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CHINA – AUGUST 24: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, all of the U.S., celebrate after winning the gold medal in the men’s basketball event on the final day of the 2008 Beijing Olympics in Beijing, China, on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008. Bryant and his National Basketball Association colleagues defeated Spain 117-108 to reclaim the championship the U.S. lost four years ago in Athens after leading by just two points in the fourth quarter. (Photo by Nelson Ching/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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CHINA – AUGUST 24: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, all of the U.S., celebrate after winning the gold medal in the men’s basketball event on the final day of the 2008 Beijing Olympics in Beijing, China, on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008. Bryant and his National Basketball Association colleagues defeated Spain 117-108 to reclaim the championship the U.S. lost four years ago in Athens after leading by just two points in the fourth quarter. (Photo by Nelson Ching/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The US men’s national basketball team won the gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Everyone knows them as the ‘Redeem Team’ as they restored the USA’s dominance in the Olympics after a couple of disappointing outings in the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Netflix released a documentary based on the team earlier this month. The documentary featured star players such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade, who helped in winning the gold.
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The documentary is a fitting tribute to Kobe Bryant, who played an important role in winning the gold medal. Kobe was apparently tired of watching the team lose, and opted to suit up for the team. The documentary shows various in-depth behind-the-scene clips of the ‘Redeem Team’.
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The show was an emotional roller coaster for Kobe fans. Popular rapper Ice Cube’s son O’Shea Jackson Jr, aka OMG, recently watched the documentary. Incidentally, he is a huge Kobe Bryant fan and therefore, got emotional watching the film.
OMG gets emotional after watching ‘The Redeem Team’
OMG took to Twitter to express his thoughts on the documentary film. Being a die-hard Kobe fan, the prominent actor and rapper couldn’t control his tears.
“Boy that Redeem Team had me crying like a baby. I miss you @kobebryant,” OMG tweeted.
Boy that Redeem Team had me crying like a baby. I miss you @kobebryant
— O’Shea Jack(Nichol)son (@OsheaJacksonJr) October 13, 2022
Kobe’s national team career started more than a decade after being drafted in the NBA. He had declined to play in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and the 2002 FIBA World Championship. He also withdrew from the 2003 FIBA Americas Championship due to injury. Next year, he had to withdraw from the 2004 Olympics as well.
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2008USA’s form left, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd walk off the court during a timeout against China during competition in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (Photo by Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Bryant finally got his chance at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, which the United States won comfortably. He then led the team to gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Four years later, he won another gold in the London Olympics with USA basketball.
LeBron James believes ‘The Redeem Team’ is the greatest international team ever
King James made his US Basketball debut in 2004, 12 years after the ‘Dream Team’ conquered the world. It was the team that many NBA players grew up idolizing. However, LeBron, at one point in ‘The Redeem Team’ documentary, revealed that the 2008 gold-winning USA Olympic team is the ‘greatest international team’ ever assembled.
“Seriously, if you got D-Wade coming off of your bench, you got the greatest international team ever,” LeBron said in the documentary.
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NEW YORK – JUNE 30: Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James attend the U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team unveiling of their new team look to fans at the Water Club and Rockefeller Center on June 30, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
The ‘Dream Team’ featured the likes of Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, and Scottie Pippen, among others. They won the gold undefeated with an average gap of 44 points in the Olympics.
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Do you agree with LeBron? Or do you think the ‘Dream Team’ was the greatest international ever assembled? Let us know in the comment section below.
