 2004 Olympics, the Redeem team was extremely popular and some players regretted not working hard enough to make a team.
The 2008 redemption team was already piled up with impressive talent. This includes James, Howard, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and others. They were superstars who were willing to sacrifice their summer to represent the United States.
Most of those players were still quite young at the time, so they needed a player that they could take charge of. Bryant was the player who took responsibility and ensured that everyone in the court would be maximized.
It was one of the most talented groups of all time. They had multiple superstars that Kobe Bryant, the best player in the world at the time, found. For LeBron James, another biggest star on the team, he was honored to play with the Black Mamba despite the many comparisons people have made.
“He was the missing link needed to regain his advantage with Team USA. He brought seriousness to the team.
“He locked us in and we knew that when he joined, he would be committed,” James said at the 2025 Nicemith Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony.
“He knew we didn’t have half-eleven. Kobe knew himself, CP, D-Wade, Melo. We were even more locked up. We wanted to show that we could reach that level. It was just an honor to be with him.
“I was 23. I was on the floor with him, so he had already won the championship and its nature before. Those were the levels I was trying to reach.”
Since its execution in 2008, Team USA has dominated every Olympics. They had a slight blip at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but they ran it at the 2024 Olympics and won again. LeBron James was again present with Kevin Durant and debutant Stephen Curry.
This was one of the best team runs that the US team has ever had, and if the player did not follow Bryant’s example, it didn’t happen. Black Mamba became an icon for Team USA, so everyone wanted to follow him. Of course, players like James, Durant and Carmelo Anthony are Team USA legends, but we praise Bryant for helping Team USA return to prominence.
As basketball grows outside of the US, many countries have national teams that can compete with Team USA. However, beating Team USA remains a tough job, as they always have an elite group of players that have been dominant since 2008.