Mike Krzyzewski, Who Coached Team USA Previously, Had the Highest Praise for LeBron James and Kobe Bryant

Published 03/03/2022, 12:20 AM EST

It is evident that LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are among the best to ever set foot in the NBA. In his career so far, LeBron has won 4 titles with 3 franchises and still defies the odds at 37 years old, an age when most step away from the game. Kobe enjoyed a 20-year career in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers. The ‘Mamba’ brought home 5 NBA titles and a whole host of amazing performances. He even stepped away from the game on a high with 60 points.

Although the careers of both did intersect, they often suited up against each other. So nobody got to witness what they could have done together on the same NBA team.

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Despite being separated in the NBA, fans did witness them on the same team on an international stage. During the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, Kobe and LeBron joined forces on Team USA and took home 2 back-to-back Gold medals. It was truly a great accomplishment, especially for the then head coach, Mike Krzyzewski. In light of the duo’s achievement, coach Krzyzewski explained what it was like having the duo play for Team USA.

Coach K on LeBron James and Kobe Bryant

In an interview with Colin Cowherd, coach Krzyzewski revealed how it felt to coach both Kobe and LeBron. When questioned about his first practice with LeBron and the dream team, coach Krzyzewski mentioned that he recognized the smartness in LeBron even before LeBron himself was aware of it. He then spoke about both Kobe and LeBron when the duo joined the team in 2007 for qualification to the 2008 Olympic Men’s Team.

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“When he (LeBron James) joined again in 2007 to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, and Kobe then joined the team, I had really two of the smartest players to play any sport,” said Coach K.

“And they meshed. Thank goodness. God bless both of them. They made each other better,” he added.

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Not only did they make each other better, but together, they were unbeaten. In both 2008 and 2012, the 2 were among the top scorers and were also incredible on the defensive end too. Over the 16 game stretch across both years, the duo together managed to get 48 steals. Clearly, both were essential to the team’s 16 game winning stretch and fans finally got to witness them win together.

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Written by:

Sameer is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having graduated from Manipal Institute of Technology, he has always had a keen interest in basketball and the numbers behind the game. With a goal to become a Sports Performance Analyst for a professional sports team, Sameer brings insights backed by data.

Mike Krzyzewski, Who Coached Team USA Previously, Had the Highest Praise for LeBron James and Kobe Bryant

Coach K on LeBron James and Kobe Bryant

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